Very nice! Now that looks good! Great job.So now the Voltmeter? I think the rain is gone I hope. That wind was pretty bad yesterday.

 

Thanks This weekend I am going tofinisha gooseneck and Power/Audio/USB hard drive wiring for my handheld computer. I basically modified a gooseneck to accept the docking station for the handheld computer and want to tie it into the radio as well as run a secondary GPS and an external DVD player.

I also need to finish rerouting the Aux input.. Basically I took a 3.5mm audio plug extension, plugged it into the radioand routedit into thedash board and through the center console then it goes into a 3 way splitter that I will hook up the handheld computer and iPod into.. I didn't like the Aux wires hanging out and draped across the car from the radio..so this should be a lot neater and allows me to plugmore devices into the aux input so I can switch instantly between devices or even have them play simultaneously.. Good for if I get the urge to DJ in the car

I'm also going to add a 3 way Cigarette lighter so I can add a power inverter, and recharge the ipod/computer. I will probablymount a small and discrete A/C plug into the glove compartment or center console..

But that's what I have planned for this weekend until I get the trip computer/voltmeter. ..then its probably back to finding more stuff to modify

 

Do you have photos of the work you have done? Sounds neat and like I may want to try it myself but I would hate to approach it without a guide.

My skill with cars and mods is... how do you say... sub par...

 

I forgot to take pics of it but there wasn't much to it..

I didn't have to prep the hood scoops aside of 2 very small lines that could have been left on the scoops but I didn't like them so I used a really fine sandpaper to sand them down then wiping them down with alcohol before painting to remove oils and dirt.

I didn't use any primer on the scoops since they aren't metal and didn't really need it.

I purchased my paint from here:
http://www.automotivetouchup.com/cho...;model=Avenger
( 2008DodgeAvenger, 2 12 oz Aerosol Spray Paint Brilliant Black Prl ) and
2 cans of clearcoat http://www.automotivetouchup.com/spr...clearcoat.aspx

If you are going to paint them yourself then make sure you getsome clearcoattoo as the basecoat looks glossy when its wet but will drylooking flat. It's the clearcoat that makesthe basecoatshiny. I figured I would mention that since some people are used to working with glossy touchup paints that don't require a clearcoat.

I then painted the scoops using the basecoat (Brilliant Black Pearl). I sprayed a light coat of paint covering thescoops evenly. Then waited 15 minutes for it to dry, then laid down another coat of basecoat. I put down 6 coats of basecoat.

One step I didn't do which I should havewas sanding off any little pieces of dust that stuck to the paint as I was painting it. So I basically have a few imperfections in the paint becauseI just continued to paint over anything that landed on the paint. Which was just a few small particles. But I ran out of fine sandpaper so I just said screw it.The finishcame out fine but would have been perfect if I would have sanded the particles out, cleaned it with alcohol,then appliedthe nextcoat.

I waited 30 minutes for the last basecoat to drythen I started spraying the clearcoat. I sprayed 8 coats of clearcoat waiting 10 minutes between coats and I know that was overkill using 8 coats but I plan on buffing out the imperfections and I wanted to leave a deep coat of clearcoat so Ican buff the clearcoat down to a mirror finish taking out the slight orange peel finish.

After that I just let it sit for 2 days to fully dry. (Even though it is dry to the touch, When you push down on the scoops to install them you will leave fingerprints in the paint if you don't allow the scoops to dry for long enough). I put down so many coats that I still have a slight fingerprint issue when I stuck them to my hood so I probably should have waited about a week.. But I smoothed out the fingerprints just by rubbing lightly on the surfaceand they look fine now.

I looked the included grilles over and they could have been left alone (They were a flat black plastic color and the unpainted color contrast looked good) but I later decided to put 2 coats of basecoat and 1 coat of clearcoat on them and I am pretty happy with the way they look painted as they blend better now but still have a grille texture to them. All in all I think they look better than ifI just left them alone as they don't look as cheap/fake look to themnow.

I wanted to note a few things about painting,
1) Use even strokes and instead of putting too much paint, error on the side of putting less as you will get runs which are not desirable.
2) When painting small areas watch the overspray, basically when you are painting you want to keep the whole scoop wet with paint (Not dripping) so that overspray from another pass will blend in with the existing paint. If you spray new paint overdry paint in a small area and you don't plan on repainting the whole area you will end up with overspray.


Installation:
Wash your car or make sure its clean by wiping down your hood to remove any foreign objects.

Lay thehood scoops on the hood and find thelayout where it looks best.

When you are happy with the layout then use 1 scoop as a guide.

Then use a tape measure and measure the distance between the back of the scoop and the top of the hood then adjust the second scoop using those measurements. (I placed my scoops at 9 1/2 inches from the back of the hood)

Do the same with horizontal placement. I wanted the scoops lined up with the center hood lines, SoI measured from the crease to the side of the scoop in 2 places (Thefront andback of the side of the scoop). (I placed my scoops at 2 1/2" from the center crease)

When both scoops are aligned, Take tape and mask the hood of your car around the entire scoopso you wont lose the placement. Then recheck the measurements on the second scoop and them mask around that one.

Clean the hood inside the masked off areas with alcohol on a soft towel.

After the alcohol dries then you can peel off the tape backing and place the scoops. I removed the tape backing from the entire front of the scoop and the the tips of each end of the tape on the back and sides and peeled them back just far enough to stick out the sides of the scoop. I did this so that the whole scoop wouldn't stick to the hood so if it did not sit right on the hood I could remove it for a second try.

I aligned the front points of the scoop following the masking area on the hood and placed the scoop on the hood. When I was happy with the placement, I peeled the side and back tape backings off which were sticking out the side when I placedthe scoops. Just pull straight back on the tape backing tabs you created.

Ithen applied pressure around the scoops to ensure they stuck.

After 1 month you can wax the scoops but since the paint is still curing you should wait 1 month. (I put a little detailing spray on them to get the fingerprints off and to make them shine better.. but you're really not supposed to..)

 

Just an update..

When you put anything that sticks on your car strip the wax off, then wash it with joy or some other dish washing liquid soap to make sure you get everything off.. cause the scoops keep coming up a little on the sides since the scoops hada slight upwardbow to them and I only cleaned the hood surface with alcohol.. which apparently didn't cut it.. Out of desperation (Since I really don't want to have to take them off and reapply tape, strip the wax etc.. I have 2 5 gallon water containers sitting on then right now filled with water for constant weight so hopefully they will stick permanently..

It looks sooo stupid with these big containers on the car.. hopefully this lame attempt will work cause I'm not in the mood to redo everything again..
I would (Almost)rather rivet them to the car than take them off again.

 

I read somewhere that in some installations a heat gun was needed to manipulate the plastic for a proper fit prior to painting. I realize it is too late in your case but for anyone else, including myself, it is something to consider when applying something like this. The thing is, where can you get a heat gun for a day? Cause I sure as heck don't use one enough to buy one.

 

The arch/bow was less than 1/4 inch so I assumed that the tape would hold it down without issue (And it is holding on the driver side scoop) but on that side of the scoopthe tape was applied by the manufacturer incorrectly as well.. It was shifted inside the scoop so I'm sure the tape isn't making correct contact with the hood..

The 5 gallon water containers didn't cut it so I just bought a roll of 3M Acrylic Plus tape and I'm gonna rip up the one troublesome scoop and try again. Its pretty hard to find a wax stripper for automotive use that is safe for clearcoat finishes.. So far I havnt found anything so if I cant find anything soon ill probably try a clay bar onthehood and then wash it with some form of dishwashing liquid, then alcohol again.

 

Well.. The scoops looked good until I had the dumb idea to put jugs on the car to keep the scoops down... cause theyre all scratched up now so im probably gonna pull them wetsand them using 2000 grit then rebuff em or maybe reshoot another coat of clearcoat.

I bought 7/8" 3M Acrylic plus tape (3M Part # 06383) this time so I should get better adhesion plus I think im going to use an adhesion promoter (3M Part # 06396)on top of stripping the wax..

Just thought I would post the tape info in case someone wants to get better tape than the scoop manufacturer provides.

 

I really am trying to cut down on talking to myself in the forums but I just wanted to post another update

The scoop scratches and small imperfections were annoying me so Imasked off the hood scoops anddry sanded them using 1500 grit paper while on the car, then used Meguires ScratchX to buff them back to a shine. The process of sanding then buffing left the scoops with a mirror finish Which is probably something I should have mentioned in my previous posts in which if you have any imperfections in your paint don't be afraid to use a fine grit sandpaper to sand them smooth (Which if you have never sanded a fresh dry paint job can be scary as you are making it look hazy and scratched but you will be suprised how fast they return to a perfect shine when you start buffing them.. About 1 minute of hand rubbing should bring the shine back) then buff them using a clearcoat polish/compound.

If you are still in the process of painting then wait till the paint isdry,sand the imperfections, wipeyour projectwith alcohol then continue painting / clearcoating (Compounds will make the paint not stick). When you have sprayed your last coat of clearcoat and want a mirror finish then wait until the paint is dry and sand the entire area thenbuff it back to a shine.

The results are amazing and now look waybetter than they did before. Although the finish is so flat and shiny it now no longer matches the car's paint finish (Which looks crappy in comparison to the scoops now).

I was planning on removingthe hood scoopsand then retaping them but thescoop that is coming up a little is actually stuck on there pretty good.. So I think I will just leave them for now since they re not going anywhere and deal with the small space. My main concern was I didn't want them flying off while I was driving but I was pulling on them pretty hard to try and removethe scoopsbut they are stuck on there pretty damn good.. So on second thought I think I will just leave them for now orif they startcoming loose I'll remove them but so far they're not going anywhere.

Maybe if I get bored one day Ill make it a point to remove them and tape them on perfectly but for now I think its "Good enough".

 

I'm listening. Sometimes it does seem like that when we post things lol I like learning different things whether it's how good or how bad someone's experience is with something. So keep posting!!