Looking at Lyle's Vinyl Styles (http://www.lylesvinylstyles.net/), but the prices are kinda high. So what can I do to do it myself? Such as, what do I need?

Looking to black out all the chrome on my car and de-badge my car also.

Tried to search but nothing came up that was a "how-to".

 

Just got done doing his myself..
Gas Cap: unscrew one screw to get the cap off / sand it down with some light sand paper / paint (I used left over black high heat from my exhaust: dries very quick and sticks very well)
Headlight Rings: (2 torx 25 & 3 8mm nuts) Same process, same paint --^
most likely gunna have to repaint every once in a while but well see (no chips as of 2 weeks haha)
Door Handles: Gunna Let vinyl Styles do it for me because there touched a lot and paint wont stay.. unless you pretty good at vinyl-ing things then you can go get some from a sign shop
Chrom line: Advanced auto vinyl electrical tape don in about 20 mins no problem with some scissors and patience

 

Well my tail lights were the only things I've ever done vinyl work on. Heh. They weren't too bad, but I ordered pre-cut vinyl. The waist line, I'm just ordering the $13 kit from Outmotoring.com.

Aren't the door handles from Lyle painted?

 

I say paint it all...thats what I did

Just sand the chrome down to get the shine off, then primer, krylon fusion color, then a lot of clear coat layers...I will be doing the door handles soon while on the car because they are crazy to take off (have to remove side window and everything)

I've had my stuff painted (HL and TL rings, boot handle, "COOPER" badge) for about 3 months now and no chipping of anything...they only thing I have noticed is that this florida sun has eaten a little of the clear coat on the HL rings (the top part that gets direct sun) so a recoat on those may be in order

 

Pretty sure everything Vinyl Styles has is Vinyl, if it were paint anyone with a ring getting in you car would do some damage (thats why ive stayed away from doing those) i dunno if its really worth 90 bucks tho

 

Gascap door= powdercoating. The Headlight rings= DIY paint. Sand them with 60 grit course sandpaper. Three coats of self etching primer. Three coats of gloss black ceramic engine block paint, wet sanding with 600 grit sandpaper after the first two coats. Let cure for two days then three coats of clear coat. Wait a few days to cure, the use a light rubbing compound. This is just a quick rundown. Your results may vary, or you might have your own way of doing it. I have achieved great results with my method. Also, most of the time I put small items in my oven on the warm setting for a few hours. It helps with the curing. I have not had any time to mess with the door handles. I would think that over time the vinyl would succumb to the oils from people's skin.

 

Buy some black vinyl and go for it. You should be able to get it pretty cheap from a sign shop. Add 1 blow dryer/heat gun and have fun. Doesn't seem like it should be too hard to do. Just take your time.

 

there's a spray aerosol called Plastidip from Lowe's/ home depot etc. It's a matte black rubberized coating. I've had my grill done for a couple weeks now, and, at the moment, my headlight/taillight rings are drying their second coat. it works great; no sanding or priming. iT'S REMOVABLE IF YOU DONT LIKE IT (peels right off but won't chip from driving). im gonna do my beltline, door handles, side markers (except S), and gas cap today. (now i just have to joey mod).

 

**(joey mod not with plastidip tho haha)

 

Hmm. Plastidip. I should check it out.

What's the Joey mod?

 

Popping open the headlights and painting the inside chrome pieces black

 

can anyone give some advise for doing the joey mod. what is the best paint, how hard is it to remove the headlight housing. or better yet a step by step instructions. would love for this to me my first mod to my brand new mini, except for the new hatch i have to get fixed. Some moron drove into me while it was parked

 

what year is your car, xenon lights or halogen? the newer the headlights, the easier the job. and really, any aerosol paint will work, because you seal the lights, they are not touched nor do they have to face the elements.

btw, plasti-dip is amazing, ive done my handles, gas cap, scoop, and rings with this stuff, no chipping what so ever.

 

how does plastidip hold up against heat? i sometimes leave the Mini under the sun for hours

 

well, i live in las vegas where my car gets beat on all day, and it's summer, and they're still fine

 

I'll recommend PES Trim Black. I used that on the rings, handles, and gas cap. Minimal prep work on all, it's been about a month, no chips....

 

Just got a can of spray plasti dip & a can of liquid. When using liquid with paint brush, does it leave brush marks or smooth itself out? Want to use it on door handles since they're a royal pain to remove. Wish I could find some Red someplace - all I can find around here is black. Wondering how close to Chili Red it is...

 

The spray on Plasti-Dip is great, it covers with only a couple of coats, goes on thick and leaves a nice smooth finish, much better than regular spray paint.
The red is close but just a bit too bright, doesn't have that hint of maroon like chili red.

 

Im confused on removing the headlight rings....tips?

 

What I did was:
1) remove headlight by disconnecting plug as well as the three nuts holding the light onto the hood
2) Then using a small flathead screwdriver, carefully pry the 3 clips on the bottom of the headlight and the sides
3) After you get those 3 off, you should be able to slide the headlight ring off from the top.

Be sure to take your time because you don't want to break any of the clips, but it is ok if you break one or two. You can just use some 3M double sided tape to keep it on there.

 

my car stays outside. and with my scoop painted, im sure when the car is running it faces some pretty high temperatures. and it has showed no signs of wear.


Ive never tried plasti-dip with a brush. I'd imagine it would be very messy. you'd have to do a good job masking, so you might as well just mask off the handles on the car, and spray it. Thats what i did. If you mess up or get overspray, just peel it off

also, ive seen plasti-dip in 3 colors. Red, black and yellow. Home Depot had the best selection. My Lowe's here only carries black.

 

How has the plasti dip held up on the door handles?
So far I've done the plasti dip on my gas cap and headlight rings and they're holding up pretty well. The door handles are next....

 

What is the texture/color of plasti-dip?
Right now I use some high heat engine paint on the door handles because it has a matching matte finish of the black plastic surrounding trim, but texture-wise not so much and sometimes it has a purplish-black look to it in just the right sunlight.
Just wondering if plastic-dip will match the trim better

 

Plasti dip comes in black, red, and yellow I believe. The black is a matte finish and it matches the plastic trim around the car very well. It's hard to describe the texture, but I don't think it is as smooth as say a matte black finish using regular paint, but it kind of feels like the plastic trim. It feels...durable . I love it because it is removable so if you mess up, you can just peel it off and do it again.

At first I was skeptical when I heard it was removable because I thought, "wouldn't it come off easily?!" But so far it has really held up well after a few washes and a few hundred miles of freeway driving. I'm very happy with it

 

handles are holding up just fine. Im not careful with them or anything. I also have wear a ring so im sure that beats on it some too. I even have those chrome doorcups that protect your paint under the handle plasti-dipped. As ive said before, the biggest downfall to plasti-dip is its unwillingness to work with masking. it bonds to the masking tape so when you pull off the tape, the plasti-dip goes with it and stretches.

the color is a matte/satin black. when painting its glossy but once dried it dulls out. it feels like...well, rubber. its visibly smooth, but if u drag your hand across there is a lot of friction.

heres a new pic...i painted my silver speedo/vent rings with black plasti-dip seen here...



the downtubes are missing because i was painting them too! they turned out great...as did my cupholder. and again, if i ever change my mind, it peels right off and goes back to stock in seconds.