Pete's GS400 Build Thread
Awesome, thanks! I'll probably pick one of these orbitals up and start giving it a try soon. Whats the procedure you go with? Primer, base, and clear, but only wet sand the clear coat?
How'd you replace the mesh on your speakers? Mine are starting to tear
How'd you replace the mesh on your speakers? Mine are starting to tear
umm, well, if the spray comes out solid and clean for all your passes (spray cans suck compared to a real HVLP auto paint sprayer). anyways...But you can get great results in your garage with cans if you just take time and pay attention to details. like i was saying, if you inspect your sprays (whether primer,base or clear) and it was all smooth there is no need to sand. yes i always wet sand clear knowing the orbital is going to turn it into glass at the end 
. Sometimes i dry sand on primer if i am trying to get a smooth spot. But the wetsanding is kinda like seeing what a perfect gloss looks like while you are sanding on something with the wetness flowing. .i have a huge 220v compressor i keep at my buddies house when we actually paint a car with real paint and what not. But i am too impatient and cheap to do all that for just pieces i am adding to the car in my garage
As far as the speaker mesh, when i got the car it was missing on my speaker. I ended up finding the material balled up in the doorsill. So i just carefully wedged the surrounding edges in witha screwdriver and she's good
. Sometimes i dry sand on primer if i am trying to get a smooth spot. But the wetsanding is kinda like seeing what a perfect gloss looks like while you are sanding on something with the wetness flowing. .i have a huge 220v compressor i keep at my buddies house when we actually paint a car with real paint and what not. But i am too impatient and cheap to do all that for just pieces i am adding to the car in my garage As far as the speaker mesh, when i got the car it was missing on my speaker. I ended up finding the material balled up in the doorsill. So i just carefully wedged the surrounding edges in witha screwdriver and she's good
I almost got stuck in an intersection the other day. not to mention we had to park far away from our spot because i couldn't get in any of the parking lots.
so i raised the front up 5/8's and the rear about an 1/8th. That made a big difference. Now i rarely hear the common shock tower slam
so i raised the front up 5/8's and the rear about an 1/8th. That made a big difference. Now i rarely hear the common shock tower slam
it's Tail Light Time.
So, i like the LED's i copped on eBay much better than the factory Tails. But they still are too plain looking. Big Red Light with a Big White Block on the bottom. I didn't just want to tint them. Wanted a little more style on them. Always been fond of R33 Skyline Tails. So a little bit of that influenced the way i did them.
Before:
Let's begin
All ya gotta do is ruff it up a little because the surface is so smooth to begin with.
Red 3M Scuff Pad
I use Airbrush mask because it is somewhat transparent, in huge sheets, and its edges are very crisp.
Shape idea i photoshopped in my head
I am not a fan of the Store Bought Tint Spray. It doesn't spray clean, it's very clumpy and has a color to it. So i sprayed it with Black Onyx from pretty far away to lay it light. Also i went a little darker on the inners because they shined brighter than the outers when the lights were idle.
That's only one coat of clear
Back on the Car. Much better
Backside
I had to run and get more Clear and Beer. Still need to lay 2 more coats of clear and wetsand and Orbital them to get em perfect. Not bad for another day in the garage though
So, i like the LED's i copped on eBay much better than the factory Tails. But they still are too plain looking. Big Red Light with a Big White Block on the bottom. I didn't just want to tint them. Wanted a little more style on them. Always been fond of R33 Skyline Tails. So a little bit of that influenced the way i did them.
Before:
Let's begin
All ya gotta do is ruff it up a little because the surface is so smooth to begin with.
Red 3M Scuff Pad
I use Airbrush mask because it is somewhat transparent, in huge sheets, and its edges are very crisp.
Shape idea i photoshopped in my head
I am not a fan of the Store Bought Tint Spray. It doesn't spray clean, it's very clumpy and has a color to it. So i sprayed it with Black Onyx from pretty far away to lay it light. Also i went a little darker on the inners because they shined brighter than the outers when the lights were idle.
That's only one coat of clear
Back on the Car. Much better
Backside
I had to run and get more Clear and Beer. Still need to lay 2 more coats of clear and wetsand and Orbital them to get em perfect. Not bad for another day in the garage though
Last edited by Sevenevez; Mar 18, 2013 at 10:51 PM. Reason: spelling
thanks, i appreciate it
I use 3M Extreme tape. The black and red stuff. Same stuff i think the shops use for ground effects etc.. And right before i made the final press, i ran my heat gun across the paint and the tape to get it hot to get a real sticky solid seal. but, if you give it a quick UFC uppercut it may just let loose on ya
I wouldn't bolt it down. I have used the quarter inch 3m tape in the past but it would come apart after washing the car a lot. Also heat and cold weather cycles would make it come loose. I have a polyurethane version so i think it was too heavy for the tape. Well i decided to make it more permanent. I used the 3m tape (06386) but also used the adhesive that bmw uses for their spoilers (betalink k1). It's expensive adhesive but it's not going anywhere now.