[nate96]

Here are the steps I did to do the car.
Prep:

1. Wash the car. Do not wax it.
2. Put plastic down on the garage floor. I did this so I did not get overspray everywhere
3. Park car to allow you optimal room for moving around.
4. Clay bar the car. I wanted a smooth surface on the existing paint.
5. Disconnect battery. Prevents drainage if you are taking a couple days and prevents the windows from moving when you open and close the door.
6. Remove kidney grills and antenna.
7. Mask off what you do not want to get overspray on.

• Cover the holes where the kidney grills were.
• Cover any other grill opening.
• Prop open the hood (I used a roll of tape where the latch is). I covered the motor with plastic to prevent overspray. I masked the side of the hood and the inside of the fender.
• I put a little tape on the headlights and side indicators.
• Open the doors and mask off inside. I did it about 3/8” in from the rocker panel for my line but would recommend a little more.
• Mask off the backside of the gap between the fenders and doors. I did this with tape. It was a major pain but I thought it was worth it.
• Open the trunk and mask off between the hatch and the roof on the underside.
• Prop the trunk open (I used beer cars) and mask off with plastic drape. I did this all the way from the roof and around the back.
• Mask off the windows (front, rear and sides). This is the one thing I did differently. Mask all the way to the rubber edges like how I did the rear windows and not the side.
• Cut some plastic big enough to fill the wheel wells. Alternatively some people use garbage bags. Tape the entire inside of the wheel well just inside of the body leaving the body full exposed.

The car should be fully prepped now.


Painting:

There are many resources for seeing how to paint. www.youtube.com and http://www.dipyourcar.com/forums/forum.php

Some things to note to prevent running. The side markers like to pool the paint. Take care when painting that area. The mirrors are a pain to get full coverage on using a paint gun. I recommend getting Prevail sprayer to do them. With the paint gun to get full coverage on the mirrors I got too much paint and it started to run and drip. I have done mirrors with spray cans and it is much easier. If you are more experienced it may not be an issue.

1. The first coat is very light. It seems like this is the same idea as sanding wood before painting. Gives the paint something to grip onto.
2. The second to fourth or fifth coats are a normal coat using about a 50% overlap on spraying.
3. The top coat, about 3 coats is the color you are doing and the same principles are involved.

Tear Down:

Patience is key here. Make sure you have some razor blades handy. Slowly start to peel off the masking job. Keep your fingers as close to the plasti dip when pulling it off or it will just tear. Inspect every area you are about to peel. You will start to notice what will peel easily and what won’t. Use the razor blade on the edges that do not peel well or anywhere that there is tape to plasti dip (like the door jambs). This will ensure a cleaner line and less chance of peeling off what you do not want to come off. Note that you only need to score the plasti dip next to the tape in order to get a clean break and do not have to cut it all the way. This makes it less of a chance of going too far and putting a line into the factory paint.

Anyways I hope this helps anyone that is going to attempt it.