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Thread: Cladding Restoration Part II

  1. #1
    Member Since
    Mar 2012
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    2001 Ebony #0254
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    Cool Cladding Restoration Part II

    Trim and Bumper paint success on the VX cladding.

    I tried a lot of different methods to improve the cladding and I finally found a way to even out the cladding, get rid of the chalkiness, discolorations and restore the dark grey color with a cheap and fairly easy to use product that I was very apprehensive to try so I used a test piece of old damaged cladding I had laying around.

    I used the Dupli-Color Trim & Bumper paint available at AutoZone (charcoal grey), with good results. I found you must first clean the cladding very good to remove all the old oily products that may have been applied over the years and then wipe it down with acetone, then rinse and dry the cladding. I Found that using the acetone removes all the oxidized plastic from the cladding to get the trim and bumper paint to bond with the cladding properly. (You only need to do this once before the initial application)

    Then tape off the lights and areas you do not want paint on. Then spray a very light, and I emphasize very light coating of trim and bumper paint. Just enough to even out the color, this way it will run or not peal. (You can do a second light coat if the color is not even)

    The charcoal grey is almost the exact same color as our VX cladding so this just gets rid of the chalky and discolored areas and evens it all out. It is not a color change so scratches and dings do not show like they do with the black die I tried. (The die was not die and ended up pealing in a couple of days)

    It is so close in color and bonds nicely to the cladding that even scratches are barely visible and you can touch it up and after a day or 2 in the sun you cannot see the difference in color on the spot touch ups.
    I have taken it through many car washes and it still looks great with only one application about a year ago now. If the paint has worn off I cannot tell as the cladding remains a uniform charcoal gray and does not have streaks like the oily restoration products made after it got wet.

    I have been to Moab twice and washed it many times since applying it and it still looks good. I even took it through a automatic car wash with brushes several times and it sill looks good.


    This is what the die looked like after about 2 weeks, as you can see the black die is not a good match for the cladding.

    This is how the trim & Bumper paint looks next to the botched dies job.

    Over one year with trim and Bumper paint

    What the cladding looked like when I got it.


    My first try at restoration Thread (fail)
    http://www.vehicross.info/showthread...ng-Restoration
    Last edited by CatFish : 05/31/2017 at 01:55 AM

  2. #2
    Member Since
    Feb 2011
    Location
    2001, Kaiser Silver, VX, 0871
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    Gatorback Textured Plastic Coating Paint Is The BEST Especially If Baked On In A Professional Spray Booth - Never Need To Apply Any Kind of Treatment Ever Again !

  3. #3
    Member Since
    Jul 2003
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    '01 Ebony #0939
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    Good to have options. The Mequires Ultimate Black Restorer I've been trying lately is turning out to be a bust in my opinion.

  4. #4
    Member Since
    Mar 2012
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    2001 Ebony #0254
    Posts
    395
    Thanked: 16
    The cheap trim & bumper paint I used can be applied our self for a few bucks and never needs any treatments either I just wash it.

  5. #5
    Member Since
    Nov 2009
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    2001Proton 1432, ex 2001 Dragon Green Mica 0168 (RIP May 2017)
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    Thanked: 31
    I used May-Hyde bumper coating and really like the results.
    Live, Love, Forgive and Never Give Up

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