So this weekend I decided to pick up two cans of Performix Plasti Dip (Matte Black) from 'Caswell Plating' and spray the mid section of my bumper/grill black, to give it a more aggressive look.
At the risk of pissing off the RA owners, I won't use the words 'Ralliart copy' anywhere throughout this rant - I'm aware they're two different kettles of fish.
So onto pics first, this is how I chose to mask up the front of my car.
Do it however you like, but it is very important to either completely mask the intake grill or put cardboard down inbetween the radiator and the grill.
Radiators and plasti-dip don't get along. I did both because I'm paranoid.
So here's the important part if you haven't fallen asleep already:
The ES Lancers (and VR/VRX I assume) have no distinct line down the sides to mark where the mid-bar ends, and the rest of the bumper continues.
There is however a slight indent to give you some idea. This is circled in red.
To get a clean edge along this line I found that I needed use one or two continuous and straight pieces of masking tape down this seam, and remove it ASAP after each coat while it's still wet and reapply it in the exact same place when it had flashed off for the next coat.
Time consuming, but necessary for a good result.
As with all painting work, the time spent preparing is everything.
Give your car a solid wash, and use a light solvent which won't leave a residue to clean up any wax, bugs, road grime and oil. I used metho, but isopropyl alcohol is the go.
To apply, I used 1 light coat to 'prepare' the surface, then 5 coats getting heavier with each coat. I made videos of each coat if anyone's desperate.
And this was the finished result with all the masking removed.
I considered side/bottom mounting the license plate, but that left all the holes visible left over from the original mounting points on the mid-bar.
P.S I know I need to fix the scrapes under the front lip, that was the previous owner
) will be interesting to see how durable it is - ie chips, pressure washers.
