Instead of painting, has anyone tried vinyl wrap?

[NewYorkGuy]

Fun project for the DIY person. It is a lot cheaper than paint and people will think u have a 'new' Cobra!

[MJJ]

I know a guy that has re-striped his GT500 at least 4 times experimenting with color combo's. He gets a great deal on stripes and has it down to an art form.

Pretty neat to see how different the car can look.

[Mastiff107]

I was assuming you were talking about the full body wrap. Actually, I considered it. I also considered wearing a speedo for the summer for my 64 year old 270lb frame. I decided not to do both for exactly the same reasons:

#1 It just doesn't seem right.
#2 I'm doubtful that was the application for which they were intended.
#3 I'm not sure how well they work on compound curves.
#4 Durability is a concern.
#5 If you need to take them will permanent marks be left?
#6 Others may laugh at the way it looks after final application.

Or, I may have just overthought the whole thing and should just go ahead and do it!

[NewYorkGuy]

Originally Posted by Mastiff107

I was assuming you were talking about the full body wrap. Actually, I considered it. I also considered wearing a speedo for the summer for my 64 year old 270lb frame. I decided not to do both for exactly the same reasons:

#1 It just doesn't seem right.
#2 I'm doubtful that was the application for which they were intended.
#3 I'm not sure how well they work on compound curves.
#4 Durability is a concern.
#5 If you need to take them will permanent marks be left?
#6 Others may laugh at the way it looks after final application.

Or, I may have just overthought the whole thing and should just go ahead and do it!

#1 What seems right for a kit car?
#2 and #3 The Cobra shape is perfect for a complete vinyl wrap. Shape
has no hard edges, roof, or bumpers. It should be one of the
easiest cars to do.
#4 I've been told between 5 to 10 years.
#5 Vinyl does not damage underneath paint
#6 A good vinyl job looks like paint.

[KevinW]

We discussed this sometime ago over this side of the pond.

From recollection of the thread, and my own observations.....a really good complete body wrap, professionally applied, will not be much cheaper than a medium quality paint job. Several guys tried it themselves adding vynil stripes at home, and got really pi$$ed dealing with the compound curves over the trunk area. I have also seen what happens after a while on such 'wrap cars'/..... it starts to peel off, and look unsightly....seen it on a few hot rods that 'skimped' on paint.

[jwd]

Every year at SEMA, there are many vendors showing that product and the installation process. You can't tell it from paint. I don't think it's something one could do at home but I've seen several completed cars and they look great and the durability is as good as paint.

[Cashburn]

Originally Posted by NewYorkGuy

#1 What seems right for a kit car?
#2 and #3 The Cobra shape is perfect for a complete vinyl wrap. Shape
has no hard edges, roof, or bumpers. It should be one of the
easiest cars to do.
#4 I've been told between 5 to 10 years.
#5 Vinyl does not damage underneath paint
#6 A good vinyl job looks like paint.

Actually not having hard edges, body panel breaks, and bumpers etc to hide seams makes the cobra shape far more difficult to wrap cleanly. The durability has a lot do with exposure to UV, so one of these if you could wrap it well would hold a long time. The vinyl can in fact damage the clearcoat and effect bodywork/glass that may still be gassing out. A great vinyl job can only look like mediocre paint.

[RodKnock]

Originally Posted by NewYorkGuy

#1 What seems right for a kit car?

You seem to use the term "kit car" derogatorily or with disdain. My car was delivered from manufacturer as a factory-assembled roller to a shop that dropped the engine and trans into the car and then delivered it to me finished. Not really a "kit car" from my point of view.

When you do purchase a kit car in your 10-15 year time frame, maybe the technology will have improved. But as of now, I've seen a few vinyl wraps up close and they're G-d awful.

I briefly wrestled wrapping the hard shells of some sport seats that I have for another car and, after seeing the vinyl crap, I had my seat shells painted. They came out gorgeous and for similar money to vinyl wrap.

[NewYorkGuy]

Originally Posted by RodKnock

You seem to use the term "kit car" derogatorily or with disdain. My car was delivered from manufacturer as a factory-assembled roller to a shop that dropped the engine and trans into the car and then delivered it to me finished. Not really a "kit car" from my point of view.

When you do purchase a kit car in your 10-15 year time frame, maybe the technology will have improved. But as of now, I've seen a few vinyl wraps up close and they're G-d awful.

I briefly wrestled wrapping the hard shells of some sport seats that I have for another car and, after seeing the vinyl crap, I had my seat shells painted. They came out gorgeous and for similar money to vinyl wrap.

Kit car, continuation, replica, tribute, fake, factory assembled in South Africa, hot rod shaped like a Cobra... are we going to start this again?

Vinyl wrap, plastic dip, or something else will pop into mainstream. It's good to keep an open mind & experiment.

I've seen vinyl wraps on cars & bicycles and some do look crappy, some look good, and some look great. I guess u get what u pay for in materials and craftsmanship.

[jwd]

Originally Posted by NewYorkGuy

I've seen vinyl wraps on cars & bicycles and some do look crappy, some look good, and some look great. I guess u get what u pay for in materials and craftsmanship.

The same applies to paint jobs.

[Bartruff1]

Nope....several pro's tried several times to get the nose stripe on... they couldn't do it.. so I had it painted...perfect.... as for speedos.... not prudent if you are like over 20....

[FatBoy]

This one has a full vinyl wrap in satin grey:



So far, it is proving to be very durable and cost a fraction of a full paint job.

Paul

[Snake2998]

Ooh I like that satin grey one.

I am seriously thinking of spraying my car with plastic dip (Was thinking of satin black but now might go with that satin grey.

Having seen some of the professional jobs done in Cape Town at around $600 per car of the size of a Cobra, it's a great way to try out different ideas. Doing it yourself is about a third of the above cost and once you are happy with the colour combinations you can just tear it off and get it re-done properly if your skills aren't good enough. Two or three tries will still be less than the cost of a quality paint job.

[RodKnock]

Originally Posted by FatBoy

This one has a full vinyl wrap in satin grey:



So far, it is proving to be very durable and cost a fraction of a full paint job.

Paul

I saw a matte blue Porsche 993/911 that looked pretty good too, but if you're anal and get up close, you'll see the flaws. However, matte-colored wraps do look better than gloss.

[Z-linkCobra]

I talked with several wrap companys here in town as well as out of state. They all basicly told me the same thing. Without some where to break the wrap, your going to have seams where you dont want seams. Im not buying that the satin grey car is wrapped. Maybe its plastidipped but I dont think thats a wrap. JMO

[fordracing65]

Wrap looks better than flat paint, it has more levels of details in it than a flat paint, flat wrap im comparing flat paint to, I also think vinyl strips look awesome, especially when you can change the color just by peeling and sticking new wrap...

[FatBoy]

Originally Posted by Z-linkCobra

I talked with several wrap companys here in town as well as out of state. They all basicly told me the same thing. Without some where to break the wrap, your going to have seams where you dont want seams. Im not buying that the satin grey car is wrapped. Maybe its plastidipped but I dont think thats a wrap. JMO

Then I can categorically say that you're wrong and that it is most definitely a wrap. I know the car and the owner very well. The car is a 289 Kirkham with original style transverse leaf suspension and the picture was take at the Chateau de Dobert close to Le Mans in France.

Paul