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Thread: Cladding Restoration...so Easy & Dope!

  1. #1
    Member Since
    Sep 2010
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    1999, silver, ????
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    Cladding Restoration...so Easy & Dope!

    Hey there, I'm pretty new here, bought my VX about a month & half ago, after selling my '09 FJ... baby on the way, needed to buy wifey something more "family", so i figured since i was going the used route for myself, i'd check to see if my all time favorite was available, and here i am!
    It's a '99 Astral, 104k. Was bone stock, badly neglected and smoker for sure before me...gross!
    anyway, first thing i did was totally clean out the interior of stains n bogey odor. next was a complete tune up, including:
    timing
    water pump
    plugs & wires
    bulb replacements lol
    new stereo n 4 new speakers
    oil change, duh
    brakes all around

    i'm givin her the love and attention she never had!
    anyway, so i also recently put new wheels and tires on her:
    16" REBEL RACING Outlaw II, no offset, wrapped in BFG Mud Terrain KM2

    looks like a moon rover cause i have not added a lift, just cranked the torsion bars n did some simple trimming with a wiz wheel n a few shots with a mallet, all good...

    OK, so FINALLY!!!! the cladding!

    i only told u all that cause i figure maybe u want a lil description of my truck n how serious i am about it being cared for, especially since it will be toating a newborn in 1 month!

    After getting it to run perfect, n adding the wheels n stereo, something was still not right.... the damn cladding just looked all faded n old.
    so i did some research on this forum n found someone who mentioned GATORBACK restoring spray. It is a finish, not like an armorall, temp fix.
    So i went to their sight, http://gatorbackcoatings.com/ and ordered some cans of the stuff.
    First of all, don't do what i did and order the recommened amount for a Chevy Avalanche lol, which is 8 cans...... i sprayed the entire VX and mirrors, 2 solid coats with 4 cans.

    It comes in 3 different colors, from light grey-black. i went with black because i figured it would go good with the wheels i put on, i ws right, it's freakin awesome!

    i also figured that the grey colors available would just look like faded black cladding, which is what i had to start with...

    So now i needed some time to get this job done. I am a tattoo artist, i work all day everyday, with almost no free time to "play" with toys, especially with this baby coming FAST!
    But luckily, waiting for a day just like yesterday, with my first client being a shop regular, and wussing out after only an hour of tattooing, and me keeping the cans of gatorback in my truck, the oportunity presented itself, so i jumped on it!
    I had 3 hours between now n my next appointment, so me and my client/friend went out back and got to work, right in the parking lot.
    I was gonna go all out and completely remove the cladding, but after reading some threads and realizing i had no place to put it, i opted for a complete, thorough masking job. GREAT choice, btw. removing the cladding is completely unnecessary, even for a professional job, keep reading and i will explain:

    I have always been into art, and have had alot of experience with paints, spray paints, masking, all that artsy crap, all u ex-quarterbacks are cringing right now, i know.... well it really came in handy, because this was one of the easiest paint jobs i have ever done!

    1.Remove all torx heads (T30)
    2. Remove all front bumper lenses and rear corner lenses. headlight and tail light removal is completely not necessary.
    3. Gas cover removal, p.s my buddy did this part, but left without putting it back on so i don't now where those 2 parts go, someone help?
    4.Start Masking!
    5. I used blue painter's tape with a roll of brown masking paper, which can both be found at any hardware or art store.
    6. With the torx heads removed, yer buddy can pull the cladding away from the body just enough to slide the tape behind it, making for complete protection and complete exposed cladding.
    7. Now the main reason my buddy stuck around to help me was cause he said that anything that comes out of a can is a complete failure.... well he was wrong and actually admitted it at the end. He was shocked!
    8. So then u just spray the cladding! I started at the front passenger side panel and worked each panel with a complete solid coat and then moved on the the next panel working towards the back and around the back, making sure to try n keep the overspray off of the other panels.
    9. after 1 coat you could already see how good it was looking, but 2 coats was definitely the way to go. The second coat was applied about 10 minutes later, the stuff dries really fast.
    10. So that's pretty much it. Remove the tape and masking after it dries about 20 minutes, put all the parts back on and stand back in awe.
    You're done.

    The whole procedure, start to finish, took 2 1/2 hours, the masking is the most time consuming, but it's the part that really matters!

    Gatorback is DEFINITELY the way to go, easy, affordable and effective!

    Damn! my appointment is here and i don't know how to post pics for u guys! somebody help me with that so i can show u how good it came out! My Bad!
    It's like gettin a girl all naked and then she says she has to be home by 12.....blue to the bizzalls

  2. #2
    Member Since
    Apr 2008
    Location
    2000 Foxfire Red Mica, 0555 (RIP) & 0717
    Posts
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    From here:

    http://www.vehicross.info/modules.ph...egory&cid=7#38

    First you need to browse to the Gallery. Click on the "Gallery Links" on the menu and scroll down to "Upload Photos".

    Uploading a Photo is accomplished thru the use of this form. By filling in the variables, you are telling PhotoPost which photo you wish to upload and information about the photo.

    Choose a cateogry - select the most appropriate place for your photo using the drop down list of available categories.

    Photo to upload - using the Browser button, select the file on your system you wish to upload (be sure that the file does not exceed size limitations)

    You can also upload a ".zip" file containing multiple photos. You can do this by browsing to the .zip file rather than the actual photo as stated above.

    Disk space remaining for your account - This tells you how much disk space you have left for uploads

    On the next page you will be prompted to enter the following information for each image you uploaded:

    Enter a title for the photo - This is a short description of the photo

    Keywords - enter up to 10 descriptive terms people can use to search for your image

    Photo Description - This area provides for a more detailed description of the photo

    Do you want to be notified by email when users post replies? Check this box if you would like an email whenever someone posts a comment to your photo.

    Supported image types include: JPG, GIF and PNG.
    Support multimedia type (if enabled): MPG, AVI, ASF, WMF, MOV
    Let me know if you need help. Can't wait to see pics!

  3. #3
    Member Since
    Jun 2002
    Location
    2000 Ebony VX #263 ****** VX-2 My weekend car
    Posts
    2,067
    Thanked: 7

    Thumbs up

    Yes, pictures please!!

    And do let us know how it holds up with time and weather.
    Anita
    2000 Ebony #263
    Original Owner- love her too much to part with her.
    AnitaProtich.com

  4. #4
    Member Since
    Nov 2009
    Location
    2001Proton 1432, ex 2001 Dragon Green Mica 0168 (RIP May 2017)
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    3,590
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    What did you do with the jams for the doors?
    Live, Love, Forgive and Never Give Up

  5. #5
    Member Since
    Dec 2008
    Location
    Former owner 2001, Foxfire Red, #0663
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    7,311
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    I'll buy your remaining 4 cans if you want!

    CAN'T WAIT FOR THE PICS!!!!!

    I've got to look into this and the T-S1 stuff a bit more. I already tried the Restore/Refinish and found that didn't adhere properly, most likely because I didn't prep the surface correctly. I was able to successfully blast it all off with a pressure washer.

    But GatorBack was probably the next item I was going to try. I want a permanent coating, so hopefully this will be it. I've got to read up on the surface prep instructions and see what my buddy Luna-X thinks too.
    VX KAT
    ....the adventure BEGINS ANEW! ...2015......
    Remember that life is not measured in the breaths you take, but rather in the moments that take your breath away.

  6. #6
    Member Since
    May 2009
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    2001 Kaiser 0845
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    Hey Mike,

    I've had a look at the gatorback web-site yesterday -- did you use their recommended cleaning solution? If not, what did you use to clean up the cladding first?

    thanks!

  7. #7
    Member Since
    Oct 2004
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    99 Victory White Ironman 0685
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    What does DOPE mean these days?
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
    Chi Dog...Dog is my Co-pilot
    Onward thru the fog
    Leave it BETTER than you found it!

  8. #8
    Member Since
    Jan 2007
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    VX Skeleton owner
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    Pics or it didn't happen

    Also it is great reading that since I have the gatorback black coating sitting in my garage right now. I bought it and just haven't had a chance to put it on yet.
    The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable man persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on me.

  9. #9
    Member Since
    Apr 2008
    Location
    2000 Foxfire Red Mica, 0555 (RIP) & 0717
    Posts
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    Since we're all sitting around waiting for mike's pics, I'll pose a question for the group. It looks to me like Gatorback was mentioned on the forum BEFORE Refinish Restorer, yet it seems only a few people have used it vs. RR. Both were initially advertised to have "permanent" effect, so why did so many people flock to one over the other?

  10. #10
    Member Since
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    i seem to remember a negative review

    Quote Originally Posted by vt_maverick View Post
    Since we're all sitting around waiting for mike's pics, I'll pose a question for the group. It looks to me like Gatorback was mentioned on the forum BEFORE Refinish Restorer, yet it seems only a few people have used it vs. RR. Both were initially advertised to have "permanent" effect, so why did so many people flock to one over the other?
    but cannot find the link. It either collected dirt or was prone to chipping or did not allow adherence or showed streaks.

  11. #11
    Member Since
    Sep 2010
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    1999, silver, ????
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    pictures!

    Hey everybody, sorry about the no pics, here they are:
    also, i DID NOT buy the surface prep stuff, i used DENATURED ALCOHOL. It is the best cleaner, degreaser around, and probably exactly what is in the gatorback brand prepper, for a lot less money.......
    http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=4376[/IMG]

  12. #12
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    1999, silver, ????
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    oh my god i can't freakin figure out how to load the damn images! that is the direct link to my gallery!
    http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/sh...00&ppuser=4376

  13. #13
    Member Since
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    1999, silver, ????
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    Scott: dope means cool, i guess. i don't know man i'm 33 n work with a bunch of younger dudes, so lingo catches on even if i use it as a joke...

  14. #14
    Member Since
    Sep 2010
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    1999, silver, ????
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    sorry about the pics delay...

  15. #15
    Member Since
    Sep 2010
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    1999, silver, ????
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    Hey lemme know what all u guys & girls think about the finished product, n my wheels!

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