Plasti Dip Cladding on BLACK '03 4RUNNER!

I appreciate the comments guys! I STILL have to get out there to do it again as soon as I have a free day with nice weather. It's holding up pretty well so far, but it is just too thin. I was vacuuming the cargo area and the hose rubbed against the rear bumper, scraping some off. I touched it up and it looks fine, but the first time I did this (with only 5 cans) I basically tried to get as many coats as possible before running out. I have 7 more cans in the garage waiting for me, and if need be I can probably go buy more too.

Only prep work was wash and dry cladding. Next time, I think I'm just gonna take it to one of those DIY car washes and spray wash and spot-free rinse it, letting it air dry. Last time I washed and dried my truck, the plasti dip's rougher surface grabbed at the towel, leaving a bit of lint here and there.

I also want to figure out a different way to mask. It's a lot more difficult than it looks. Took me hours to mask the first time, and I still got a bit of overspray on the paint (rubbed right off, but still a PITA). I'm thinking I'll try the plastic tarp and a sh!t load of painter's tape next time.

I promise I have not forgotten about this thread and really want to get back out there and do it again. (Maybe this Friday, fingers crossed!!)

@20034RunnerV84x2- LED Taillights are one of the easiest (but not cheapest) mods you can do. Just plug and play, nothing more to it. I paid almost $300 for my set. They are genuine Toyota OEM parts, not aftermarket. I quickly returned the aftermarket set I tried first because the LEDs were horrible in comparison and it did not fit as easy as it should have.
 
I honestly just need a picture to see how the cladding black looks. It doesn't have to be perfect just a clear picture. PM me one if you can or I guess I'll wait. Thanks either way
 
TFJ-4runner said:
I honestly just need a picture to see how the cladding black looks. It doesn't have to be perfect just a clear picture. PM me one if you can or I guess I'll wait. Thanks either way
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Still not the best pic, but I hope it can hold you over till I get the good camera out, lol. This was taken 2 weeks ago.
 

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Are there any products out there to truly make the cladding look ''black'' without having to put a coating on there?

That really does look good. Just wish it was easier for u guys than plasti dip.
 
plasti-dip cladding

Honestly that looks so much better than the flat grey !! I 'd go so far to say $$ if available do it permanently , I mean really that looks tuff !
 
On something like faded flares and for that much trouble you should have just painted them unless you want to go back to the faded plastic look.
 
Looks great, I had wanted to do this when I had my 03 but I was worried about it rubbing off like yours did with the vacuum hose. I hear clear coating it makes it a little more durable
 
Bad thing with a real paint job it that the paint isn't as flexible as Plasti-Dip. I saw a T4R a few years ago that had been painted and it was flaking off where it had been bumped. I have thought about having the cladding wrapped with matte black vinyl
 
When taking off the masking tape how do you keep the plasti-dip from stretching or pulling up with the tape? as it is a film
 
Looks great! Although I don't envy you with having to paint/mask all that. I recently plasti-dipped my grill. It looked great but began peeling with all the bug guts and washes. I took it off last week b/c I was tired of the look.

03L4RUNNER said:
When taking off the masking tape how do you keep the plasti-dip from stretching or pulling up with the tape? as it is a film
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Probably the same as with any other application, just peel everything off while still wet. That's what i've always done and it seems to work well.
 
CrimsonCountry said:
Looks great! Although I don't envy you with having to paint/mask all that. I recently plasti-dipped my grill. It looked great but began peeling with all the bug guts and washes. I took it off last week b/c I was tired of the look..
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Thanks! How long did it take to begin peeling? My front bumper murders tons of bugs but the Plasti-Dip is holding up just fine. I usually go through the touch-free car wash as it is the quickest but whenever I have the time I wash it myself in the driveway. So far, the Plasti-Dip has survived both methods and still looks the same after around 3 months.


03L4RUNNER said:
When taking off the masking tape how do you keep the plasti-dip from stretching or pulling up with the tape? as it is a film
Click to expand...

Yes, I made this was happening to me when removing the tape. Next time I do it I will remove the tape immediately so it doesn't pull. When I saw it was pulling I just ripped the tape off quickly (comparable to ripping a band-aid off for less pain) and it didn't pull much off. I took the canned form of Plasti-Dip to touch up some of the edges, which worked surprisingly well.
 
NJshadow93 said:
Thanks! How long did it take to begin peeling? My front bumper murders tons of bugs but the Plasti-Dip is holding up just fine. I usually go through the touch-free car wash as it is the quickest but whenever I have the time I wash it myself in the driveway. So far, the Plasti-Dip has survived both methods and still looks the same after around 3 months.
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It was on for nearly 3 months before I started to notice anything. The spots were tiny and were areas that were hit by big bugs (according to how much guts were left). The peeling was then made worse by my scrubbing to clean the area when washing the truck. It wasn't on my truck long enough to notice any fading.

It's worth mentioning that I also had a set of 18s that I ran for a while after plasti-dipping them. They held up great! I can attest to the surface area being completely different based on how many coats and the proximity in which you spray the area. On one tire, I was in a hurry and wasn't as thorough and it turned out really rough. However, on all the others, it turned out perfectly smooth and super easy to clean.
 
NJshadow93 said:
Thanks! How long did it take to begin peeling? My front bumper murders tons of bugs but the Plasti-Dip is holding up just fine. I usually go through the touch-free car wash as it is the quickest but whenever I have the time I wash it myself in the driveway. So far, the Plasti-Dip has survived both methods and still looks the same after around 3 months.
Click to expand...

I have My front grill and wheels plasti-dipped. Its been about 7 months now. I see bugs splatted all the time and it is holding up. I have gone thru touch-free car wash or washed it myself. Got all kind of weather, heat, snow, sleet etc but plasti-dip is till holding. However it is starting to fade a little, may be too much sun. We did have several 100+ degree days.
 
I passed on an 03 because i didn't like the two tone look but seeing this makes me happy at least knowing there's an alternative... albeit a tedious and time consuming one.

How is it holding up? Worth it? There is a black 03 I'm looking at so i'd def do this if it's worth it. And.. is the first pic you posted already plastidipped, or was that a before photo?
 
After doing this, I like the look a lot better than the ones with color-keyed cladding. It's holding up great, still want to do it again, but until my summer classes end this week, I'm booked. First few pics are before I plasti-dipped.
 
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