Pluto Megashift | Gloss Liquid Wrap
PLUTO MEGASHIFT
We liquid wrapped this Ford Mustang GT in a Gloss 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.
WASH
Josh peeled most of his old wrap off before bringing it in and we cleaned up the edges with a pressure washer. He did leave some on the trunk and mirrors which gave us an idea. We have been asked about spraying over an old wrap in the past. It is possible so we decided to take this opportunity to show it in action. No sanding is required just like with the rest of the car, Liquid Wrap goes right over the factory finish and protects it in the process. However, I wanted to smooth the old wrap out a bit more so I sanded it down but left the factory paint untouched. We washed the car with dish soap and water so the surface is clean and free of any wax or grease.
MASK
We let the car dry over night before masking it up. The roof was staying black so one nice piece of Plazmask covered it and the windshields nicely. Using quality materials is important and trust me, I know from experience. Everything on my site has been hand picked by me after testing it out personally. Some solvent resistant paper and tape for the rest of the car and I was ready to spray.
BASE
I’m Spraying the base coat with my Black Widow HVLP from Spectrum with a 1.7mm tip. This gun is reasonably priced and pretty good quality. Of course it wouldn’t be complete with out some gun lights so I can see what I’m doing. For this car we will probably need 4 gallons of product total so I’ll start with 2 gallons of black base and save 2 gallons for the color. I’m using my Husky Compressor with a 60gal tank. The first 2-3 coats are light tack coats then I start to wet it out and build a good layer. I usually use a little more product than is actually necessary just so the customer has no problem peeling it when that day comes.
COLOR
Josh picked out a cool color combination of Pluto Megashift and Violet Booster. This booster is going to make any magenta/purple colors in the pearl pop without masking the other colors like green and blue. It also helps avoid any stripes or uneven color coverage. I can’t recommend boosters enough especially when spraying colorshifting pearls. We used 15g of Pluto per gallon (30g total) and 4oz of booster per gallon (8oz total). After about 2 gallons of color I was happy so I let it dry and set up the clearcoat.
CLEARCOAT
I recommend switching guns when spraying clearcoat to avoid any left over basecoat or cleaning solution getting trapped in the gun and spitting on to your gloss. I switched over to an IWATA 4 with a 1.3mm tip and mixed up the gloss. Once I’ve got a hopper mixed up I hit the car with a light-medium coat and let it dry for 10min. The next coat I go nice and wet and then let that sit over night.
FLOWCOAT
After about 24hrs, the gloss is hard enough to sand. I like to flow coat it for a better finish since I’m not in a professional grade paint booth. I sand down the gloss with a DA sander, foam pad, and some 800-1200 grit paper. Once its nice and smooth I clean it up and spray one last wet coat of gloss.
UNMASK
After about 4 hours it’s safe to unmask and after about 12 hours it’s ready to deliver. It’s always a little nerve-racking waiting for the customer’s reaction but Josh loved it. We set him up with a photoshoot with our buddy @inkedsukestache which I think adds to the experience. Some people said it looked kind of like Ford’s famous Mystichrome paint job from the 90s. We didn’t really see it but maybe a modern version? All in all it was a good project! If you are interested in getting your car liquid wrapped shoot me a message or give me a call (904)994-7808. I’m happy to answer any questions you have!
