Carbon fiber vinyl wrap, update pg 2 3-13-13

[Blown93SSEi]

NICE!

[crash93ssei]

Got my other vents done and the drivers door window switch.

[sethjamesrimrodt]

The window switch looks like a total pain in the a$$

[SSEiMan01]

Looks good though! I did the radio trim on my T/A today with this. Also going to do the center console upper plate sometime soon to match.

[crash93ssei]

The window switch was definitely a challenge, and this one is not perfect, but I learned a lot from it so the next one I do should be perfect no doubt. I REALLY like the way they all look together

[jreigner]

3M also makes a brushed aluminum vinyl too,would be cool to see that accenting dash pieces.

[crash93ssei]

3M also makes a brushed aluminum vinyl too,would be cool to see that accenting dash pieces.

I have three sample packs of every vinyl they have in the 1080 series, there are some really nice ones.

[nos4blood70]

3M also makes a brushed aluminum vinyl too,would be cool to see that accenting dash pieces.

Or trying to wrap the door handles.

[sethjamesrimrodt]

So there is no fix for the stock gxp steering wheel? That would look weird having everything nice carbon fiber but the wheel..

[crash93ssei]

So there is no fix for the stock gxp steering wheel? That would look weird having everything nice carbon fiber but the wheel..

The CF on the GXP wheel could be wrapped I'm sure, but not sure how the seem would hold up long term...

3M also makes a brushed aluminum vinyl too,would be cool to see that accenting dash pieces.

Or trying to wrap the door handles.

Thought about that already, it would be extremely difficult to say the least. I plan to at least try it though

[sethjamesrimrodt]

That is my only reason for not jumping on and buying them right away, I want other people to test them and see how well they last

[crash93ssei]

They will last on all the vents and stuff for a very long time. I have already taken a few of my pieces and tossed them in the freezer then hit them with the heat gun then back in th freezer again a few times just to see what they do. I wrap the vinyl around the back side just for that reason so it won't come apart.

[Mac077]

Excellent Ryan...it looks sharp! Are you going to offer this to the members here?? ;-) Count me in if you do...great job!

[crash93ssei]

I still haven't given up on this, trying out new ideas and still testing things out before I ever try to sell any. The window switch is pretty much impossible to get inside the switch dimples, just too deep and too steep of a draw to hold successfully and even get in there good without ripping.

Trying something new...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aColZt_f ... Cg&index=1





You all know the stock ugly..




After the vacuum forming and some hand work and trimming out the holes.













I have no idea how this will hold up against fingers rubbing on it to operate the switches, but realistically this is about the only way I can see to do it without it peeling up on it's own. The drawback of course is the inside of the dimples is still the stock ugly plastic and there is a chance of catching it the vinyl with your finger and peeling it up.

The vents in the '03 are holding up perfectly on the passenger side where I made sure to wrap around the back side, on the drivers side I tried them with cutting out along the edge of the vent hole and not wrapping around the back, those are starting to lift so as long as I wrap around the back they will hold fine for a very long time without issue. When I get to where I am happy with these I will probably see if a couple people want a set at just the cost of the vinyl and trade for their stock parts for more diverse testing to see how it holds up and see if they really like it.

[yourgrandma]

I got some of the brushed metallic 1080 for fear of going overboard with fake CF. I wanted to use it on the sill plates but the brushed grain goes width wise on the sheet so the stuff I have wont work for that.

For your switch panels, I would think painting the recesses black or dark gray would pretty much fix that look. Obviously youd have to peel the wrap off, paint, and rewrap...

[crash93ssei]

That would be an option too, though really it doesn't look bad in the car at all and I still prefer the look over the stock plain plastic.

[2000BonneSSEI]

looks great!

[drift7one]

never considered doing the hydrograpgics/ dip vinyl? there's a new shop in my area, brand new to doing it, offering 25% off. thought about it, but now I have the fuel door rust starting to come through the paint.

[Bing]

This is merely a thought, what if you cleared over the vinyl to help seal the edges and possibly keep them from peeling.
Another thought is painting the recesses black so it would blend in a little better.

I'm not sure if any of these ideas would work or if there even feasible.

[crash93ssei]

Have been looking into hydrographic printing and it looks very promising, I have the vinyl on hand right now though so might as well work with that until it's gone.

Clear coat isn't an option for this stuff, tried it and it basically covers it so you can't even see the pattern. I think I will try black paint though in the recess.