Quote:
Originally Posted by Aussieatlarge
Thanks for all the compliments. Below my responses.
Firstly, I did it all by myself, no buddy to help lay down the vinyl or help pull it around corners.
Yes, I plan on inlaying the bumper. Should have done it first so that the seem faces backward but I will add a sealant to protect it. I also have ducts for the brakes that I will install and probably inlay those openings with black. (like Socket did). I dropped the front about two inches and as you can see from the pictures, my driveway is really steep. I want to put a lip splitter across the front but I see it being short lived.
I did the front bumper last and it was actually not that hard. It was very rewarding because I had watched LOTS of videos and learned to heat and pull like hell to get around the corners. That helps a lot because it prevents creasing on the horizontal surfaces (shorter radius).
Number one cockup was prep and cleanliness. Just like paint, vinyl does not hide anything and worse than paint, you cant hit it with 2400 water paper. I cleaned the crap out of the car and wiped with alcohol but crap gets under the vinyl in the following ways: arm hairs, head hairs, contaminants from under rubbers (and 13 year old rubber breaking down) , wind, other panels that are not clean.
Number 2 cockup is tearing the vinyl, not by pulling but by being a dumb shit. Always mask adjacent panels!! I didn't and for example opened the boot to get better angle and because a small piece of vinyl was stuck to the quarter panel, it ripped the vinyl on the boot.
Number 3 is cutting the vinyl. too many times a cut it short while trimming. I know it sound impossible but it happens.
Finally the proof will be how well it holds up in the sun. If I have stretched too close to an edge, it will pull back. If I have left air under the vinyl, it will bubble. Stay tuned.
Total effort - probably 20 to 30 hours but it was broken up over a few weekends and evenings.
Would I do it again?
Yes but this time.
wash the car and focus on the nooks and crannies.
clay bar the car - trust me.
either improve the lighting in my garage or find somewhere else to work.
get someone to help- it would be at least 25% more efficient.
get a better blade - sharp blade with a solid blade holder is very important.
do inlays - save time, fewer cockups, don't need to look bad.
use knifeless tape a lot more
mask-off other panels first
find two full uninterrupted days to attack the project.
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Thanks for the follow up.
All those that you listed at the bottom are things that I definitely have planned to make sure to do when it comes the time for me to wrap mine. I know CKwraps on YT says he uses a new blade whenever he can, and I will be using knifeless tape everywhere I can. Probably this new year I'll take on the challenge.