| VRSPEED |
In order to make things interesting, it was decided to omit a new paint job in favour of a cool 3M product called "Di-Noc" It is a vinyl archectural
covering for indoor/outdoor use, and there are a few cars out there that already use it for 'paint'.. I think it looks cool. Below is 168' of it on a
roll. Although this stuff is expensive, it is still less than a good paint job, plus it can be used on all sorts of interior parts, everything!!
covering for indoor/outdoor use, and there are a few cars out there that already use it for 'paint'.. I think it looks cool. Below is 168' of it on a
roll. Although this stuff is expensive, it is still less than a good paint job, plus it can be used on all sorts of interior parts, everything!!
| New "Paint" |
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
Underneath the rear wing there was a big mess of silicone, rust, bondo, and holes.. A heavy grinding followed by Bondo and sanding got
things back under control. This was followed by scuffing and priming for Di-Noc application.
The interior rear pillar panels were my first attempt at using the Di-Noc. It turned out to be very easy to get a smooth bubble-free surface,
and wrapping around the edges and corners was also pleasant once suitable relief cuts were made. The grey cloth was filthy, the before
and after below contrasts well. The only terrible thing about this part is that the cloth (and spongy glue underneath) was very hard to
remove. Copious amounts of acetone and sanding powered through in the end.
things back under control. This was followed by scuffing and priming for Di-Noc application.
The interior rear pillar panels were my first attempt at using the Di-Noc. It turned out to be very easy to get a smooth bubble-free surface,
and wrapping around the edges and corners was also pleasant once suitable relief cuts were made. The grey cloth was filthy, the before
and after below contrasts well. The only terrible thing about this part is that the cloth (and spongy glue underneath) was very hard to
remove. Copious amounts of acetone and sanding powered through in the end.
The trunk turned out to be much more difficult to cover than expected. The killer is having a convex bend along the top edge - the material buckles
onto itself on whichever side is done second, not to mention the indent for the license plate, etc. Starting out as a single piece application, it
eventually took five pieces (at my low skill level) to get something that looks decent. One other thing that I learned is that all seams should overlap
'downwards' - such that the overlapping edge faces down. This way the seam blend together much better when viewed from a standing position by
the car. Any waste of this material (at up to $7 / sq. ft.) is very painful...! Little scraps can be re-applied to the backing paper and saved.
onto itself on whichever side is done second, not to mention the indent for the license plate, etc. Starting out as a single piece application, it
eventually took five pieces (at my low skill level) to get something that looks decent. One other thing that I learned is that all seams should overlap
'downwards' - such that the overlapping edge faces down. This way the seam blend together much better when viewed from a standing position by
the car. Any waste of this material (at up to $7 / sq. ft.) is very painful...! Little scraps can be re-applied to the backing paper and saved.
The wing and trunk were next. I figure that since they are small and removable it would be a good way to work up to doing the rest of the car.
I started with the wing. It was bolted and heavily bonded (like EVERYTHING on this car) to the trunk - whoever did the awful original installation
must have had nothing but pails of #10 wood screws and black silicone! Anyways, after prying off the wing there was some damage to both it
and the trunk. The LED brake light in the center was (bonded) pried off as well, only to reveal that most of the LED's were loose inside the
plastic cover and rattling around like missing teeth. Previously an aid in this rattling, I coerced ten pieces of debris out of the wing shell - a
mixture of stones and hardened silicone blobs.
I started with the wing. It was bolted and heavily bonded (like EVERYTHING on this car) to the trunk - whoever did the awful original installation
must have had nothing but pails of #10 wood screws and black silicone! Anyways, after prying off the wing there was some damage to both it
and the trunk. The LED brake light in the center was (bonded) pried off as well, only to reveal that most of the LED's were loose inside the
plastic cover and rattling around like missing teeth. Previously an aid in this rattling, I coerced ten pieces of debris out of the wing shell - a
mixture of stones and hardened silicone blobs.
