Plasti Dip - my 91 NSX

J

jaybrown2003

Registered Member
Joined
23 May 2013
Messages
57
Location
Beverly, Massachusetts
I have been slowly restoring a 91 NSX and all it needs is body work now. Doing a full repaint right now would kind of wipe me out but I want to spruce it up a bit. As the clear coat is gone in some spots, I am not sure that a Vinyl wrap would work as well. So I am considering going the plasti dip route as I can prep and dip the car myself. I wanted to hear from people who have done this on an NSX already or even another car and how the job came out. Thinking of going with DYC 3 gallon package of either BLANK & BLUE or Black cherry. With a finishing layer to give it a little shine.

Thanks

Jay B - 91 red/black 56k miles 5 speed
 
Have you ever seen a dipped car in person??? They look great in pics, but look like shit up close and personal...the texture is bumpy and just looks and feels cheap.... I considered it also, when I wanted to do a color change from black to white, but after seeing it in person on a few different cars, I said no thanks and started shopping wraps.... I ended up doing a pearl white wrap and couldn't be happier...sure it cost a lot more then dip, but is a fraction of the price of a pricey paint job without the devaluation of a permanent color change....I would look into a wrap if I where you if you want to do a color change or just paint it if you plan on doing same color....
 
Have you gotten estimates? How short would you be? Why not just wait for a few months and do it right? The reason I ask is the NSX is not a car you go cheap with. If PlastiDip is what your going for then I would say go for it, but I think the money to PlastiDip the entire car could go towards the re-paint.
 
With body work and a proper paint job I am looking at $7000. For Plasti Dip I am looking at $500. For a wrap and installation, I am probably looking at $1,200. I was orginally leaning towards the vinyl wrap to have for the next 2 years and then do the paint job but then I learned about the plasti dip and was not sure if that was a worth while hold over or if it was truly garbage. From some of the jobs I have seen on line - it looks half decent......but I have never seen one with my own 2 eyes (really 4 eyes). I understand that Paint is by far the most appropriate and will look the best.....hands down. I am just at a point where I want to spruce the shabby exterior up NOW but can't really swing $7k for this year. (2 kids and a new house). So I was really wondering what my options are - but it sounds like Vinyl is the way to go????
 
I agree with 91x, please see a plasti-dipped car in person before you choose that route, and yes, it looks like crap up close, plasti dip is perfect for quick wheel color changes, blacking out trim and emblems etc but when it's sprayed over large flat areas, it looks like a sand paper wrap. I think vinyl might work for you, look at 91x's car with the pearl white vinyl wrap, it is GORGEOUS!
 
JayBrown, I don't think you are getting a wrap anywhere for $1200. Someone doing that right is more like $3k unless you know someone. All the panels need to come off etc.

I am in the same boat as you and oddly was thinking of a very dark black cherry dip myself. I haven't seen the new gloss dip yet which supposedly hit the streets a few weeks ago. Have been too busy to check out the local dipper, who charges about $700.

A local guy has an orange dipped M6 and it looks pretty good, but forget about door jambs etc. And if you do it yourself, put it on THICK otherwise removal is no fun. Keep us posted. I should be ready to move forwards in a few weeks with mine.

Dip vs. wrap vs. paint is like apples vs. oranges vs. mangoes, very different approaches and results for very different dollars as you know.
 
It's a personal preference, but I do recommend seeing a dipped car in person first. My car is dipped and it's a decent job but is no substitute for paint. Some people thought it was wrapped but if you look up close you can feel/see a rough texture. On the bright side, it's extremely easy to clean.
 
relapse said:
It's a personal preference, but I do recommend seeing a dipped car in person first. My car is dipped and it's a decent job but is no substitute for paint. Some people thought it was wrapped but if you look up close you can feel/see a rough texture. On the bright side, it's extremely easy to clean.
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Relapse, pics of your dip? By complete coincidence I saw the pale Imola Orange dipped M6 fly by me on US-1 today. At 70mph and 100 feet away it looked fantastic....:o)
 
I don't know that I would use plasti-dip to replace a paint job in the long run, but the stuff is SO much fun and the possibilities are endless. You can't beat plasti-dip for the price and the end product.

If you apply the dip with HVLP guns and you know how to paint you won't have any weird texture or bumps or anything as others have mentioned. The rattle can will leave you with that, but the paint guns lay it on nice and smooth. I had people who install vinyl professionally asking how I got my "wrap" so perfect and it blew their minds when they found out it was really plasti-dip. Ask anyone who was at NSXPO '13.

1382030_10151710801117496_1217341760_n.jpg

This was all done in dip. 3 layers of gray as a base coat, 4 layers of white, then the sharpie, then clear dip with blue ghost pearl added in. It was a breeze to peel and the only hard part was the separations in the body panels. I would backmask all of that if I ever dip the car again.

-Alec
 
Wow.....that is a crazy looking. Very artistic. Thanks all for the feedback. I am looking at $630 for the wrap and $800 for the install (no removal of panels, is the only catch). My car is just rough that any way I go should make it look a little bit better even if it is a temporary thing. My main concern with going with the vinyl is that I am not sure it will adhere correctly to surfaces that all the clear coat is gone on. Any one ever bump into that before? 20141016_095719.jpg20141016_095731.jpg20141016_095811.jpg20141016_095822.jpg20141016_095754.jpg20141016_095741.jpg20141016_095829.jpg
 
jaybrown2003 said:
Wow.....that is a crazy looking. Very artistic. Thanks all for the feedback. I am looking at $630 for the wrap and $800 for the install (no removal of panels, is the only catch). My car is just rough that any way I go should make it look a little bit better even if it is a temporary thing. My main concern with going with the vinyl is that I am not sure it will adhere correctly to surfaces that all the clear coat is gone on. Any one ever bump into that before? View attachment 122908View attachment 122909View attachment 122910View attachment 122911View attachment 122912View attachment 122913View attachment 122914
Click to expand...

hey man? Are you going to wrap it? I was considering doing a black wrap.

- - - Updated - - -

I wouldn't wrap it as my honest opinion think that lots of youth, even though I am one... lol is doing it. I want to see what wrap vinyl would look. Let me know what going on. PM me if you might run into somebody as I am couple towns up from you :)
 
So I have been doing my research and I think I am going to the Plati dip route. I am purchasing a Wagner HLPV and going either black & blue or Red. For the total price I am looking at under $500 for all the needed materials. I will document the process once I get going. Maybe a little video stuff as well.


Update - (Thanks JoseJA1979)
Though I am now looking at RAAiL (thanks for the curveball). This appears to be a better product that requires more professional equipment or a professional application of the product. From what I see, this may have a better automotive finish than the plasti-dip. but I have to look into it further.
 
[MENTION=28695]jaybrown2003[/MENTION] I've seen RAAiL in person and it looks great. As always, a professional that knows what they are doing is the key.
 
I reached out to Boston Dip and Detail in Walepole, MA they do RAAil and can color match the R77 formula red pretty close (they said).

The quote was $1,800 for a full gloss RAAIL spray. "NSX's despite their size are quite the project. Lots of things to remove and mask."

Reasonable quote. But I am thinking I can do it myself for under $600 Raail. Just need to borrow the proper equipment from a painter.

Under $400 for the Plasti Dip. This is the way I am leaning right now as if the prep work is done right (which I am very good at). And can be applied with a wagner HPLV unit in really any location.

Have you seen a plasti dip car? That was done by a professional???? How would that compare to a RAAiL car.... [MENTION=9176]JoseJA1979[/MENTION].
 
I have not seen a professionally dipped car. However I have seen plenty of dipped cars and think that RAAiL is the better way to go especially if you can do it yourself and its only $200 more.
 
[MENTION=25197]jayb[/MENTION]rown, any update on this? I put my dip project on hold for a bit (kinda liking the all go and no show way of life, until I see the black in bright sunlight that is), but at cars and coffee in Jacksonville last Saturday I ran into a guy with a Honda/Subaru/Nissan/whatever that looked like it had a crazy chameleon color gloss wrap. Until I saw the back window where it advertised a Dip company.... I talked to the owner, turns out there is a new dip formula coming out that basically looks like paint and can be sanded and buffed. I plan on calling him later this week to get info on pricing and maybe sponsorship. The owner reckoned on about $1200. So this might be a nice alternative to a wrap.
 
boca rat said:
@jaybrown, any update on this? I put my dip project on hold for a bit (kinda liking the all go and no show way of life, until I see the black in bright sunlight that is), but at cars and coffee in Jacksonville last Saturday I ran into a guy with a Honda/Subaru/Nissan/whatever that looked like it had a crazy chameleon color gloss wrap. Until I saw the back window where it advertised a Dip company.... I talked to the owner, turns out there is a new dip formula coming out that basically looks like paint and can be sanded and buffed. I plan on calling him later this week to get info on pricing and maybe sponsorship. The owner reckoned on about $1200. So this might be a nice alternative to a wrap.
Click to expand...

This is probably the persons company that did my NSX.

Plastidip has a huge negative connotation behind it from what ive learned after my car was done and honestly the only reason i think it does is because people do it themselves a lot and end up doing a shitty job. But also "dipping" has come a long way from what ive learned and is why after ive looked more into some things recently it is apparrently becoming better known as a liquid wrap (tru story, i didnt know my car was dipped instead of wrapped until someone told me). There are some pretty amazing finishes available now and it really jus comes down to the effort put into the application. I can tell you that with only 3 gallons ur going to be on edge tho
 
Sorry for going MIA there for a bit. I have not made any progress with my project as life has been chewed up by the kids recently. So I have been just driving and enjoying the car. What has changed though is the price of RAAIL has come down to $300 for a car kit. I may go that route now as it seems to be a more auto focused product and I have seen 2 RAAIL cars now and they looked sharp. [MENTION=30810]95nsxtc[/MENTION].....you are spot on, 80% of the job is prep, and the final product should come out very nice. That is exactly what the 2 raail guys said. Spend the time getting it ready and then apply and you should be in a good position, unless you paint like a donkey.
 
My car is a plastidip car. I've had it for 2 years or so now and am happy with it. It is an inexpensive alternative to paint or wrap. It holds up great and it looks great in person. I've attached pics but it really does look that good. One thing is miss with plastidip is that you don't wax your car. Most of us like to do that but you just don't with it dipped. Mine cost about $1k for the first go around. I've had it re-dipped for about $300. Very easy to touch up. Speaking of wrap, my 86 Porsche 928 is wrapped an I haven't been happy with that at all. In fact, I think I'm going to get it dipped as well. If you want to see it close up, PM me and I'll FaceTime you and you can see it.
 

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RICKE this is great. Thank you so much. I am actully leaning towards going wtih the new AUTOFLEX line they rolled out. I will circle back when I make the move!. Either if I do it myself or if I opt to just pay for the work. More to come
 

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