Project VXOverLand

[Thelgord]

Removed

[Thelgord]

Painted my cladding today. The VX looks sooooo much better.

Getting started:


Making Progress:



All done!








I used Krylon Fusion - Black Satin paint. Only $4 / can, and only used three cans.

[ipd]

Nice work! Looks nice. Are you going to "murder out" the rest of it? I think it can definitely use some black wheels...when your wallet recovers from the repairs.

[Mile High VX]

Does the Fusion have any UV inhibitor? If not, you may want to add a clear coat that does. The UV in GA will certainly limit the amount of time you have before need to do it again. I did my Dragon in Denver and should have done that. It didn't last as long as I would have liked...only about a year.

[Thelgord]

Does the Fusion have any UV inhibitor? If not, you may want to add a clear coat that does. The UV in GA will certainly limit the amount of time you have before need to do it again. I did my Dragon in Denver and should have done that. It didn't last as long as I would have liked...only about a year.

Looked at the can it doesn’t specifically say anti-UV, but it does say out door use, so ... maybe?

Nice work! Looks nice. Are you going to "murder out" the rest of it? I think it can definitely use some black wheels...when your wallet recovers from the repairs.

“Murder Out” LOL! I have never heard that term, but I like it! LOL! Actually not a terrible idea though ... hmmmm ...

The paint is honestly in terrible shape. Clear coat is completely gone in large spots. Whoever debadged it really messed it up. The roof is in horrible shape, but still no metal exposed so no rust, yet. I am trying to decide what color to paint the rest of it. The paint is far enough gone that even a rattle can paint job would be an improvement, but I will consider this “Murder Out” idea

[ipd]

"outdoor use" only means "don't use in enclosed spaces, or the vapors will get you high".

If you're going to rattle-can the rest of the exterior, I'd suggest using a few layers of silver/reflective basecoat--so whatever you paint over it will "pop" more. If it were me, I'd rattle can a layer of glow-in-the-dark paint over end color--with a couple layers of clear-coat on top. That way, when the sun sets, the VX will "glow".

[Thelgord]

I have been looking at a number of options. It had some really terrible faux-carbon fiber vinyl wrap on it when I got it. It had been on way too long and it kind of turned me off of doing it again at first because it was such a PITA to remove. It took several days. However I am now considering going that route. I also looked at Plasti-Dip, but probably wont go that route. I finally got to see a car done with it and the texture is just ... wrong. A real paint job would cost about what the entire VX is worth so that probably wont happen. I am still looking at options, but trying to keep it as budget friendly as possible.

Edit: Of course if I did the “Murder Out” (still like that term), I could just clear coat over flat black primer ... hmmmm

[ipd]

Plasti-dip--if done right--can look great. But it will detail imperfections in the substrate material. I have a friend who did his whole bmw wagon in clear over dark blue paint. Looks great. But it did take quite a bit of experimenting to get it right.

[Thelgord]

Update on the cladding paint: Success! The paint has held up to below freezing temps, LOTS of rain, bird poop. and even some dipped fuel from the gas station. Granted it's' only been a couple of weeks since I did this, but so far so good. Even the front cladding is holding up. With as many issues as I was having I wasn't expecting this part to go as well as it haas. This gives me more confidence to paint the rest of the VX.

[Thelgord]

Another update:

So far the paint is exceeding expectations. It even survived a trip through a car wash. The real test will be scratched from brush and the summer heat. I am confident that it will hold up, but of course I will still keep an eye it.

I completed my rear seat delete today by removing the rear seatbelts. They are actually is very good shape. I wonder if I can use them to replace the front ones since they have gotten weak over time? Probably not, but I will look into it.

While I was in there, I discovered that the speaker mount is actually a thin metal bracket that just screws to the inside of the body. This is actually a good thing! I am thinking I will start working on a small speaker box to replace the metal mount to try to improve the sound of the rear speakers. Maybe. It’s not a high priority issue so it may or not happen anytime soon, but something worth keeping an eye for.

I also found around 50 or so walnuts and a large ball of carpet padding behind the interior cladding. After talking to the previous owner, apparently there is a walnut tree across the street where the VX sat while it was waiting for me. I hate squirrels LOL! Not of the wiring was damaged, thankfully, but there was a lot of vacuuming to do. They left some other little “surprises” for me as well.

Over all, a good day. Now that the seatbelts are out, I can start working on building the cargo/storage system for the rear area. I am thinking a drawer style fridge will work better than a typical cooler style. I have most of the supplies I need to frame it out in angle steel. I still need to do some more shopping.

I think the project may be getting back on track. Provided nothing else brakes in the meantime.

[ipd]

I'd mentioned what the rear speakers were mounted on in my write-up, and there's pics on the forum here as well. I thought you'd already known. lol!

I don't think the seat-belt mechanisms front/rear are the same, but I could be wrong. If it's like most other cars though, you can probably fix the fronts being "slack" by "torquing" the spring in them 1-2 more rotations.

I submit that a speaker box in place of the stock rear speaker location isn't really going to net you any advantage, unless you're trying to make them sealed enclosures. Instead, I'd recommend doing what I and others have done, and dremel out the mount to fit bigger speakers. If you want specific details, just ask. I'm happy to help.

[Thelgord]

You probably did mention it and I just forgot about it. No worries.

[Thelgord]

So I removed the roof basket and cross bars for the past five tanks of fuel to see if it would affect fuel economy. The average mpg went up 0.03. That’s it. It is insignificant enough to be in a margin of error so I will be putting it back on. That was a fun experiment, but with no real changes.

[Camoman]

Before just disposing of the rear inner seatbelt brackets that the belts clip to, please let me know. I discovered mine missing from PO

[Camoman]

Have you looked at the new Hyundai ironman kona? If not, check it out. It might be the perfect paint scheme for a vehicross. Red and black which matches interior.