GMballistic

Nice to see you still around Gareth hope the civic is providing you with some fun Yep I'm still loitering. Definitely good fun taking the Civic up to 8K rpm every so often, ...although lately its been acting as more of a waste disposal van taking various cr*p to the dump.

Very nice Rich.

Never going to be straight forward Andy but always impressed with your problem solving.

Still love how clean your car looks under the bonnet Coldel. Nice.

Welcome aboard. As Thanos said Photobucket is probably the best way to post pictures on here. Free to use, join etc and very easy to get on with imo. Link: http://s273.photobucket.com/ Link: http://www.350z-uk.com/topic/53047-how-to-post-pictures-via-photobucket/

Definitely more challenging than I thought it was. Glad I gave it ago though and I will definitely be trying it again to improve on my first effort once I get some more decent materials.

^^ Cheers mate.

I could have lied and said I got it spot on first time but that just wasn't the case. I definitely have an increased respect for what's involved with hydro dipping as despite how easy the majority of Youtube videos make it look it just isn't as easy as you'd think regardless of the amount of time I'd spent learning the process/tricks before jumping in. Definitely more practice needed and some better products. Cheers Steve. The videos are very impressive to watch especially when you see some of the larger more complicated parts being dipped. You definitely need to take a break from the work/DIY etc otherwise it'll just run you down. I just spent 3 hours in a cramped loft today removing two water tanks that the previous owner couldn't be bothered shifting. Finally got it all cut up, out of the loft & off to the tip so feeling quite satisfied about that. It's not a huge house so the extra loft space is definitely needed for more storage space.

Well I've got a huge garage in the house I've moved into but it's a work in progress currently. The old owner basically knocked it up himself using Blue Peter building skills so it may well be partially or all going!. Still getting quotes and finding the best route to take with that but when it's all sorted I would love to get a small compressor to run paint guns, air tools etc. Time will tell though so for now I'll have to stick with the rattle cans. Thanks again.

This was me taking a break from the mundane home DIY and doing something I found interesting. Although the Mrs wasn't so impressed. The kit was maybe a little expensive but I made some money from selling junk on eBay that I didn't need anymore so kind of jumped in. Not sure what I'll try next, ...probably have a play with the speed shapes first to see if I can get some better results. Thanks for the tips Ricey and yes it is a swine of a job. I watched loads of videos on the subject before attempting it and thought that looks so easy, ...but it's really not especially when like me you're trying to figure out just quite what's going wrong. As I mentioned above I think I'll have a bit of a play around with some speed shapes next time and as you mentioned I'll make sure I'm using the big tank (storage box) I've got. I'll also definitely get some different film & activator from Eve (AquaGraphix) to see if that's my problem. Thanks for all the comments everyone else.

Same PS4 username as my username on here. I also loved "Grid".

I know. I accidentally pressed submit before I had finished writing everything, ...had to edit it but hopefully you've noticed that now.

So when I had my Zed I paid a local company called "AquaGraphix" to hydro dip some interior bits for my car in a gold carbon fibre weave effect. Link: http://www.350z-uk.c...ls-grab-handle/ Their work was fantastic imo and from that moment on I was intrigued by the whole process. Now my job and a lot of my hobbies/interests involve spray painting at times so I'm no stranger to different paint processes/techniques. In fact I have dabbled before in what's called "swirl painting" which in its own way is a form of dipping (picture below of one of my swirl dips). Anyway I decided that knowing part of the process involved with hydro dipping should at least make it a little easier to get to grips with so with that in mind I ordered a £55 hydro dipping starter kit from an eBay seller. The kit came with: 2 meters 50cm Wide Film of your choice (I chose sticker bomb) 1 x 400ml Can of our Actvivator 1 x 500ml Primer Of Your Choice (I chose white) 1 x 500ml Base Coat Of Your Choice (I chose gloss white) 1 x 500ml Ultra Clear Laquer 1 x Tack Cloth 1 x Scotch Pad 1 x Sand Paper 1 x Face Mask 1 x Roll of Masking Tape 1 x Digital Thermometer 1 x Water Tub / Storage Tub 13" x 11" with a 9" Depth 5 x Speed Shapes (3 x White & 2 x Black) & Instructions To attempt my first dip on I selected an old plastic "Cherry M5400" mouse that I wasn't using anymore. Firstly I dismantled the mouse down to its component parts and chose the part that I wanted to dip. I then used 800 grit wet & dry sand paper to remove any imperfections from the shell as well as remove the makers name. I then masked off some areas that I didn't want to dip. Then I primed it with white primer.... ...followed by a coat of gloss white as my base coat. This was then left to fully dry for 24hrs. The next day I prepped my hydro dipping film by cutting it big enough to wrap around the part. It was then taped around the edges with masking tape and I cut slits in the corners & centres in order to allow the film to expand slightly. The container that came with the kit was a bit large for my mouse so I used a smaller more suitable tub that I had in the kitchen. It is important that the water you fill into your dipping tank is around 27-30 +/- degrees C (also don't fill up the tank to the top as you need to leave at least an inch or two for when you put your part & hand in the water). I then slowly lowered my film onto the surface of the water trying to ensure I didn't trap any air bubbles under it or got water on top of the film ~ it's also worth noting you need to place the film shiny side down into the water. You then leave the film on the surface of the water for around a minute whilst it hydrates the film. After the time has passed you then use the activator (well shaken) in a left to right motion followed by an up & down motion in order to ensure you've fully covered the film with the activator (you should see the film start to expand outwards slightly). You then have around 30 seconds to dip your item/part ~ this should be done at an angle of around 25-30 degrees whilst you slowly submerge your part completely under the water. Once your part is completely submerged under the water you then need to clean away any remaining film from the surface of the water before pulling your part upwards out of the water. Sounds easy so far right? Wrong. Not sure whether my kit has either a cheap Chinese hydro dipping film (the good hydro dipping films are from Japan) or my activator is sh*t but it ended up taking me a 5-6 attempts before I finally got a half decent result. The problem I was having is that my film didn't seem to be liquefying properly so refused to wrap correctly around the part. Anyway result below which I used 1000 wet & dry on the front to try and give it a blended in look with the white paint... I then lacquered it, waited for that to fully harden and then rebuilt the mouse. Appreciate any comments on what you all think of the results and I would love to hear any tips from other DIY hydro dippers or the more professional/experienced dippers like Ricey & AquaGraphix. Thanks all.

Congratulations both and enjoy the honeymoon. Love York and getting married in the minster must have been great.

Welcome aboard.

Welcome aboard.

Well I managed to get a copy of "Project Cars" for my PS4 from eBay (£22 odd including delivery) as I wanted to see for myself plus I have no other games apart from MGSV so needed something to break it up a bit. So far I have encountered no problems whatsoever. I'm playing the game offline and am currently racing in the GT5 category of cars after completing the Renault Clio Championships yesterday. The graphics are great and I find the handling so far to be good although the Clio did seem a bit too eager for the rear end to step out. Definitely glad I decided to give it a go as I missed having a driving game.

Welcome aboard James.

Good luck with the new Zed Buster.

Welcome aboard Rob. Obvious differences between UK & JDM Zeds are things like the number plates being square on the JDM Zeds, speedometers in kph (also limited to 112mph), badged as a "Fairlady" (instead of 350Z) and also they usually have aftermarket rear fog lights on the JDM versions as it is a UK legal requirement but not so in Japan. There are though lots more differences (I believe there where 4 different specs of JDM Zeds available in Japan) including things like headlight washers to different spec brakes etc ~ have a read of this thread for some more info: http://www.350z-uk.com/topic/1648-the-differences-spec/

Try zmanalex to see if he can help you with all the parts you need. Link: http://www.350z-uk.com/user/9648-zmanalex/ Re: the misted headlights> depending on how bad that is it can usually be fixed using a "Meguiars headlight restoration kit" available from places like Halfords. Link: http://www.halfords.com/motoring/car-cleaning/clay-bars-detailing-products/meguiars-one-step-headlight-restoration-kit Although some people have had success using toothpaste, ...not that I'd recommend that but it's up to you. Definitely a cheaper option if you're a bit strapped for cash. Link: http://www.350z-uk.com/topic/102452-headlight-restoration/#entry1540806

^^ Exactly what I was thinking. If the Toyo's are like new still then they should sell easily enough especially if you don't mind dropping the price a bit from the new cost.

Welcome aboard.

When I say return it to them I mean for them to keep and refund you your money if you can get them to do that. Oh and it was a nightmare ~ loved my Subaru as it was truly a car I had always wanted since being a child and had watched Colin McRae & later Richard Burns drive in the WRC's. Unfortunately it had a catalogue of things go wrong with it during my ownership despite pouring all my love, attention & money into it. That is the way sometimes though.

Welcome aboard.