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Fixing previous owner's cladding paint

T Mtn

Full Member
Joined
Dec 31, 2015
Messages
11
Hey gents. I recently bought a 2002 AV Z71 and one of the first things I noticed is it looks like someone attempted to paint the cladding and didn't do a very good job at maintaining it. I don't know what they used to paint it so I'm not sure what process to use for removing it so I can start over. The drivers side still looks halfway decent, but the passenger side has scratches and fade and peeling in spots.

I want to start over and paint it with Krylon Fusion the right way. So my questions are:

What process would be best to remove the old paint?
When using Krylon Fusion, how many cans do you recommend for painting all of the cladding including the bed area?

Any help is greatly appreciated

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Try a power washer just don't hit it straight on, hit it at a angle
 
From the photos it looks like a thick coating applied so not sure about removal but I would lean towards sanding the cladding. Safest way would be to remove all cladding before sanding so you don't damage white paint but it would also allow you to look for hidden rust under lower cladding and get that attended to at same time. You may need to get a bag of clips since some tend to break when you remove the cladding. Since your Av is 14 years old it may have hidden rust.
What I also noted in the photos is that in 2002 the cladding was a light grey and the previous owner decided to darken the cladding appearance with the newer year color paint or Gatorback coating. That is why the scratches are more visible. If you go with a light grey paint your scratches and wear will not be as obvious.
 
Looks like plastidip to me... it would be tough to tell without seeing it in person. I have heard that if you spray it with wd40 and let it sit for a little it will wipe right off.
 
Thanks for the suggestions. I'll try the wd40 first because it seems easy. If I decide to sand it, will it take the texture off? I don't mind taking the time to sand but I lIke the looks of the textured finish. I read somewhere on here about using a scotch Brite pad. Not sure  what chemicals i could pair with that to give the same effect. If all else fails then I'll go borrow someone's pressure washer and make a day of it  :D
 
wyotonka said:
Looks like plastidip to me... it would be tough to tell without seeing it in person. I have heard that if you spray it with wd40 and let it sit for a little it will wipe right off.

From the "peeling" it does look like a thick layer of plastidip. Try some type of GooGone, or GooBeGone it rubs right off even after years of plastidip. But if you're going to repaint it make sure the googone is completely wiped off, the paint obviously won't stick to it. Good luck!  (y)
 
ronthehandymanga said:
gatorback?

Yes that was the brand name of the second treatment GM tried to revitalize the cladding with......The first complaints of faded cladding were treated with a liquid wipe system called Armadillo and it ended up being a temporary finish that would only last a couple months.(not as good as Refinish Restorer)
Gatorback was applied by the dealer or a subcontractor who had to clean then spray the cladding with what ended up being a paint like finish that could come off if not prepped properly or if it scratched you could see the faded plastic underneath. (More visible on earlier AVs with light cladding when the owner tried to darken his cladding to look like newer models of AV.) So Gatorback came out in light grey, dark grey and black.
A word search will show many threads discussing the two products. GM gradually stopped trying to cover or fix the fade. My guess for possible reason for loss of lower cladding and painted smooth upper cladding to eliminate complaints in the last few years of production. (Of course it helped use up inventory of EXT parts too.)
 
It looks like a under coating or bed liner to me
 
Well I tried wd40 but it didn't do anything. I also tried just peeling and scratching it off with my fingers but it only comes off in tiny slivers if at all. Gonna try googone with a scotchbrite this weekend.

I wish I could just paint over it but I've read several times on here, "Its all in the prep work" so I know I need to start with a good clean surface for the new paint to stick to.
 
T Mtn said:
Well I tried wd40 but it didn't do anything. I also tried just peeling and scratching it off with my fingers but it only comes off in tiny slivers if at all. Gonna try googone with a scotchbrite this weekend.

I wish I could just paint over it but I've read several times on here, "Its all in the prep work" so I know I need to start with a good clean surface for the new paint to stick to.
I know I spent majority of the time i put into painting was in the prep work rather than the actual painting, mine still looks great and it's been in since June. It doesn't get as much road time as it used to though.
 
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