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I'm considering plastidipping (black matte) the rear fascia. I've never seen a C5 with it in person, but the photos I've seen look really nice and apparently it's cheap & easy. Anybody done it and regretted it? Look better in photos than in person? Is it impossible to get it perfectly rounded near the edges?
Plasti-Dip is a spray. It will contour edges just like any other sprayed color product
It needs to be sprayed heavier than what you would think you should. Most people when they dip wheels typically use a can a wheel. You can use an entire can just on the lower portion of the rear fascia. If you go too light you're not going to get enough product on to peel later on down the line. Basically you spray a coat, spray a coat again, and again, and again, while it's still relatively wet for each coat. Some go as high as 7 or 8 coats.
You will want to cover the rear mufflers with something. You can get a good mask line with standard masking tape on the fascia and then simply cover the top portion. From there apply the coats, and when you're done with the last remove the tape while still a little wet and tacky, as if you wait until it is completely 100% dry you run the risk of peeling the product off with it.
It will have a relatively flat color to it that often comes out a bit uneven on first attempts. Think similar to a flat black urethane bumper cover color. There are products to gloss-ify Plasti-Dip (one made by Plasti-Dip themselves).
Looks great when done correctly, and easily reversible if you don't care for the results. As stated above, make sure you use more than you think you need. The thicker the final coat, the easier it is to peel off. I learned this the hard way. A lot of threads recommend using blue painter's tape. Big mistake. It may work fine in the straight sections, but it's useless on the rounds at each corner. Use basic electrical tape, with a lot of light so you can see the contours. Electrical tape is flexible, and much stronger than painter's tape, making the final pull so much easier. Good luck.
I did this and its pretty straight forward. I taped off with masking tape, and for the curves I used electrical tape. It contoured very well around the body lines.
I did mine almost a year ago and it's still on through countless washes, storms, and just every day driving. I can send you pics of mine if you want. It literally took 30 mins from start to finish. Including going to Walmart to buy the dip, tape off the lines, and then spray the back. I only used one can total for the entire rear fascia and it turned out great. I have no paint experience whatsoever. So it's very simply. I would recommend going to auto zone or Oreily and get a black pin strip line for a clean edge.
Looks great when done correctly, and easily reversible if you don't care for the results. As stated above, make sure you use more than you think you need. The thicker the final coat, the easier it is to peel off. I learned this the hard way. A lot of threads recommend using blue painter's tape. Big mistake. It may work fine in the straight sections, but it's useless on the rounds at each corner. Use basic electrical tape, with a lot of light so you can see the contours. Electrical tape is flexible, and much stronger than painter's tape, making the final pull so much easier. Good luck.
That's because you're supposed to use pin stripe to outline the area then cover it with blue tape!
I did my 2001 coupe. I used regular automotive prep solvent for clean up.
I used pin striping to do the outline and then just automotive masking tape and paper for the overspray. I also covered the mufflers and behind the louvers for overspray protection.
The pin stripe I just left on as a contrast between the black and white colors.
It has been on the car for almost two years and still looks fresh.
Is there a particular brand of plasti dip spray that works best?
As mentioned, Plasti-Dip is the brand itself.
However due to the popularity of Plasti-Dip, other companies have been releasing their own type product. Recently Rustoleum released a sprayed coating product in various colors. You can tell they know what it will be used for because on the can is a picture of a car's wheel...
Any store like Home Depot or Lowes will have black Plasti-Dip and most parts stores like Pep Boys And Autozone will have various colors. The neon colors are popular with the import tuner crowd.
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I have to admit the cars above look really good with the Plasti-Dip applied. A cheap and easy way to change the appearance of the car and easily reversible if you change your mind later.
Electrical tape is the easiest stuff to use for a perfect curved line. Setting it in the sun for 15 or 20 minutes before you start softens it up good too. Also keeping the coats light on the outer edge until the last coat, then pulling the electrical tape while it's still wet will keep it from getting a ragged line.
I gave it a shot. Unfortunately I waited too long to pull tape based on conflicting instructions. Lots of people say "pull the tape before it dries to leave a crisp edge" which I suppose is sufficient info if you only plan to apply one coat. However, you really nned to apply 4-5 coats to make the Plastidip thick enough to peel off later. If your coat is too thin, it's very hard to peel off. So if anybody is planning on trying this, maybe you should try to put it on super thick in one coat. Or, contrary to PlastiDip instructions on can, don't let your first coat dry for 30 minutes before applying second coat. Maybe you should only wait about 5 -10 minutes before resuming second thick coat. Then immediately pull the electrical/edge tape to maintain a crisp line. Maybe I'll give at another try in the future. Took a while to peel it off today so I want to make sure I do it right next time.
Wait until the very end to do the edges. That's all there is to it. Spray as much as you think you need everywhere else, and then put one or two quick coats on the edge and pull.
Refer to post #5 if you have any questions.
Last edited by Verrückt ZR1; 05-01-2016 at 05:24 PM.
04-29-2016, 03:51 PM
Plasti-Dipping Rear Fascia
A lot of threads recommend using blue painter's tape. Big mistake. It may work fine in the straight sections, but it's useless on the rounds at each corner. Use basic electrical tape, with a lot of light so you can see the contours. Electrical tape is flexible, and much stronger than painter's tape, making the final pull so much easier. Good luck. 
