Can't Leave Good Enough Alone

[EllowViper]

Can\'t Leave Good Enough Alone

Well, I picked up a pristine 2001 GTS exactly a year ago...but like most, just have to mess with perfection. Over the past two months, off came the front, side sills, rear surround, rear bumper, chipped door, and while I was at it bonded/blended GTS-R Hood Scoop into the roof line (poser). I have to thank my Mrs's for the support and willingness to let me have my hobbies. I think the kids got a kick out of all the activity too. Its not a #10 job, but pretty darn good for a garage project. Hope these pics post...first attempt.

 

[V10SpeedLuvr]

Re: Can\'t Leave Good Enough Alone

That is sooooo cool looking! Great looking color combo! I love the Viper emblem in the roof scoop

 

[big-n-italian]

Re: Can\'t Leave Good Enough Alone

absolutely LOVE the white stripes!

 

[02ViperTodd]

Re: Can\'t Leave Good Enough Alone

THat looks GREAT..Like a cream popsicle my kids eat..It really does look good..as I was told about yellow..watch out for the bug fornacation in the spring..

 

[Nadine UK GTS]

Re: Can\'t Leave Good Enough Alone

You've done a fantastic job of fitting the roof scoop, blends well, looks OE. Love the white stripes, and them running through the rear plate area too.

 

[kcobean]

Re: Can\'t Leave Good Enough Alone

That looks AWESOME man. I would NEVER have thought of white stripes on a yellow car, but it looks damn good. Nice work!!!

 

[EllowViper]

Re: Can\'t Leave Good Enough Alone

Local body shop quoted me over $8k to do this...so I rolled up my sleeves and did it myself for around $1500.00. Most of the cost was that damn'd expensive DeBeers Viper Yellow and clear coat...plus a few tools that I needed anyways. Big thanks to JonB and R&J Distributing for their products. Oh yea, the flat black rear lower bumper inserts I did in gloss Viper black. It really adds class vice the factory flat/subdued look.

 

[hemibeep]

Re: Can\'t Leave Good Enough Alone

Very sharp..
Weren't the stripes fun????

Great job.

 

[Gerald Levin]

Re: Can\'t Leave Good Enough Alone

Absolutely amazing. Did you do the stripes in your garage? Did you bond and paint the hood scope in your garage? You must have done this for a living (past or present) in order to have done such a nice job. There are not many amateurs that will do what you did to a $60K+ car without some kind of serious expertise. I'm jealous. Job well done!!!

 

[snampro]

Re: Can\'t Leave Good Enough Alone

looks great, I like the scoop, just please don't put a spoiler on that car...

 

[EllowViper]

Re: Can\'t Leave Good Enough Alone

NO spoiler!! The Mrs had some real reservations with the roof scoop when I was mocking it up...but I brought her over to the dark side with some previous posts/pictures of other examples.
Hemibeep: THe stripes were a SOB...!! Still aren't "perfect" but close enough. Learned a lot in doing this since I had never striped a car before. Like I said, not a show car but a solid driver that is a lot of fun to tinker with. For me, that's what its all about.

 

[red98RT10]

Re: Can\'t Leave Good Enough Alone

Car looks fantastic! Congratulations!

 

[Andrew2KRT10]

Re: Can\'t Leave Good Enough Alone

Sorry to ask a repetative question, but you did the scoop AND paint yourself? Very good. I would not have attempted that, at least not the paint. Stripes were vinal?

Car looks great.

AC

 

[Dave's Big Brakes]

Re: Can\'t Leave Good Enough Alone

love is a RaceYellow GTS I don't like black strips BUT I like your white strips

Like your black gas cap, I have one too

 

[NK BREKR]

Re: Can\'t Leave Good Enough Alone

Great job! Car looks awesome!

 

[EllowViper]

Re: Can\'t Leave Good Enough Alone

Just back from a quick cruise and lunch at ******* in Lakeland.
Stripes are painted. Did everything myself in the garage. The roof scoop was actually very easy to mount/blend in to the roof line. There are some pretty hi-tech SMC body panel adhesives and fillers on the marketplace. I was going to remove the windshield due to the need to blend right up to the windshield (since that was what the body shop planned on doing), but was able to simply remove the winshield gasket (leaves about a 3/16 gap) and that was enough to work with. Gasket is really more of a transition between the windshield and the body. Simply work back into its groove when completed. Like Hemibeep indicated, laying two 8" stripes with 1/4" layout tape out over all the curves and transitions requires patience, persistence, and a good eye. This was troublesome and I have some less than perfect transitions since I had to transfer measurements to/from various body panels and this is somewhat of an artform. If I were to do it all over again, I'd tackle laying out the stripes a bit differently. As far as the base coat/clear coat...pretty forgiving. I was used to spraying single stage urethane enamals which has the shine agent included in the application (that was years ago too). So when I sprayed the base coat, I was expecting a more finished appearance vice the dull/matte finish. The clear coat is amazing. Simply brings out the color like a wet finish...and stays that way. Used a flex additive on all areas due to the expansion/contraction of the surface as well as the impact survivability of the bumpers. I had a lot of wet sanding to remove what orange peel I had (remember its in the 90s here in Tampa/high humidity and its hard to really control the aplication/drying given these constraints). A paint booth would have been the ticket, but didn't have one of those laying around the neighborhood. Lots of various buffing/polishing agents at the end. I still have some areas to buff out that the outside light will highlight. I should have taken more pics to document the work, but I was focused more on the project than archiving the work.
Thanks for the comments/feedback.

 

[Vic]

Re: Can\'t Leave Good Enough Alone

Great skillz! I wouldn't have the guts to try that!

 

[V10SpeedLuvr]

Re: Can\'t Leave Good Enough Alone

Great skillz! I wouldn't have the guts to try that!

I'd have the guts, as long as it was someone else's car

 

[Edoggrc51]

Re: Can\'t Leave Good Enough Alone

love is a RaceYellow GTS I don't like black strips BUT I like your white strips

Like your black gas cap, I have one too

Dont like black stripes????..... BOOOO!!!!!

 

[DodgeViper01]

Re: Can\'t Leave Good Enough Alone

Now that is a unique Viper. The white stripes look pretty neat. Congratulations!

 

[syldogRT/10]

Re: Can\'t Leave Good Enough Alone

I just bought a yellow RT/10 a man those white strips look hot! May have to buckle down next winter and get mine done. Not sure I have the guts to do it myself though. Nice work!