THE PLASTI-DIP MEGA THREAD!!!!!!

very interesting!!!! i wish i had known this b4 i took my emblems off and painted them!! this looks much easier

 

can the plasti dip be removed on down the road if need be? if so, im definately doing it!

 

Yup. Peels right off.

 

Has anybody considered putting a clearcoat on top of the plasti-dip?

 

That would defeat the purpose of it..It's meant to be peeled off... And it's more of a rubber coating and I don't think the clear coat would stick and look good...

 

I was thinking about trying a coat or two of clear plasti dip over the flat black, just to see how it looks.....

 

I did 4 coats.... yesterday... they are holding up great!

 

Well thought since there's been so much interest in Plast-Dip lately thought I'd post up a tutorial I did last year on how to Plasti-Dip your bumper. It's for a 1st generation, but the actual process and techniques are the same. Enjoy.








Well I thought I finally contribute something to the TW so here it goes. This is a simple how-to on changing your chrome bumper to black bumper using PlastiDip. Even though this was done on a 1st generation, the process can be used for a 2nd generation as well.




For those of you new to PlastiDip, it is a multi purpose rubberized coating originally designed to coat the handles of tools. The formula has changed a bit and is now marketed as an all purpose household and commercial coating solution. The most impressive thing about plastidip is it's relatively easy to apply, but most importantly is 100% removable. Here is a video I made using my wife's camera demonstrating exactly how easy was to remove.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_biVOuEru8



Tools needed:

(1) Black PlastiDip aerosol can
(1) Roll of Blue Painter's Tape
(1) Painter's plastic protective covering
(1) Phillips Screwdriver
(1) Needle nose pliers
(1) Heat Gun (Blow dryer will not work)
(1) Rubbing Alcohol
(1) Washing mit, car shampoo
(1) Lint-free papertowels (Microfiber cloths will not work)
(1) Flashlight or Spotlight
(1) Razor Blade



Time Required to complete (3 hours)
Time Required to cure (Recommend min. 48 hours)
Skill Level/Difficulty required out of 5 stars (2 stars)



Before Pic. The chrome in my opinion makes the truck look dated. I also had the bed Line-Xed over the bed rails all the way around.

Step (1.) Start by washing the rear end of the truck and drying it. Then remove your rear license plate. I didn't post pics because I'm sure we all know how to wash our trucks. Very important, make sure the truck is COMPLETELY DRY before you begin. Water WILL get trapped under the step pads and underneath and water and wet Plasti-Dip will ruin the job.



Step (2.) Start by removing the black step pads using your fingers and gently pulling up starting on the outermost edges then move to the trailing edge. Continue to gently pull there are around 12 tabs or so holding each step pad. Be careful not to force it off the tabs are plastic and they will break under stress.





Step pads completely removed



Step (3.) Using needle nose pliers gently remove the (2) plastic screw inserts.



Step (4.) Remove the (2) license plate lights using a phillips screwdriver and unplug them completely. Tuck the both wire harnesses in the bumper hole.



Step (5.) Clean the bumper thoroughly with Rubbing alcohol and dry using lint free paper towels. I went over mine (3) times. This removes any contaminants such as soap, wax, dirt, etc. and promotes better adhesion. This is probably the MOST important step.



Step (6.) Cover the entire rear end of the truck including both rear quarter panels, tires, and wheels. Basically cover anything you don't want over spray on to just over the rear bumper. Make your tape line to the actual truck and the top of the bumper. Most likely you will have rust underneath the step pads, you are not spraying over that. You are only spraying the rear of the bumper.



Step (7.) Cover anything important to you. In this case I had a few bikes to cover...




Step (8.) Spray (3) LIGHT COATS, and (1) HEAVY COAT. As tempting as it will be do not overspray the first few coats this is how runs develop especially on the first coat. You want to spray about 12 inches away, spraying any closer could produce more runs. The first few coats should look blotchy. That is when you know you're doing it right. Below is a pic after the first coat. It should look blotchy and you should still be able to see the chrome through it. Let each coat dry for 30 minutes.



Step (9.) After the fourth coat is completely dry, using a flashlight inspect the bumper looking for any areas you might have missed. Look it over several times. LIGHTLY SPRAY over any areas you may have missed until you are completely satisfied.



Step (10.) Using a heat gun (Not a blow dryer) heat up the plasti-dip using left and right sweeping motions holding the gun about 12-14 inches away from the bumper. DO NOT HOLD IT ANY CLOSER you can heat the plasti-dip enough to bubble up and it will ruin the entire job. Heating the plastidip helps it "mold" and "contour" itself to the bumper and promotes better adhesion. Heat up every inch of the bumper for 10 mins.

Step (11.) Before you can remove the plastic covering, using a razor blade you need to completely cut the covering and tape away from the bumper. Lightly run the blade directly over the bumper where your tape and plastic meet. If you do not completely cut the entire bumper, when you remove the plastic you will peel off the plastidip. Take your time when doing this I cannot stress the importance of going slow you can completely ruin the entire job very easily.




Step (12.) Reinstall the step pads starting with the left side then the right. The order in which you install the pads is VERY important because the left side wedges itself over the right pad. When you reinstall the pad, start by inserting it in between the gap of the bumper and the tail gate, then with the outermost edges gently press down until your hear the tabs clicking into place, then press down on the center of pads. Notice the Plastidip line and where I stopped.

Step (13.) Let it cure. Once you are done your truck should be officially out of commission for at least 48 hours. Do not drive it or put any pressure on the bumper in this time. Driving it will collect and attract particles, debris, and dust which cannot be washed off in this time. Any pressure will remove the finish. During this time it will be extremely delicate.


FINISHED PICS!





Overall impressions on PlastiDip. Overall I really enjoy the look of this product. The results came out professional looking and produce a wrinkled matte black powder coat look that is amazing in person. This is a GREAT product, however I don't believe it's the Holy Grail of products that we have all been looking for simply because I'm sure at the time the engineers had no intentions of this ever being used on wheels, bumpers, grilles etc.. I think eventually they will reformulate this into an automotive specific formula. I have had this product on my bumper for one month now. I do not go mudding or rock crawling, my truck is basically a long haul highway commuter, but I do occasionally visit some local trails and fishing holes you see in the pics when it's nice and dry outside. My impressions are that if you mud or rock crawl I can't see this product holding up to the abuse of rocks hitting and debris hitting it at a high velocity. If you trail ride or highway commute like myself it seams to be holding up just fine. It has not peeled, chipped, or fallen off in any way. I'm very happy with the results and the product went on easily and smoother than any paint or coating product I've EVER used. I'll keep updating after a few months of road use to let you guys know how it's holding up.



Any questions feel free to PM me! Time to get ready for the New Year...



-Dave

 

Very nice write-up! I actually just plasti-dipped my bumper yesterday lol. Did my wheels today... That stuff is addicting. haha

 

^^^ actually, I used a bamboo skewer. Didn't need it much. Most of the dip peeled right off the edges of the letters.

 

good write up and good looking rig, just think that plasti dip makes it look like you have a plastic bumper now. guess that makes since tho since it is "plasti-dip". If you like it thats all that matters. Good work!

 

toothpick

 

sand off the chrome coating. then do it. same better result. it also comes off because of the raise. did this to a buddys Acura TL and turned out sweet. but i didnt just pull it off. i used a hard plastic spreader to get it done and little stick like thing i have in my tool box with a hard rubber tip

 

On the emblems that are raised (have a small gap between it and the truck), the Plasti-dip doesn't bridge that gap, therefore can just be pulled of the paint itself w/o distubing the Plasti-dip on the emblem. This is the type of emblem shown in the video.

However! If you have emblems like some of mine, that are not raised and sit flush on the paint; it is a much more complicated process and you can not just peal the Plasti-dip right off... It took me forever to do mine very carefully with a razor. They also look nowhere near as good as my raised emblems do. I had to do a lot of touch-up to make them look decent.

 

Did my emblems yesterday and front Toyota symbol yesterday. If I had to do it again I would most definitely do 4 thin coats instead of 3.

Also, be care when using toothpick as to not mess up the fresh plasti dip on the emblem.

Does anyone know if you could touch up with a toothpick, like when using touch up paint?

 

Thanks everyone. This stuff is good, but certainly not bullet proof. Since I did the write up last year, It's been almost 3 months and it hasn't peeled, chipped, or cracked. It actually still looks like the day I sprayed it.

^ As far the plastic bumper thing, the look I was going for the black steel bumper that comes on some of the "fleet truck" Tacomas if that makes sense. And I wanted to make the entire truck Lunar Mist with Black trim, instead of Lunar Mist, Black trim, AND chrome. It looks cleaner with just two colors. Also the chrome makes the truck look dated so...

 

I'm considering trying this with rattle can Rusoleum bed liner actually. Should hold up a little better for offroading than the plasti dip I'm hoping.

 

Sick!! Looks easy, ill add that to the list.

 

you should def. do your emblems then. seen a lot of ppl do them with plasti-dip and come out with good results.

 

The ONLY reason I knew for certain I was going to use Plasti-Dip instead of a metal bumper paint or textured paint is because usually 1st gen. buyers are more picky than buying a 2nd gen. They will pick apart your truck because it's older trying to low ball you to come down on the price. That being said I wanted something 100% reversible in case I ever sell the truck. Been thinking about the emblems although I have removed several of them just left the TOYOTA on the back.