I recently went through the car shopping process, and special ordered the perfect car for me. It had a color that was sure to excite me for years to come. Choosing Rapid Blue for my new Camaro was risky, as it is a polarizing color. After almost two months of waiting, I discovered my order could not be built. As a result I chose my Plan B car, a white Camaro that was sitting at another dealership.
Related article: Car Shopping: Time For Plan B
Why did I settle on a white car? Quite frankly, white gives me a blank canvas to add my special touches. It is easily personalized with graphics, wheels and other subtle touches. After nearly two weeks of ownership, I have my preliminary list of mods planned.
Where To Start?
When you have a blank canvas, the opportunities for customization are endless. Between Facebook Marketplace and various online retailers, I’m starting to amass parts and materials to start my project. The hard part is knowing where to start.
For me, the Chevrolet bowtie emblems on the front grill and rear fascia needed help. I love the traditional gold bowtie, but not on this car. These emblems needed to be blacked-out, so I went the easy route with PlastiDip.
Material Cost: $8.98/can at Home Depot (less than one can used)
Prep
Even though I detailed a similar process on my Subaru Outback, it is important to reiterate the importance of proper prep. Clean the emblems thoroughly with rubbing alcohol to remove any remaining grease, oils or grime. Only then should you begin the PlastiDip spray.
You can read the entire step by step process HERE.
The rear fascia emblem on the Camaro was coated just like the Outback tailgate letters. The front grill bowtie, however, was different. I didn’t want the entire bowtie coated, just the gold center. This meant careful masking so the chrome outline remained intact.
As you see in the above picture, blue painter’s tape was applied across the entire emblem, I then took a razor blade to trim the outline of the gold center of the bowtie and exposed only the gold area for coating.
Spray
Once the areas are properly masked, it’s time to begin spraying. I’ve found over the years that six coats of PlastiDip works best. The thicker the coating, the easier it is to peel away the unwanted area sprayed.
The only downside to using PlastiDip is the dry time between coats. You need to wait 30 minutes between coats in order to get good coverage and adhesion. For a six coat project, that means at least 2.5 hours of spraying.
Unmask
In most cases, the excess PlastiDip can be peeled off after it dries for four hours. Just peel away the unwanted coating from the body. It will naturally break from the outline of the emblem. Sweet!
In areas like the front emblem where an intricate area was masked, the process is different. You must remove the masking tape outline when the last coat is STILL WET. If you wait until it dries, the tape will pull up the surrounding PlastiDip.
The process may seem involved, but the hardest part is the waiting between coats. The end result is worth it!
Final Thoughts And Questions
Using PlastiDip to change the color of emblems, wheels or other areas of your car is relatively easy. If you make a mistake or get bored with your work, just peel it off!
This is the first of many small modifications I plan for this blank canvas of a car. Follow along as I tackle each one…hopefully you will get inspired to make similar changes to your car.
Let me know your thoughts or if you have any questions. You may email me at wct.billtaylor@gmail.com, or message me through the Vehicle Nanny Instagram or Facebook pages.