Vinyl wrap.. my adventure
05-13-2013, 09:18 PM
#16
Instructor
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Northeast Ohio
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I've been hand washing mine with your normal car wash detergent and a sponge. I find it very easy to clean and to stay clean. I also use Armoral Cleaning wipes to clean bird crap and tar from the wrap. Works real well. No polish or wax.
05-13-2013, 09:26 PM
#17
Burning Brakes
Actually can't upload the file too large 2.5mb pm me and I can email it to you just covers the basic and a few helpful tips.
05-13-2013, 09:28 PM
#18
Burning Brakes
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Alpine - Southern CA.
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OP - thanks for sharing your adventure.
05-13-2013, 10:05 PM
#19
Nordschleife Master
I'm not sure which Hexis it was that we picked that looked really close... When I chat with my installers I'll ask. We only need a pretty small amount and it is on its way! Should be here very soon and with a little luck EURO85 will look damn near NEW again!
BTW, they also said the Chrome stuff was TERRIBLE to work with! They say the metallic finishes are only slightly better as well. YUCK! Not my problem though as you won't see any of my cars like that.
BTW, they also said the Chrome stuff was TERRIBLE to work with! They say the metallic finishes are only slightly better as well. YUCK! Not my problem though as you won't see any of my cars like that.
05-13-2013, 11:51 PM
#20
Burning Brakes
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: NY
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It's not that close but close enough.. Auto Vinyl Solutions
http://autovinylsolutions.com/Gloss_...ss_Hot_Rod_Red
A few things to note. Up close it looks like orange peel, it's not a deep gloss. Not so concerned about that as my drivers side has no gloss now anyway
It also scratches very easily, a light finger nail scrape does leave a visible line. If push comes to shove though and the panel looks bad, pull it off and put a fresh sheet on..
But, given that.. It still looks better than my paint now. You can also wax it just as you would paint to give it some UV protection.
Check out this guys videos, I spent many hours watching these and others...
https://www.youtube.com/user/3MCG1/videos
http://autovinylsolutions.com/Gloss_...ss_Hot_Rod_Red
A few things to note. Up close it looks like orange peel, it's not a deep gloss. Not so concerned about that as my drivers side has no gloss now anyway
It also scratches very easily, a light finger nail scrape does leave a visible line. If push comes to shove though and the panel looks bad, pull it off and put a fresh sheet on..
But, given that.. It still looks better than my paint now. You can also wax it just as you would paint to give it some UV protection.
Check out this guys videos, I spent many hours watching these and others...
https://www.youtube.com/user/3MCG1/videos
05-22-2013, 07:32 PM
#21
Three Wheelin'
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Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Central New Jersey, where 287 and 78 meet.
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A huge roll of hot rod red showed up today... Gonna be a fun weekend for sure.
Been cleaning up the front clip, hope to at least get the hood done over the weekend. I'll video the progress, should be entertaining.
Been cleaning up the front clip, hope to at least get the hood done over the weekend. I'll video the progress, should be entertaining.
05-23-2013, 12:29 AM
#24
Looks awesome! Did you remove the panel or apply the vinyl with car intact? I'm not opposed to removing the panel if it would look better. Would the surface look better if the panel was sanded/smoothed before the application?
I'm looking forward to doing rub strips, side skirts and front bumper.
Thx
I'm looking forward to doing rub strips, side skirts and front bumper.
Thx
05-27-2013, 02:52 PM
#26
Three Wheelin'
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So today I did the hood and the roof. Pictures to follow, but here are some observations to date:
The hood was pretty easy due to the relatively flat plane. I started at the front of the hood and worked my way back removing about an inch of the backing at a time. The "roll" was enough to hold the material off the hood until I squeegeed it down. A simple roll over the edge and cut underneath.
Technique is everything to this as with most things.. Don't let it crease as it's a b*tch to get out, a little heat works.
The roof was entertaining.. I very nearly lost my temper and ripped the hole thing off, but remained in control and worked through the problem and the end result was actually pretty good. Took a fair bit of stretching to get around even the modest curve at the each corner. Doing this single handed didn't help.
I did end up with a crease here and there, but for my first attempt at this I am ok with this.. Certainly a lot to learn and I expect if I continue to do the rest of the car I will end up doing each panel multiple times as I learn and get better. A little heat did help reduce creases to a point that you really need to look for them.
Still in all I think I am still pretty pleased with the product and process, but it certainly doesn't beat a good paint job.
-More to follow.
- Scratches VERY easily.
- Does not hide anything underneath, paint chips and the like.
- Patience is a must.
- It takes two people despite me doing this myself.
- I am an amateur at this
The hood was pretty easy due to the relatively flat plane. I started at the front of the hood and worked my way back removing about an inch of the backing at a time. The "roll" was enough to hold the material off the hood until I squeegeed it down. A simple roll over the edge and cut underneath.
Technique is everything to this as with most things.. Don't let it crease as it's a b*tch to get out, a little heat works.
The roof was entertaining.. I very nearly lost my temper and ripped the hole thing off, but remained in control and worked through the problem and the end result was actually pretty good. Took a fair bit of stretching to get around even the modest curve at the each corner. Doing this single handed didn't help.
I did end up with a crease here and there, but for my first attempt at this I am ok with this.. Certainly a lot to learn and I expect if I continue to do the rest of the car I will end up doing each panel multiple times as I learn and get better. A little heat did help reduce creases to a point that you really need to look for them.
Still in all I think I am still pretty pleased with the product and process, but it certainly doesn't beat a good paint job.
-More to follow.
06-12-2013, 02:18 AM
#29
The front bumper will likely be too much for a amatuer. I think there is also a big difference in the workability of the product. The cheaper stuff will not bend well and the good stuff will cover shapes like a bed sheet.
06-12-2013, 07:51 AM
#30
Three Wheelin'
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Sorry.. I'll post some. Waiting for another shipment of vinyl, it was back ordered due to some issues at 3m.. So 2 weeks late. uggg...
