Kim here with a full post on the 99 Skyline GTR R34. Many of you reading this already know how special this vehicle is and why. So, I won't go into detail about that. But for those of you interested in knowing a bit more about the R34, click on this article from TopGear. Seeing one of these anywhere in the United States up until this year would be like seeing a unicorn, nearly impossible. But, in Japan, they're everywhere. And so, I'd feel remiss to write this article without sharing a bit about our experience on the streets of Tokyo and at the Nismo Omori showroom in Yokohama, Japan.
As I'm writing this, I am reminded that we never shared our Modesta PlusCon Tokyo 2023 photos with our Superior Detailer family. **New blog post alert.
We were in Tokyo in March 2023 for Modesta's PlusCon event. We met with Modesta installers from all over the world for a short conference before we were off touring the city and the surrounding areas.
On a rainy day, we took a train from Tokyo down to Yokohama to visit the Nismo Omori factory and showroom. The Omori factory is home to GTR and Nismo maintenance, tuning, refreshment/refurbishment. It's also a small museum. What an experience! There are so many GTR Skylines in different stages of development in the workshop.
With all of the Skylines that we saw there, it was hard not to think that our client's vehicle may have been one of the vehicles shown in the above photos. But he confirmed, it was not. Nonetheless, the work we did on the R34 in our shop is probably some of the best and most rewarding work I've seen leave our shop.
The owner was very accommodating and gave us the proper amount of time to perfect the correction, PPF, and coating work. The work was done in two stages, as detailed below.
Our client was referred to us by several different friends and colleagues in the area. His initial inquiry was for full body paint protection film application. After assessing the paint work and discussing client needs and vehicle usage, we decided on a full paint correction and wheel coating service. The PPF application would occur 2-3 weeks after paint work, which is an idea timeframe.
BENEFITS OF DETAILING AND PAINT CORRECTION before paint protection film and ceramic coating application:
Karim performed the paint correction and final polish on the vehicle himself.
We remove the wheels to fully prep the wheels and calipers for the Modesta Ceramic Coating application.
The wheels came to us nearly perfect and brand new, so they required minimal prep. But a proper decontamination and clean is KEY to ensuring the best coating bond and performance.
Modesta BC-06 High Heat-Resistance Coating is applied via spray gun to all wheels and calipers. As shown below, we cure the coating with IR lamps. Shown in the photo directly below are the IR lamps on the front calipers.
After the correction and wheel coating work, we applied Aenso's Gleam Quick Detailer. Aenso's GLEAM adds protection and gloss to the surface, enhances color and makes it smooth to touch. It's designed to last 8+ weeks depending on washing frequency and vehicle usage. We choose Gleam for this vehicle as a temporary paint sealant that provides lasting gloss for the couple of weeks before the vehicle is back from full body paint protection film application.
Approximately two weeks after paint correction and wheel coating application, we start the PPF process. Full body custom applications always start with disassembly. We bring in a qualified technician to remove necessary parts for easier installation in some areas and a seamless (as possible) look.
Removed:
We special order the correct paint color to correct any minor paint imperfections before PPF application.
Full Custom PPF installation with SunTek Ultra Paint Protection Film.
After all necessary parts are removed, we perform a full custom PPF installation. Full custom means that there are zero kits cut on a plotter and all pieces are installed 100% custom.
The photos below show different areas being wrapped. We aim for maximum coverage and minimal seams. The only major seam on this install is on the roof.
This PPF allows the owner to drive the vehicle with peace of mind that that paint work is fully protected.
Shown below, the hood piece is one seamless piece of film. Karim carefully trims out the air vents in the hood. The result is film that is virtually invisible!
After all pieces are installed, the headlights, spoiler, and fender flares are put back on the vehicle for us to wrap.
Once the PPF installation is complete, we move on to the Modesta body coating.
We chose to apply Modesta BC-X coating to the PPF for several reasons. One major reason is that Modesta BC-X is a coating that can go straight to work, meaning that it is designed to perform immediately on daily drivers. Paired with SunTek's Ultra PPF, the Modesta coating provides an incredible amount of gloss that will last YEARS with proper maintenance.
There are zero bad angles on this R34 and we couldn't take enough photos of it. Here are some final glamour shots.
This was our first full body R34 PPF wrap and I'm excited to do another one. We always get better with every install and can't wait for the next one. We are fortunate to have such a great network of people who were able to refer the owner to our shop. So, thank you all for trusting us and believing in our work.
With these now being 25 years old and legal to import, I imagine we will start seeing more of them on the roads. I can't wait to see them all. I hope you enjoyed looking at these photos as much as I enjoyed wrapping the car.
Until next time! -Kim
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