My Version of Painted Cladding and Stuff.

[ZEUS]

Instead of mucking up Mark Miller's awesome painted cladding thread I decided to start my own thread. I followed his steps and fed off his ideas; however, I just wanted a more textured look to my cladding.

I am thinking I need one more coat on the bumper - or I will see if I can even out the texture in some other way. I mostly got the texture and color I was after but I would like to make it more consistent before I move on to the rest of the cladding. So far though, I am pleased with how it's going! Let me know what you guys think.

Here it is at sundown with two coats on the bumper for comparison:

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/515/VX_-_Coating_007_resize.jpg

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/515/VX_-_Coating_008_resize.jpg

Don't make fun of the rock chips on the hood - I am taking care of it!

[IndianaVX]

Zeus,
Looking good! this painted cladding thing is looking like a very good solution to the fade issue.
good work buddy
like the wheels too
cant wait to see the whole thing completed

david

[ZEUS]

Me too, man, me too! Thanks for the compliments! I just hope to get it done by Friday, before my road trip.

[CrnCnn]

I like it, I have been on the fence about paint or more of a liner look. I will be interested to see the finished product.

[nfpgasmask]

Don't be ashamed of your chips. EVERY time I wash my VX, I find 3 or 4 new rock chips. I have been touching them up, but man, driving in Reno is like chronically driving in an asteroid belt.

Bart

[Ascinder]

but man, driving in Reno is like chronically driving in an asteroid belt.

I'll second that...BTW looks great so far ZEUS, how are you liking the darker black look?

[ZEUS]

I think the cladding looks much better dark! This coating gives it a kind of metal flake look that you can't see in the pics but that might diminish some. In some places, it is a bit like sand paper because I held the can too far from the surface - those are the areas I hope to improve tonight.


As far as rock chips go, my cladding has suffered from some of that too - but it is looking much better now. In SLC, they lay down road salt or sand during snow storms so that is where most of my pitting comes from. I hope the coating holds up better than the bare plastic.

[JHarris1385]

Looks great. Awaiting the finished product. Looks like something I need to plan to do to my IronMan. Keep up the good work.

[Ldub]

I think the cladding looks much better dark! This coating gives it a kind of metal flake look that you can't see in the pics but that might diminish some. In some places, it is a bit like sand paper because I held the can too far from the surface - those are the areas I hope to improve tonight.


:cool: Lookin' goo dude...I know what you mean about the "sandpaper" effect...I used the same stuff to spray a "bra" on my hood & fenders & it's plenty rough, but I like it like that. :rolleyes:
I found a brush with semi soft bristles for washing it, as it would destroy a sponge or anything else...unless I could find a kryptonite sponge, but those are WAY rare. :rolleyes:
The guy in the next bay over at work looked at it today (from a few yards away) & couldn't believe it was sprayed on until he got closer. ;)

[ZEUS]

Well, I got the rest of the prep work done today. I took off my sliders, lower door seal, rear side markers, fuel door, and rear bumper. I masked off the door jamb and everything else and put plastic bags around my exposed light bulbs. I then scuffed up the whole thing with a Brillo pad thingamabob and rubbed it down with the Prep-All. So what does a VX look like without bumpers? I am glad you asked!

VX stripped to a thong:

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/VX_-_Coating_010_resize.JPG

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/VX_-_Coating_011_resize.JPG

This last one is going to be used as "The Before Shot":
http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/VX_-_Coating_009_resize.JPG

[tbigity]

looking great zeus, the perfect blend of rough and paint.

[Dino]

Lookin good! I'm thinking of painting mine with black PPG automotive paint (DCC formula) with flexing addative and a flattening agent added.

[CrnCnn]

so are there any completed pics? Did i miss them or are they on another thread?

[ZEUS]

Sorry to leave ya hangin'! I have just been busy. I want to take some good pics at sundown but I was in Moab and then back to working overtime when I returned home. In Moab though, I got nothing but compliments on how the cladding looks! :cool: The day I really got to paint, God turned against me and made the cottonwood trees shed while making the wind blow. There is some spray streaking and inconsistency; but it isn't bad or all that noticable. If I had more time, I would have sprayed a third coat; that should even it out nicely, I think. I'll post "after pics" when I wash it!

[ZEUS]

Well, I didn't get to wash it but here are some pics anyway. Now it really looks streaked in these photos - but I swear it does not look that bad, plus it's dirty although it looks clean in the pics.

Before:
http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/VX_-_Coating_009_resize.JPG

After:
http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/515/Picture_001_resize.jpg

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/Picture_002_resize.jpg

[CrnCnn]

I like it. Looks like my next project is set.

[ZEUS]

Thanks! So you know, I used 7 cans of the coating but 10 would be better. I didn't use the adhesion promoter, but I scuffed up the cladding really well. You get better results if you hold the can closer than 5" from the surface. Past that point, it seems too misty and it sometimes creates sand paper. I wouldn't go all that light on the first coat either. The cans do start to spit globs when they get near empty, so beware of the black spit! I tried to get a consistent spatter effect after it happened to me a few times, I actually kind of like the look of the globs, it adds some dimension to the cladding! Also, mask off the sheetmetal higher than I did as I got some overspray on the rear hump because of the wind that day.


So far, the coating has held up well, even at the rocker entry. I have dragged my shoes over it a few times and it doesn't even show a scuff. It seems to clean off well too... no left over bug fragments after hitting the auto wash.

[CrnCnn]

So ZEUS, did you do the hood insert as well. Mine looks like major ish, Bart and Ascinder can vouch, and want to straighten it up as well as the cladding.

[ZEUS]

No, I left the hood insert alone, cuz as biju said, "I have never seen a hood insert that does not even show a sign of cracking!" But I told biju that I would like to change the bracing and replace the hood insert with lexan. I think tinted, 1/4" acrylic, mounted with stainless countersunk bolts, and backlit with a white or chamelion (sp?), color changing light in the engine bay... ahh... would look freakin' KILLER! I would like to get to that... maybe one day. I have it figured out in my head, but anyone is welcome to give it a shot! :cool:

[Ascinder]

I think tinted, 1/4" acrylic, mounted with stainless countersunk bolts, and backlit with a white or chamelion (sp?), color changing light in the engine bay... ahh... would look freakin' KILLER! I would like to get to that... maybe one day. I have it figured out in my head, but anyone is welcome to give it a shot!

Damn, that sounds pretty cool indeed. It would be awesome to get a hold of some of those flickering candelabra style bulbs that imitate candles so you make people think your engine was on fire. :p Or something that linked the output of the lights to the accelerator, so it REALLY lit up when you stepped on it.

[ZEUS]

The coolest vision I have for my VX would be too expensive; but I would love to get a "true-fire" realistic flame job on my hood, fenders, and doors. That candling effect you mentioned under the hood would theme really well with that kind of flame job! :flame: :cool!:

[etlsport]

that flame job would look awesome coming out from under the cladding.. so it looked like there was fire under the cladding!

[ZEUS]

I wondered if I could find some vinyl graphics to accomplish that when I got my VX but it just wouldn't... well, you get what you pay for and the vinyl is cheap so I think it would look cheap. Need a true artist to do it right!

[ZEUS]

Well, it's been about 7 weeks since I painted my cladding. I beautified my VX last night:

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/VX_-_Coating_001_resize.jpg
http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/VX_-_Coating_002_resize.jpg
I ironically had to apply Mother's Back To Black to make the coating pop again. It did start to grey out. When the coating is applied to steel it stays black - on plastic, it seems to be another story. The coating absorbs the Mother's though, so I will see how long the cladding stays black after being "treated".

[Ldub]

Lookin' good man...nothing like a squeaky clean VX to get the motivational juices flowing.
I've been trying to muster the motivation to get after my hood insert project. I want to sand it down, make the hood scoop functional to vent under hood heat & re-attach it with exposed stainless cap screws. I'm planning to use Bulldog & the plasti-kote black bumper color.
After seeing your pics, I went & dug out the rattle cans from my closet...hey, it's a start. ;)
Keep the shiny side up & good luck with getting your front axle back together.

[nfpgasmask]

I think it looks pimpy. Anything to make an Ebony VX more black is cool.

:) Bart

[CrnCnn]

Im thinking about making mine a UAV, with a flat black. So many silver VX out there.

[ZEUS]

Im thinking about making mine a UAV, with a flat black. So many silver VX out there.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle?

[CrnCnn]

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle?
Thats right. I am gonna donate it to the military so they can spy better.

Urban Assult Vehicle maybe better.

[tomdietrying]

Man, that looks sharp! Great job!
Peace.
Tom

[ZEUS]

Thanks for the compliments! The cladding is holding up well so far excluding the graying that occurred - I think it happened because of the sun shining on the surface when I painted it. Every piece I sprayed in the shade stayed black this whole time but the parts that I painted in direct sunlight, they grayed out. Don't know how else to explain it... :confused:

[CrnCnn]

Thanks for the compliments! The cladding is holding up well so far excluding the graying that occurred - I think it happened because of the sun shining on the surface when I painted it. Every piece I sprayed in the shade stayed black this whole time but the parts that I painted in direct sunlight, they grayed out. Don't know how else to explain it... :confused:

So have you still had issues with it fading?

[ZEUS]

Oops! Sorry man, almost missed your post. The fading is not too bad actually - during the summer it seems to dry out and fade some but during the winter it has held up fairly nicely. I still treat it with a chemical but it lasts longer than it did on bare cladding so I don't have to apply stuff as often as before, but it does need it after awhile. I am not sure I would recommend it yet or not to be honest. I really like the look of it but I just wish it would stay black.

[CrnCnn]

Oops! Sorry man, almost missed your post. The fading is not too bad actually - during the summer it seems to dry out and fade some but during the winter it has held up fairly nicely. I still treat it with a chemical but it lasts longer than it did on bare cladding so I don't have to apply stuff as often as before, but it does need it after awhile. I am not sure I would recommend it yet or not to be honest. I really like the look of it but I just wish it would stay black.

I am not sure if I am gonna paint or liner my cladding yet. Definately gonna use the liner spray for my insert though, I would like it to match the texture of the cladding. Plug Beau did his and I like the way it came out.