Army Green ZL1 | Satin Liquid Wrap
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ARMY GREENÂ
We liquid wrapped this Chevy Camaro ZL1 in Raail Spherical with Satin Clear Coat for a scratch resistant, gas resistant, more durable finish. This peel-able auto paint will last 5+ years, protect the factory paint, and peel off easier than vinyl. Here’s how we did it.
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MASK
Yes the original blue looks amazing, but that is all the more reason to protect it. The owner of this 2017 Chevy Camaro ZL1 wanted to protect his baby and switch up the color. He just asked for an Army Green but we took it a step further and whipped up a custom color with pearls for that metallic look in the sun. First we wash with water and dawn dish soap. Allow the car to fully dry. This usually means give it 24hrs and take an air hose to the nooks and crannies. Next up is masking. This will probably be the most labor intensive part if you are doing it right. Remember, if it’s a clients car take extra care. Treat every car like your dream car. Mask that Nissan Altima like it’s a Bugatti. If you don’t want paint on it, mask it. Quality materials matter here. Paint will bleed through newspaper and poor quality tape. Make sure you take your time and set yourself up for success. After it’s masked we do another wipe down with water and denatured alcohol for those fingerprints using a microfiber towel (no terry cloths).
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BASE
For this car we are using a Raail Black Base Coat (aka Spherical 3.2). Black is better when it comes to spraying pearls plus the owner is looking for a darker shade of army green. We ALWAYS use a test panel to dial in our gun settings and confirm that the coating is coming out right. You never want the first drop of paint out of the gun to be on the car. Once we are ready to go, we lay down about 1½ gallons of black. Here in FL it dries pretty quick but the usual flash time is about 10-15min. We are using a 60gal compressor and gravity fed Spectrum Black Widow with a 1.7mm tip. We like to measure the coating in gallons because 1 coat for you may be 2 coats for me. Don’t skimp on product amount. A thicker coating is stronger, lasts longer, and will peel with ease.
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COLOR
Next up is the color. This is a custom mix of Chrome Green and Army Lust Pearl. We mix in 25g of pearl and 1 drop in tint of Chrome Green per gallon. We are using Raail Clear Base Coat for this one. Again, we spray that test panel first then lay down about 2gal of color with a 10-15min flash time. Once we are happy with the color we let the car dry for 2 hours.
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CLEARCOAT
Our new Satin Clear Coat is up next. This will lock in the color underneath, add depth, provide scratch resistance, provide gas resistance and add a Satin sheen on top. This is perfect for when the customer prefers a more matte coating as opposed to gloss. We are using a clean gun for this one with a 1.3mm tip (same brand). Unlike other clear coats, this coating only requires one mixing agent. First we shake the clear coat very well. Like 5 minutes well. Then we mix in an activator at a ratio of 4:1 (4 parts clear coat, 1 part activator). Then we hit that test panel, dial in our settings, and lay 2 medium/wet coats on the vehicle. We know we can get a little smoother with this coating so we decide to Flow Coat. This involves sanding the clear coat smooth then applying one more wet coat on top. In order to sand this coating we have to let it dry for at least 24hrs.
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UNMASK
After the final coat has been applied, we give it about 4hrs to dry fully. Then we unmask. The pearl definitely popped in the florida sun. It gave the car a little more depth than just a flat matte green. The customer was a big fan and that put a smile on our faces.
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