So if you read our last blog post, you will know that my wife Melanie told me we could get a super cool camper van on two conditions: It can’t look creepy and it has to be army green. Of course I went out and found a white, 2019 Chevy Express 3500 passenger van… fondly known as the “don’t get in that van with the man with the candy” van to most people. This thing is a tank and can carry 15 passengers! While it is in great condition, the stock wheels and white paint made it look creepy as hell.

However, I had a vision of what this thing could become with a little research and a few hours of hard work and was excited to get to work on transforming her into an awesome Adventure Van.

So first thing first by direct orders of my wife. 

Can’t look Creepy. 

Has to be Army Green. 

Ok, So now I have quite the job on my hands and I gotta change the color of this van fast so my wife won’t change her mind. I had to get this white van army green ASAP. I took to the internet to figure out how to turn this white creeper van into a super awesome army green Adventure Camper Van for our family to travel all over the State of Arkansas in and for us to travel to trade shows in for our t-shirt business. 

I started to research the options I had to change the color of an automobile. Most of the research I saw was to either hire an auto body shop to do a professional paint job or to hire someone to professionally wrap it.

The third option I started seeing gaining in popularity was to get it dipped. What? What does that even mean? This intrigued me more than the other options because I could do it myself and didn’t need to hire a professional. I chose Plasti Dip because the internet Gods said I can DIY pretty easily and it was a super cheap option, compared to getting it painted which I got quoted over $10,000 for! A nice wrap was still going to be over $7,000 so that is when I decided to take on this project myself with Plasti Dip.

What Is Plasti Dip and How Does It Work?

First you may be wondering what Plasti Dip even is? It is a specialty rubber coating that air dries and is used to coat and protect surfaces. And it’s most popular use as of late is to temporarily change the color of your car wheels.

If you’ve seen those cars that are wrapped in vinyl with a big ad all over their entire car, Plasti Dip is basically the liquid form of that. It is a durable yet removable substance that protects the paint layer underneath and can be peeled off later. If you want to go back to the original paint color or maybe even change the color of your van every couple of years, you can peel Plasti Dip away without damaging the original paint. 

First, I went to https://planetadventurevan.com/recommends/dipyourcar/ and went through all their tutorials until I felt comfortable enough to take on the project. They have kits that you can purchase that comes with almost everything you need. I ultimately did contact customer service as the kits listed only went up to full size trucks as opposed to a gargantuan passenger van and they helped me estimate the number of cans needed for my large project.

A DYC DIY Kit Makes the Process Easier

Here are the items that came in the DIY Kit:

• -DYC Sprayer System (includes DYC Spray Gun, Quick Connect Hose, Turbine, Spare Parts Kit & Gallon Blender)
• -Prewash
• -PreDip Spray
• Washer Mitt
• -Tape and Drape
• -Blue Painter’s Tape
• -3/4 in. 3M Automotive Masking Tape
• -Microfiber Towel
• -Dip Filter X 2
• -6 Gallons of Avalanche Grey Base Coat Plasti Dip
• -5 Gallons of Army Green Plasti Dip

I would also advise to have a couple cases of your favorite cheap beer or box wine and some free Kroger Advertisement Paper or other free newspapers to mask and cover windows. I would also purchase a painter’s mask or two as I definitely got high a couple times before I wised up enough to wear a mask.

Steps I took to Plasti Dip our Camper Van

After doing a close search, shoddy and unsuccessful dip jobs can be found online. The majority of these are because certain steps were not done correctly or the proper research was not done before starting. Here are the steps I took ensured my project turned out spectacular.

Wash/Clean every surface.

It is important to thoroughly wash every inch of the automobile to ensure all dirt and debris are free from the surface. Rinse several times to make sure all dirt and soap have been removed.

Choose a location that will be debris free

 I parked the van in my open garage because I had nowhere else to spray. The main thing I wanted to accomplish was to keep the car out of direct sunlight during the process. Direct sunlight will make the surface too hot to spray onto. Avoiding direct sunlight will ensure that each separate layer of Plasti Dip dries correctly. Although not available to everyone, you want to preferably dip it in a controlled environment away from floating dust, insects, etc.

Allow the automobile to completely dry

I then dried off the van surfaces with a lint free drying towel. You need to make sure your van or car is totally dry before applying the Plasti Dip. In fact, it is wise to let it sit over night in your garage to make sure it is completely dry.

Use newspaper and tape and drape to cover all large areas not being sprayed

Next you will want to cover the windows with newspaper and apply the given tape and drape under the hood and over the engine to protect it from any over spray. I then used the 3M Automotive Masking Tape to create a clean line between what will be dipped and what will not. This is one of the most tedious parts of the whole job but is extremely important to create nice crisp lines between what will be dipped and what will not.

Apply pre dip spray

During my research, if a plasti dipping project did not come out as desired, skipping or half-assing this pre dip step was usually the culprit. The pre dip is very important because it removes oils, grease and other substances that will prevent the dip from properly adhering to the cars paint surface.

Prepare the Plasti Dip for application

Make sure to mix up the Plasit Dip thoroughly. I used the paint mixer tool that came with the DIY Kit. You then pour the mixed dip into the spray gun cup making sure to not overfill. Do several practice sprays onto a piece of cardboard so that you can get the feel for it and more importantly adjust the nozzle to the correct spray pattern.

Start spraying the first coat

You want to make sure that your first coat is actually just a light dusting because it is the layer that bonds the Plasti Dip to the paint. It should be at about 50% transparency when you’re done with the first layer.

Use a clean sweeping motion with the paint gun and make sure to spray around 6-8 inches away from the automobile surface. You will go from panel to panel until the entire vehicle is lightly dusted with this first bonding layer.

 Make sure to use all of the gallons of base coat

A question I see a lot is how many coats of Plasti Dip to apply. It is extremely important to use all of the product that came with your kit. During the process, you will be thinking that it looks like there is complete coverage and that you would be fine stopping. Don’t do this! Use all of the gallons that was recommended and you will end up with a thicker and more durable finished product. This could end up being seven or more coats.

I will be honest, I broke this step. I think I over purchased by a couple gallons so I had some left over. I still applied around 7 total coats of product so the outcome was still satisfactory.

Allow each layer to dry for at least 20 minutes before applying the next layer. This is easy to achieve if you just work your way around the van. I started with the top and then the drivers side all the away back around to the hood.  By the time I was done with a layer it was time to drink a beer and start on another layer.

Time to plasti dip your car the desired color

Once I was done with all of the Avalanche Grey gallons of dip, it was time to move on to the army green. It was fun seeing the final color go on and this is when I could finally see the project taking shape.

And as I mentioned above, when in doubt, spray another coat and keep spraying until you are out of product. For a smaller car, this could be just a few gallons for the base and a couple gallons for the final color for an entire car. For my huge van, this was 6 gallons of the Avalanche Grey and 5 gallons of the Army Green. Be sure not to touch any Pasti Dip on the van or car at any time.

Pull the tape from doors and other fine lined areas

After I was done spraying, there were some sections that you want to peel off the painters tape while the Plasti Dip is still wet to create a nice separation between the dip and the automobile surface. These areas should be noted during the prep work.

Much of the tape and window coverings you will want to wait until your car has had time to fully cure. But the areas where there is a fine line between the painted surface and a non painted surface, you will want to immediately remove the painters tape after the last wet coat of dip.

Once the car has fully cured peel the coverings

I waited until the next day to peel the rest of the tape and newspaper off. In some places I had to use a razorblade to make sure that the layers of dip separated from the non-dipped areas.

Apply a post dip spray

Lastly, I applied a post dip spray to help smooth it out and add another level of protection.  I noticed that once the plasti dip had cured there was a sort of rough feel to it and it was kind of grippy as you ran your hand along the finish.

But as soon as I applied the post dip spray this really seemed to smooth things out and left me with a smoother and harder final product.

What Else on Your Car Can You Plasti Dip?

Plasti Dip became popular when people started applying the plastic dip on tool handles. It wasn’t long before people started to apply plasti dip to their car and car emblems, grills and wheels. I actually started with my chrome bumpers and grill. I dipped them black and didn’t even use a spray gun. I started with Plasti Dip aerosol cans just so I could get a feel for the product and how it worked.

Painting the Door Jams

When spraying the outside of the automobile, none of the inside gets sprayed. So it always bothered me to open my doors and the white paint would be apparent. I didn’t want to use the DYC Sprayer on the door jams because I needed to be much more precise with the spray because I really couldn’t tape off the inside of the van. The aerosol cans would have been perfect in this situation but unfortunately the color Army Green Plasti Dip did not come in the aerosol can.

After some research, I was able to find a product called Preval Sprayer System which solved my issue perfectly. This system allowed me to use the dip from the gallons with a connectable aerosol can. You can see more about the Preval Sprayer System HERE.

How Long Does Plasti Dip Last on a Car

The longevity of a plasti dipping project largely depends on how well the job was done. The amount of care taken in the prep phase as well as the number of coats applied can all aid in how long the plasti dip holds up. A decent job should get you at least 3 years while I have spoken with many individuals that have gotten many more years out of the dip.

You are able to wash road debris from the car paint as normal and if you sprayed the plasti dip on thick enough should not have to worry about any layers peeling off. My van sits all day in the hot sun in the summer and I have yet to notice any sun damage.

In fact, our Adventure Van has endured three winter ice storms this year and been completely covered in ice and snow for days at a time with absolutely no visible damage or discoloring of the final layer of army green.

Other than some rock chips from driving on the gravel back roads the stuff has held up great and I am able to touch up any chips or blemishes along the way. I actually did back into a brick mailbox and had to do a little touch up work but we won’t talk about that.

Vinyl wraps have been known to last 3-7 years but will start to show sun fading after several years. One great thing about vinyl wrapping and plasti dipping a whole car is that you will protect the layers of paint underneath. When it is time for you to sell your automobile, you can peel the plasti dip or wrap from the body and have a perfectly protected paint underneath.

What does a Plasti Dip DIY Kit Cost?

When it was all said and done, to Plasti Dip my entire full size van cost me around $1,100. Here is a breakdown of the costs associated.

-Dips Sprayer Spray Gun and Spray System and Base Kit – $230. I could have upgraded to a professional spray gun but the Spray Gun included in the base kit was satisfactory.

-6 Gallons of Avalanche Grey Dip – $392 (had some leftover)

-5 Gallons of Army Green Dip – $402 (had some leftover)

-6 Pack of Black Aerosol Cans for Bumpers and Grill – $50 (had some leftover but will do our other car wheels)

If you are just wanting to change the paint color of a truck, SUV or car, your costs can be significantly cheaper as I was working with a gigantic 15 passenger Chevy Express Van. For something smaller you can easily get this project done in under $500.

Final Thoughts on How to Plasti Dip a Car

Overall, the finished product came out better than expected and we get questions, comments and compliments about it every time we take the van out. I definitely had some issues I had to work through, and some unexpected things come about but a quick visit to YouTube University and I got them figured out.

And if you have questions or comments about the Plasti Dip process? Leave a comment below or shoot me an email!