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Painted Cladding Owners

M

MacDaddy

GUEST
How durable is the paint on the cladding? Does it scratch easily? It seems as if it would be difficult to repair. Is there a preferred way of application? Who is better - dealerships or aftermarket paint shops?
 
I know that there are several owners on this board with painted cladding, but the only one that seems to come to mind right now is Wind4power...you might consider shooting him an email and getting his thoughts on the subject.... :B:
 
Hey Sparky...Where are you getting the 3M product? I was looking at something called Chipguard by 3M last night. Is that what you're talking about? Are you having it installed or doing it yourself? I would'nt mind some extra protection for my front bumper.
 
Let me know how the 3M stuff looks like after you have put it on.

I am not sure I want to risk dulling the paint job by applying something over it.

 
Yes, I believe that is the same product. Clear plastic film. I'll have it done, if I decide to, by a company called Trimline, they are the 3M rep around here.
Following instructions from the painter, I'm going to wait at least two months from time of painting before doing anything. Concern was to make sure the paint was done 'breathing'.
 
Flynhigh,
Is your painted cladding textured or was it sanded down? It's hard to tell from the pics. Also can you give me an idea on cost and what prep work had to be done.

Nice looking truck!
 
The only thing they really had to do was apply a primer to the plastic cladding so the paint would adhere better. ?My paint looks textured because of the original cladding texture.

My cost was about $1500 but I had the dealer do it, to make sure it was waranteed. ?You probably could get another body shop to do it cheaper. ?The dealer removed all the cladding and then painted it and then re-attached it to the truck, I believe that is why mine was more expensive, lots of labor.



 
Has anyone looked into Bumpercoat yet?

How about LineX?

I believe my Blazers front bumper is made out of the same stuff as the cladding on the Av's... From what I hear from a lot of other ZR2 owners, is a lot of places refuse to touch it... ???
 
I'm not sure that there is a lot more labor taking the pieces off compared to having to tape off. What can be more expensive is replacing the clips that hold the cladding on. There are about 140 in total!!!. In removing the cladding you cannot help but break some of them. When I had the cladding painted the guy removed some pieces and left others in place. Had to replace about 50 clips. I'm in Canada, but I would guess that they cost between 2.50 and 3.25 US each.
I had the cladding taken smooth which is much more work and I suspect would involve removing maore of the pieces.
That said, I love it. Don't regret painting it for a minute. ;D
 
I have a black 4 x 4. I'm going to remove the 4 x 4 sticker on the back end of the truck. Will it leave a mark? In regard to the cladding, did anyone do the whole shabang like an EXT? I have a deal on 23" chrome MOMO Magnums. The guy has it on a EXT and he is putting the 24's. I figure all black AV with the MOMO 23's, my billet grill and my Dual Borla exhaust. The truck will be stylin!!!! I want to paint the whole cladding thing, but I may have to take the running boards off to make the truck look sleak. :B:
 
jewvalanche said:
I have a black 4 x 4. I'm going to remove the 4 x 4 sticker on the back end of the truck. Will it leave a mark?
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I had the dealer take the 4x4 stickers off of my last truck. They said they softened them up with a heat gun on a low setting and just peeled them off in one piece. There wasn't a trace that anything had ever been there at all. You might check with your local dealers(s), they have probably done it before. Others have reported doing it themselves with a hair drier (I don't have or need one anymore :6: ). How long have you had your Av? If you have any hairline scratches or swirl marks on the paint in that area, the paint will be cleaner where the sticker was and you will need to rub out the truck. If your Av has been around for a while there is a possibility the exposed areas may have a slight amount of fade. Check with a body or detail shop if that may be a possibility.
 
If you have a heat gun or a hair dryer, all you need is time and patience. The longer the stickers have been on, the less likely they will be to cooperate. If you have very little patience and a little bit of cash or a cold 6 pack, swing by any auto body shop and ask one of the prep guys to get it off. They have what amounts to a big eraser disk that goes into a drill and they'll be done in less than 5 minutes, a coat of polish and wax and you're done. My brother, who's a paint and body guy, hooked me up, ;D.
 
Hey Guys the April issue of TRUCKIN magazine has a Tech article on how to paint the cladding on a 02 AV with pics and how to. Starts on page 222.
 
:7:Thank you I just got my door clading off, and spent 4 hr's sanding it down for paint.
What a pain in the A..!! I ordered the clips from my dealer they are about 2.75 ea I saved a few
Takeing the clading off was easy. I just took off the 2 screws then just pulled. It took about 15 mins. Now the hard part. By the way thank you for the info in the mag I will get it as soon as possable. Enkei Avalanche :B:
 
enkei, you already have the door panels off but one thing they show you in the article is how to remove the cladding by pushing the clips out from the inside so they don't break.

They also show you all the paint products you will need.

For you guys out in CA. the work was done by,

Merzees Paint & Body
Lakeland Rd.
Sante Fe Springs, CA.
562-946-0980
 
The article is a good one! It tells every step and what kind of chemicals to use. By reading to article, it seems very important to use Skiff soap to remove the plastic mold releases..............I strongly suggest you read this article before attempting this project.

I wonder if the guy in the mag. is a member ;D
 
well so far so good on the cladding on my truck, i painted mine back in September that was 11,000 miles ago. I have a few rock chips from the sand on the roads from the past weeks Snow here, but nothing a little summit white touch up wont fix. Plus Soon I will be doing the ghost Pearl white flames soon when the weather warms up. Pictures at Dave02Z66
 
Hello All,
I am a new member. I have been lurking for a few months. I am seriously thinkinking about getting my cladding painted to match the forest green of my 02 Z71 AV. I have on order the newly designed Road Armor metal bumpers for front and rear. The front will have the full light package, winch and sport bar. Can't wait to get them on. I would like to color match the bumpers and cladding. Does anyone have recommendations for the Houston, TX. area for a paint and body shop that has painted AV cladding? Thanks in advance. Really great site!
DUKFVR75
 
Does anyone have painted cladding that has not been sanded down. I would like to see how it looks. I just got an estimate from a place, but they can't do the sanding (something about the plastic being a 'soft plastic'). If you have any pics or comments please post! Thanks!
 
Dips said:
Does anyone have painted cladding that has not been sanded down. I would like to see how it looks. I just got an estimate from a place, but they can't do the sanding (something about the plastic being a 'soft plastic'). If you have any pics or comments please post! Thanks!
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I haven't had my cladding painted, but have really been wanting it so I've followed the these posts.
Depending on how brave you are...you can paint the cladding yourself. Sjudson has painted his cladding using the Krylon spray paint made for plastic, however he did not sand, he left the texture in. He did a thorough job and it looks great, look up his profile and check his signature for pics. I think it cost him around $300.
I have had a quote of $1,000 to have the cladding painted w/o sanding. I saw a few that they did and it just wasn't for me. I prefer the smooth.
Smooth cladding can be purchased through places like www.dealerdesigns.com however be aware that they do not include the price for the clips that you will surely need (they're not cheap).
Good luck and let us know what you decide.
 
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