Easy peasy and the results are killer... I might try the electrical tape beltline mod before attempting to remove them for paint.





I actually painted the side scuttle and cut a red vinyl "S".

 

Nice work. I really need to re-do mine. It has been over a year and it is starting to show. But for under $20 and a few hours of one-on-one mini time totally worth it.

What would you paint the belt line with? I am would think some sort of Krylon spray paint right?

 

Looks great. I recently did my grill mouth, headlight rings and tail light rings and love it. I tried the beltline blackout with electrical tape but the hot sun here in FL just made it turn to goo and it eventually shifted shape in a day and left nasty residue.

 

If you get the beltline off post a how-to here please!

 

I was going to give electrical tape a shot... I have some really really sharp razor blades to play with...

 

i love mine..

 

I would recommend SEM trim paint PN#39143, it is basically the best trim paint you can get, I think BMW even uses SEM for their shadowline trim.

Here is what I have been using for the past 7 years. I used SEM to black out various engine parts for my E21 show car, and 7 years later it looks brand new. http://www.sjdiscounttools.com/sem39143.html

And to using electrical tape on the belt line, that will last all of a few days, you need to use a 3M product, or just but the kit from OutMotoring for $12, there is enough to do 1 and a 1/2 Minis, and mine came out damn near perfect. E-tape will stretch shrink, and the adheisive that is used is useless, don't waste your time, 1/2" 3M tape is an exact fit to the beltline and has a protective layer on it that allows you to "squeegee" the tape to conform to the contours without marring or scratching the tape.

 

Thanks for the tip.. I'll try the 3m route first.. I don't look forward to removeing the trim as it never goes back on as tight as it is new... or I just suck at putting it back on.

 

Why not just spray it with Plasti-dip? Works just as good and it looks really good. The tape will start to discolor and the edges will lift after a year or so, as I found out.

 

I would assume that the trim snaps on but I can not verify as I am new to mini's. However it should be noted that the chrome trim can be separated from the rubber "boot" that it is attached to, if you are painting this I would most definitely remove this and prep it, there is a clear finish on the trim that should be sanded as the paint will eventually flake off.

But for $12 from 5' away you not not even tell it's tape. And when the tape wears off in a few years, it will take another $12 and 2 hours of work to make it right. That's just my 2psi, I would like to paint mine too, I just got lazy with it since I just shadowlined a friends E30 a few weeks prior and didn't feel like going through that all over again (I removed all the trim!).

Protip: I sealed all the edges of the tape as it terminated with a very fine layer of clear coat, if you mask the area well you will never see it.

 

No need to remove the trim, just mask it off and spray away.

 

The problem is that plasti-dip is a "skin" and it adheres to tape. It will lift off when the masking tape is removed. I'll probably remove them tomorrow at the shop and plasti dip spray them with the rubber part removed.

 

I know the trim on the doors, 1/4 panels, and bonnet come off really easy, they are held in by the rubber, just pull gently. The rear 3 pieces are a bit trickier and my Service Manager told me they come off too but to be more careful as the metal is very easy to bend and hard to get back into the right shape. I pull the end of the rubber off of the metal to see if it could be separated but put it all back together. So yes it can be done but lots of time and care needs to be had to do it without screwing up. Good luck and take pictures of the rear trim pieces please so I can figure out how to do it myself in the future.

 

Did you notice that the ends of each piece have a cap that can be removed? Can you just slide the metal trim out from the rubber sleeve? If that's the case it should be very simple to have these painted.

 

I just used a razor to "score" the plasti-dip at the tape line and it came out fine.

 

How did your guys' plasti dip hold up? I put, 4-6 coats on all my parts today and was curious to see how the stuffs gonna hold up.

 

Yes, just peal the rubber back and the metal will come right out of the track. Now for complete removal and re installation I was a little afraid to do that but it can be done. My SA and SM told me to be careful as the metal on the longer pieces is really easy to bend and not ever get to the exact shape it was.

 

I have had my beltline done for over a year and it looks great. Very hard to tell it from the rubber trim.

 

How did you get the "S" like that? I want to paint my side scuttles but masking of the the red S sticker is proving to be difficult. I was going to paint the hole thing black and then try to paint in the red S, but if they already have this then that would be great.

BTW I went out and bought some Plasti-dip to complete the shadowline on the R56 and I have to admit I am not a fan of this stuff. It almost feels like sand paper and the finish looks almost like a crinkle paint, there is no smoothness. Maybe I'm used to using SEM and it makes it have that perfect factory OEM look. I'll be removing the plasti-dip when I get really tired of it and do it with sanding, SEM etching plastic primer and trim paint.

 

The "S" looks to be a sticker from AC.

http://www.aestheticreations.net/gal...kersangled.jpg