Cole
Expedition Leader
Nah....just eats tires :coffeedrink:
Van content!:coffeedrink: This was a few days ago helping "Geek" prep his van for Plasti-dip
Picture Request: Custom Decals/Paintjobs
- Thread starter Marauder_Pilot
- Start date
Nah....just eats tires :coffeedrink:
Van content!:coffeedrink: This was a few days ago helping "Geek" prep his van for Plasti-dip
What did you use for a sprayer? Is that a flat green or did you mix some glossifier in to give it a bit of shine? I've been agonizing over paint, wrap, or dip. The size of the ambo is a bit intimidating from a dyi standpoint. I like the idea of dip because it's a lot easier/cheaper when you want to change things up.
Bikersmurf
Expedition Leader
Ambo wraps are a little bit cheaper to wrap than vans because the sides are flat, making them take less time. Our Ambo was only a few hundred more than our Prius even though it used a lot more material.
The Camo Green by default is flat. I like the flat finish and did not add any glossifier or anything but you can find photos out there of what the camo looks glossified.
This is the sprayer I used: http://bit.ly/1tywPkv
It is built specifically for plastidip and it is super easy to use/clean.
Here is there video all about it:
https://bit.ly/1qjHwK5
and here is a follow up video they made about how to maintain it (very useful!):
https://bit.ly/1tyxFh3
:friday:
From a diy stanpoint, 1-10 difficulty scale, whadaya think? Did you buy your dip ready to spray from dyc? I just got that exact sprayer from them, and a gallon of white to dink around with, but havent done anything yet.
I was really liking that camo green but hadn't seen anything from the "real world" till yours. Surface looks pretty smooth in your pic. Are you happy with how it's turning out?
I was really liking that camo green but hadn't seen anything from the "real world" till yours. Surface looks pretty smooth in your pic. Are you happy with how it's turning out?
This is the dip:
http://bit.ly/1lWQiwy
It is important to buy the "spray" and not just a gallon of dip.
You can dilute your own but it ends up working completely differently - they have a video showing the difference.
difficulty: not bad - but I did work in an aircraft paintshop 30 years ago so I know the fundamentals of quality prep. I could have done it with less prep but I want it to last.
There is a LOT of prep work. I spent 3 days prepping just the front half of the van between detailing/scrubbing/masking/disassembly.
Difficulty: 2 if you've painted before. 5 if you've not done it before. Plastidip is very forgiving as a paint.
Amount of work: 8 (but a Sprinter is huge - so less if your vehicle is smaller).
The Sprinter being 10 feet tall also presents its own challenges
I did things "right". Removed the grill, badges, side panels, etc.
There is a full write up in my build thread here:
http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=715683
(warning - the thread is something like 3500 posts long )
Some random pics:
Here you can see the difference between the non-prepped paint and the prepped - I literally scrubbed every square inch 3 different times:
Turning my workshop into a giant paint booth was its own kind of challenge:
This was at 3 coats:
I put 4 coats on everything and 6 coats on the hood/front fascia where the rock chips occur
Disassembling/cleaning the sprayer after a day of spraying:
One tip:
I need 9 gallons total.
I ordered 6 gallons to start.
My first order got me "693 dip points". 1 Gallon of Camo Green costs 700 dip points.
That means when I ordered another 3 gallons. I was able to getlike 95% off one of the gallons due to "dip points". Saved me $70!
I hope all this helps.
Cheers,
Ed
http://bit.ly/1lWQiwy
It is important to buy the "spray" and not just a gallon of dip.
You can dilute your own but it ends up working completely differently - they have a video showing the difference.
difficulty: not bad - but I did work in an aircraft paintshop 30 years ago so I know the fundamentals of quality prep. I could have done it with less prep but I want it to last.
There is a LOT of prep work. I spent 3 days prepping just the front half of the van between detailing/scrubbing/masking/disassembly.
Difficulty: 2 if you've painted before. 5 if you've not done it before. Plastidip is very forgiving as a paint.
Amount of work: 8 (but a Sprinter is huge - so less if your vehicle is smaller).
The Sprinter being 10 feet tall also presents its own challenges
I did things "right". Removed the grill, badges, side panels, etc.There is a full write up in my build thread here:
http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=715683
(warning - the thread is something like 3500 posts long
)Some random pics:
Here you can see the difference between the non-prepped paint and the prepped - I literally scrubbed every square inch 3 different times:
Turning my workshop into a giant paint booth was its own kind of challenge:
This was at 3 coats:
I put 4 coats on everything and 6 coats on the hood/front fascia where the rock chips occur
Disassembling/cleaning the sprayer after a day of spraying:
One tip:
I need 9 gallons total.
I ordered 6 gallons to start.
My first order got me "693 dip points". 1 Gallon of Camo Green costs 700 dip points.
That means when I ordered another 3 gallons. I was able to getlike 95% off one of the gallons due to "dip points". Saved me $70!
I hope all this helps.
Cheers,
Ed
Last edited:
Cole
Expedition Leader
It looks awesome, but one question. Why did you remove all those trim pieces? One of the "advantages" of the dip is you don't have to. While it costs you in wasted dip, you can for the most part just spray right over that stuff and just peel it off when done. I realize there is time invested in peeling off the unwanted bits, but did you figure it would take more time to peel the dip off the trim, than just removing the trim in the first place? It's not a critique by any stretch, I'm just curious your thought process on it, because I've been wondering the same thing. Mine will be similar to yours time/effort wise because it's an E-350 ambulance and there is a boatload of surface and trim pieces.