Anyone Vinyl wrap a Se7en?

[Jackal]

Hi all. I have just been given an opportunity to wrap my Se7en in good quality 3M vinyl for a great price. I have never been fond of the yellow and since the opportunity is there I thought I may just take them up on the offer. I am familiar with wraps and how they work on normal cars, and part of the reason I have the deal is a friend who just had her Audi TT wrapped and it turned out spectacular.

 

Has anyone here gone the route of vinyl wrap? Were you happy with the results overall. Anything I should be aware of before wrapping the Se7en specifically? I realize I'll be taking a step backwards in my progress, but the Birkin comes apart easily enough, so it shouldn't be too bad.

 

If you have pictures of wrapped Seven's, I'd love to see those too. I'm currently deciding on a colour, and have a couple in mind, but want something original.

[xcarguy]

. . . . . I have never been fond of the yellow . . . . .

 

 

. . . . . . . . :ack:

[Blokko]

On BlatChat in the UK, Grubbster did his own wrap and said "never again" - thought this was probably more to do with the trouble he had with DiY application of the wrap than its suitability in such an application.

 

I believe that the zip effect on the well known K2 RUM Caterham was a wrap (not sure if the whole car was wrapped). Arnie Webb is no longer on BC, but could be contacted via LinkedIn, FaceBook or PistonHeads if you wanted more details.

 

http://thumbsnap.com/s/0hjL2NVC.jpg

[Automoda]

I've considered doing a wrap next time I need to paint the car, but I'd have to experiment with it to see how well it handles the 100 louvers in the hood. That could be a serious problem.

[Jackal]

. . . . . . . . :ack:

 

I'm assuming that's an "I agree"? lol

 

I think for me it was just that there are a few yellow Se7en's here in Calgary and I would like something that stands out, even in such a small crowd.

 

On BlatChat in the UK, Grubbster did his own wrap and said "never again" - thought this was probably more to do with the trouble he had with DiY application of the wrap than its suitability in such an application.

 

I believe that the zip effect on the well known K2 RUM Caterham was a wrap (not sure if the whole car was wrapped). Arnie Webb is no longer on BC, but could be contacted via LinkedIn, FaceBook or PistonHeads if you wanted more details.

 

http://thumbsnap.com/s/0hjL2NVC.jpg

 

I would only attempt the fenders myself, but I'll be painting them. The rears have the truck liner on them, and wouldn't wrap well. Wrapping a car is an art form, and requires experience and craft to get it right. I wouldn't attempt my car unless I had significantly more experience. Another thing to consider is the vinyl itself. 3M is the best in the business at making wrap, and the adhesive makes the application easier. In this instance I'd guess that the product is half the result.

 

I'll do some more googling for him and the car. Thanks.

 

I've considered doing a wrap next time I need to paint the car, but I'd have to experiment with it to see how well it handles the 100 louvers in the hood. That could be a serious problem.

 

Since our cars can tend to need painting often enough, the fact that a wrap is half the price it seems like a no brainer to me. Fortunately I'll be having it done, so the louvers aren't my problem. lol

 

 

Currently the 3M Brushed Titanium is the lead pick for me. It has a slightly bronze tone to it when you see it in the light. I'm going for a WWII Spitfire Flying tiger sort of thing. I also like the way it looks with the carbon fibre and the red I have for the belts.

 

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l294/nivaguy/53A15580-D5CC-45D9-A3D1-DC34867EADE3_zpsfco2e3kb.jpg

Edited August 27, 2014 by Jackal

[Blokko]

Purely by chance, there is a new thread on this topic on BlatChat today - http://blatchat.com/t.asp?id=244415

[jlumba81]

DaveStruve wrapped his self built 7. You could probably PM him for advice.

[scannon]

My Caterham is not wrapped in vinyl but it is completely covered (except for the louvers) in 3M clear bra. It has held up very well for 7 years and 25k miles. There is a small area below the rear fender rock shields that is not protected and there is very little blue paint left there.

 

I had it done by a free lance woman who came to my shop to do the work. She is an artist with clear bra but unfortunately she has moved to parts unknown.

 

I have thought from time to time about wrapping my car in yellow, but it costs about what a paint job would.

[Jackal]

I have thought from time to time about wrapping my car in yellow, but it costs about what a paint job would.

 

Here in Calgary I found the opposite. The costs of a bad paint job (Macco) start right at the cost of professionally done vinyl. From there the price goes up depending on the quality of the paint.

 

Out the door, front to back, I'm looking at 1K$ for the vinyl on Beatrice. The Audi was just over double that.

 

 

 

....So you want to go yellow do you? *Duane's wheels start turning*

[breezy7]

A bit off topic but what engine is that huge intake feeding in the K2 RUM?

[yellowss7]

A big Vauxhall. 2.2 liters I think, Big HP too. 280-300 if memory serves me right. His company DITP(dog in the Park) Did the Carbon and I think the intake was his idea. Tom

[WestTexasS2K]

I have had a trailer wrapped for my Turf company and it stays outside in the hot west Texas sun and it still looks good after 4 years. The nose cone will be the hardest thing to do. Someone that does it on a regular basis should make it look easy.

[DaveStruve]

DaveStruve wrapped his self built 7. You could probably PM him for advice.

 

Yep I did mine myself, and while I had never wrapped a car, I worked in a sign shop for about 5 year working with vinyl so I pretty much knew what to expect. There are a few brands of vinyl you can use. 3m or Oracal are the best, 30' is enough to get the car done with a mistake and will run you about $350 in materials. Took me a little over a day to do the complete car, would have been less if I had someone that could have assisted me.

 

The sides, back, and hood are the easiest. But after that it gets tricky, the rear fenders are not to bad with minor stretching of the vinyl to wrap it. The scuttle was pretty difficult in my case as it turns back into itself to create a lip for the dash panel. Then theres the nose cone, I'm not sure that its possible to completely wrap it in one piece, but I'm pretty sure its not. I ended up cheating and wrapping the top half and then plasti-dipping the bottom half. Check out my photos and you'll see it, but its not noticeable unless your looking. Other than that I used edge molding to protect all the seams from pealing back.

 

You cannot tell the car is wrapped, and most people don't believe it when I tell them. I found a good vinyl cleaner/wax that does a great job keeping it shiny.

 

Ok so pro and cons:

 

Pros:

- Cheap

- Easy enough to redo

- The material is soft enough that it acts as its own clear bra (i still put carbon fiber vinyl on the rear fenders to further protect from rocks).

- Wide Variety of colors and textures (some of which are not possible with paint)

 

Cons:

- A fix may not be cheap. If a fender or something gets damaged you have to redo the entire panel, i.e. no touch ups. Most companies don't stock the materials and so you may have to place a minimum order or 30' to get what you need. Although I have found companies online that sell by the foot.

- Finding someone to do a good job is difficult. Pay close attention to how they deal with seams/edges, as this is first place to go bad and once dirt and water get underneath it goes down hill fast.

[Alaskossie]

On the off-topic about the giant carbon fiber air intake on K2 RUM's car: I'll bet that is for track-day noise abatement, as much as it it is for performance.

[DaveStruve]

On the off-topic about the giant carbon fiber air intake on K2 RUM's car: I'll bet that is for track-day noise abatement, as much as it it is for performance.

 

Wow!! I didn't even notice that over the paint scheme.

[Alaskossie]

Dave,

 

Did you also catch the dramatic over-the-frame exhaust system on K2 RUM? Or has that giant zipper just entranced you too much?

[DaveStruve]

Dave,

 

Did you also catch the dramatic over-the-frame exhaust system on K2 RUM? Or has that giant zipper just entranced you too much?

 

I missed that as well, this thing has a lot going on.

[Bonjo2]

I did mine in Dinoc Carbon and it sucks--never again. But, for $249 for an entire roll, I can probably do my car three times... The carbon bubbled on nose around radiator after 1 yr, hood sides near headers after a year and a half, and now on scuttle. Heat is the enemy. Not bad initially, but the vinyl gets brittle or just bubbles when near heat. The only areas holding up are the sides, rear panel and rear fenders behind the bed liner fronts. Though now I do see bubbling near muffler on side panels. It would be great for a fridge or toolbox or car that has insulation, closed wheels, and not so close to ground.

 

After my nose failed I just hit it with satin black rustoleum. When the hood failed, I peeled it off and left the original white paint. The scuttle is still carbon, but now bubbling after 2-years. The rear panel, side panels (dinoc carbon), and rear fenders (red cammo).

 

I did the grill on my honda pilot and it's still holding up well.

 

This winter I will probably wrap the car again if I can score some free offcuts. If not, satin white or black.

[DaveStruve]

I did mine in Dinoc Carbon and it sucks--never again. But, for $249 for an entire roll, I can probably do my car three times... The carbon bubbled on nose around radiator after 1 yr, hood sides near headers after a year and a half, and now on scuttle. Heat is the enemy. Not bad initially, but the vinyl gets brittle or just bubbles when near heat. The only areas holding up are the sides, rear panel and rear fenders behind the bed liner fronts. Though now I do see bubbling near muffler on side panels. It would be great for a fridge or toolbox or car that has insulation, closed wheels, and not so close to ground.

 

After my nose failed I just hit it with satin black rustoleum. When the hood failed, I peeled it off and left the original white paint. The scuttle is still carbon, but now bubbling after 2-years. The rear panel, side panels (dinoc carbon), and rear fenders (red cammo).

 

I did the grill on my honda pilot and it's still holding up well.

 

This winter I will probably wrap the car again if I can score some free offcuts. If not, satin white or black.

 

Was it dinoc or 3m carbon fiber wrap film? There is a big difference, Dinoc is not intended to be used that way. Its much thicker and does not contour well. Heat should actually be helping not hurting. Thus using a heat gun during application.

[Blokko]

I'll bet that is for track-day noise abatement, as much as it it is for performance.

Unfortunately we should be saying "was" rather than "is" - the car has since been demolished after an 'incident'. Some details here - http://blatchat.com/t.asp?id=221644&pn=1&ps=15

 

 

Norman Verona also has the same exhaust configuration. Makes it much easier to remove the engine this way - something that these guys with higher powered 7's seem to have to do on a regular basis