Since vettes seem to have tiny cracks in the paint, mine does, I was wondering if I should try wrapping or dipping my car. Wrapping should hide the small cracks. Also, for those who want to change the color of their car but not permanently this could be an option. I've also looked into dipping, a very cheap option that allows experimentation. I know this won't interest purest but both are easily reversible. Has anyone tried either?

 

Never heard of either, can you supply details?

 

Hi,
Isn't "dipping" a bit misleading?
I believe the car is actually SPRAYED with a material like 'Plasti Dip'.
Regards,
Alan

 

You are correct. I guess since it is sprayed with a product call Plasti-Dip the purveyors of the technique decided that dipping was going to be the term used for the process.

 

Wrapping is the process of wrapping your car with vinyl. It was originally used for advertising. But now people use it to change the color of their car without permanently changing its color.
Dipping is the process of painting your car with a peelable paint. It doesn't have the endurance of a true paint job but it is a small fraction of the cost. You can buy all the supplies and equipment to do it yourself for under $500. That includes the sprayer and pump. It can last a few years and if you get tired of the look you can just peel it off in about 30 minutes. Originally people used the process on their wheels but it has grown into a whole new thing. there is a place down in FL that sells complete kits. They have several videos showing how to do it.

The reason I was considering it is the cost. My car is a 15 footer. But once you get close to it there are several booboos on it and I don't have the money for a new quality paint job.

 

Hi ZP,
SOME people would consider a wrapped Corvette a "boo boo"!
Sorry!
Regards,
Alan

 

It is pretty hard to get the Plasti Dip to look right. There are many videos on YouTube that show good results, but don't be misled. Those videos are shot by people that have done many many cars. If you attempt to do your prized Corvette with Plasti Dip, you are brave. If you were going for the look only, a wrap would look better, but it is much more expensive.

 

I would never attempt it on my car myself without being well practiced.

 

It shouldn't be. It is just a new way of putting color onto your car. Now if it were wrapped with some god awful color shift or something, maybe but if you are just putting a single color then why? That way the car is not resprayed a different color. It is removable and it protects the paint beneath. My car doesn't have the original color so it is no concern about the current paint but say someone gets a car with the original paint but wants to change it. It is a non-destructive mod. Also the vinyl will not show all of the tiny stress cracks. I can't afford an expensive paint job. That will cost half of what I paid for the car.

Wrapped C7. The owner can easily return to the original color.

 

Here's a wrap...IIRC it cost several thousand dollars....matte finish

 

I've been looking at doing a wrap on the hood. Something simple, just an accent color.

 

This actually looks pretty good. Something to think about. I infer hat a solid color wrapped would cost?

 

I think it depends on the car but I think about half what a good paint job costs. I think a C3 might cost 3 to 4 thousand. The color choices are remarkable too. The younger crowd even chrome plate their cars.

WRAPPING VS PAINTING
The advantage of a wrapping over a painting, is not necessarily on price. The main task of wrapping is to allow a temporary color change. The original idea for the first wraps was to bring full-scale advertising of digital printings on vehicles and remove them again. Later, taxi's and other companies vehicles, which should be uniform in color, were completely wrapped with foil to avoid the cost of special paint finishes.

Now more and more users in the private sector getting interested on full wraps. As an individual color or effective design has its charms. In addition to the wide range of colors and the extensive possibilities of variation, the film is also like a second skin for the vehicle, which protects the original paint from everyday traces and slight scratches and stone damages. Which means that the value of the vehicle is maintained. Especially for exclusive vehicle models an interesting aspect, as repaint (even if it is an extravagant color) represents there a significant loss of value.

The best case is to lease/buy a new car in black and have it wrapped in your desired color. This saves an extra cost for special color orders, protects the original paint and you can remove the vinyl economical at return or resale and the original paint shines like at the first day. The care and cleaning of the film is comparable with a paint finish - wash-street-resistant and with the correct products it can be polished, waxed or sealed.

 

i dont think I would wrap the entire car, but I was actually thinking about Setting accents... I personally love the Baldwin Motion "Bumble Bee" stripe on the back of the car, but wouldnt want to have it painted on... This way I could be removed if the car ever wanted to be sold and put back to original. But more important, i was wondering about if "sealing Off" the car with a layer of wrap would cause Problems to the fiberglass/paint, lets say you allready have one or the other small "bubble" underneath in the paint?!

 

My vette dosen't have tiny cracks in the paint. Did you buy it that way.

 

FWIW: what you need is paint. Wrapping or dipping is not paint. Why not take the wrap/dip money and save it for paint?

 

How bad is the paint....? I know mine is a 20 footer at best, but I happy with it for now....I have more important issues to fix and I ain't got 10 grand to have it done. At least I don't have to worry too much at car shows about someone touching it. Have you posted any pics yet....?

Brian

 

lol

 

I believe what hes referring to paint Checking..some call it crowfoot.. Original laquer was known for that as it aged but Acrylics did it too..hundreds of tiny little hairline cracks .. common issue in dark colors especially

 

Spoke w 3m. I wanted to strip car fix fiberglas and wrap . Still needs a solid primer to bond and doesnt last as long. Materials for car is 1000. Labor who knows. U can buy some for t tops to try then hood then body