https://www.saturnforum.com/forum/sa...2000-sl1-8952/

This is the thread I made back in 2013 when I dipped our S series...

 

Plasti dip is miserable to get off....4 wheels, 6 hours, a bottle of goo off and half a can of WD 40 later...

 

why not just use a torch (gently)?

 

If you apply the dip thick enough, it comes off in one big sheet...

Like this...

 

This gives a pretty good explanation of how dip works...

 

its really cool. Sisters bestie just had it done to his brand new STI to protect the paint. looks nice flat white. To make it look really nice it is easier to take it to someone like he did. But if you have the time and paitence and a clean area the gallon buckets with an air sprayer are the way to go. I stay away from the stuff, when I did the hood and portions of the front bumper of the satty i ended up crashing it the next day (yes ive resorted to blaming it on the plasti dip, car was not happy with me lolol). but it did look really, really good on my wheels, it does not stand up well next to brake fluid though.

When bugging my sisters friend i asked him how he washes it. he told me once its dry you wash it like you would any other car, and can last for a long time if done right.

also, the spray cans i got liked to keep clogging so it ended up being all chunky like rubberized sand paper. Im sure doing it in mid march didnt help either.

protip - dont go to light a cig and drop your zippo in a small puddle of it. obviously very very flammable when wet

 

protecting from paint road rash n such is one thing.


As far as "protecting the paint", my 2 Cents:


I would be concerned about the long term implications of a "rubberized compound" sitting on top of my hood. The metal was designed to be thin enough that you could leave your car running in 105 deg heat for 7 hours on the interstate (not moving) and still dissipate the heat from the engine (along w the engine's cooling system.


I don't know how thick the average finished layer of plasti dip is , but whatever it is, you're adding that thickness of an insulating material to the area above the engine, and sowing down the heat transfer. Which MAY lead to paint/clearcoat issues over time.

 

I like what you're saying, derf. I also don't like the idea of adding something that's going to hold extra heat under the hood. Especially on my turbo. It runs hot enough now. I am thinking that I might spray the top of the PT though, as, it doesn't have any clear coat peel yet, but the paint is really faded and beyond bringing it back with compound and buffing. I've already tried that.

 

I am guessing it's fine for both the hood paint and the temps underneath... My reasoning- it's been sprayed on Corvettes that see track time and the owner hadn't complained of cooling issues, and I imagine his hood peeled fine at the end of the season with no clear coat damage... Just buy it in gallon form; the cans are thinned with xylene which is more harsh than VM&P Naptha that's used to thin the gallons of spray able dip...

 

Ooh, xylene vs naphthalene said the chemist.....what a wonderful choice.
I'll choose neither based on my knowledge unless wearing the proper respiratory PPE.