Gatorback'd my cladding

[samneil2000]

I was a fan of Refinish Restorer but it seemed to fade on me and need to be reapplied about once a year. I would start seeing lighter areas and you could see how I applied it, almost like brush strokes showing up. This time I decided to try Gatorback. I wiped the cladding down with denatured alcohol and spent a couple hours taping up the paint. I also hit the cladding screws with some shiney paint. I've seen this look on a couple other VX's on the forum so I didn't come up with it on my own, but I must say I couldn't be happier with the outcome...

[samneil2000]

Couple more pics of finished product.

[Mondo]

Looks great! Thanks for posting pics of the final outcome. Did one can do all the cladding?

[samneil2000]

Sorry, I should have included that info. I ordered 4 cans and used 2 and about 2/3rds of the third can. I put on two good coats. The first was blotchy, with places you could see through. After the second coat it is pretty well blacked out. I went with the black but they offer gray as well.

The fourth can will be used to coat my mirrors and for touch-ups if necessary. I might even pull the wing off the back and coat it...

[cheetah2390]

Sorry, I should have included that info. I ordered 4 cans and used 2 and about 2/3rds of the third can. I put on two good coats. The first was blotchy, with places you could see through. After the second coat it is pretty well blacked out. I went with the black but they offer gray as well.

The fourth can will be used to coat my mirrors and for touch-ups if necessary. I might even pull the wing off the back and coat it...

Looks great! Where did you buy from? I found it on the gatorbackcoating site for $22.95 a can.

[samneil2000]

That's where I got it, straight from the source.

[Mile High VX]

How much did it change the texture of the cladding? I think it looks great!

[samneil2000]

How much did it change the texture of the cladding? I think it looks great!

If you look real close in the daylight you can still see the grain in the stock plastic but it seems less noticeable. I'm not sure if that is because it is somewhat covered up or just because it is much darker now. When I rub my hand across the plastic it has this satin like feel to it, almost velvety. I really like it though and think the flat black looks perfect. For the finish, think of an unburned piece of charcoal.
Thanks for all the compliments guys.

[Osteomata]

That looks fantastic, and I really like the touch with the cladding screws.

[VX MileHigh]

Very nice looking. I may consider doing the same to mine. I like the touch of silver for the screws. I have an Astral silver as well so I can see just what mine would look like it I did the black like you did.

[evillecutter]

it looks awesome but by reading the title i was hoping it was actual alligator skin cladding

[VXorado]

How's the GB holding up a year later? I'm thinking about treating my cladding soon, interested to hear about how it holds up.

[samneil2000]

How's the GB holding up a year later? I'm thinking about treating my cladding soon, interested to hear about how it holds up.

Good question. I was outside in the driveway the other day and noticed a few specs missing here and there, mostly towards the rear and near where the tires would throw up rocks and other debris. The specks are small, like less than a half inch. I need to get the cladding really clean so I can see how much damage there is. I don't think it's that bad but it is pretty dirty on the underside of the curve so it is hard to tell for sure. Hopefully I can re-spray the areas without taping the entire vehicle off and it will be good as new.

I'll try to get it cleaned up and take a few pics to post here to update this thread. It doesn't seem to have the same pop as it did but that could also be due to being dirty. Overall I'm still pretty happy with it.

[VXorado]

That would be great if you could post updated pics...

My cladding needs refinishing again and it was previously SN. My cladding is still dark from the treatment, but I've notice my brush strokes have become much more noticeable. My cladding took several big hits this summer on rocks and I like the idea of Gatorback adding a concealing layer of coverage to cladding. For the $80 price tag, I want to make sure the GB will hold up and if future touch ups are easy.

Thanks.

[vxnewb]

Is gatorback just paint? or like an undercoating w/o the grit?