I have been doing a lot of research and I think that I want to try to wrap my vette myself. I know that this is probably not something that will be easy but I think that I can do it. I am just looking for some tips or advice from anyone who has done this before. Anything to make this easier.

 

Prepare for it to take a really long time and you will definitely need an extra set of hands. Maybe a friend that owes you a huge favor? Good luck!

 

Yeah I have a couple of friends that are mechanically inclined and always willing to help. None that have ever done a wrap though so I'm just looking for some tips

 

I can tell you everything you need to know but...I can tell you, your first car to wrap shouldn't be anything you plan on keeping. I HIGHLY suggest finding an Avery class. The class is just under 1k dollars to take, but they give you a roll of wrap of your choice to leave with, so it essentially becomes nearly free.

A. Buy knifeless tape
B. Watch A LOT of youtube videos
C. Buy a full roll, and wrap some small things
D. Wrap in small sections, do NOT try to do the entire side of the car like you see wrap shops doing. Measure the size of the door, cut a piece just oversize, wrap that, etc.
E. Understanding the behavior of the material is the hardest to learn, and absolutely 100% CANNOT be learned, or understood in your first vehicle.
F. Amateurs overstretch and over yield material. It may stick and look finished at first, but the failures will come, and quickly. Longevity of the wrap will suffer, as well as the color saturation of the material.
G. Have a large work surface available to unroll and cut the material.

My suggestion is, if you're going to wrap your own car from scratch with zero experience, you're in a for a ride. I'd get at least 2 rolls and plan on redoing the car in the short time frame.

The way I learned was much the same. I bought 3 rolls, wrapped a roof, then a hood, then some small pieces, then a car (was not great outcome but decent), then another car (was better), then had some 3m guys at SEMA give me a couple hour crash course, then wrapped another car. By the fourth car, I was clean, mistake free, under the weather stripping, totally 100% customer service ready. At that point, it's about getting faster.

 

There was a member who posted on his wrap he did to his C-6 a short while ago but I cant remember his handle. He would be a good one to talk to, it came out great from his photos. Maybe do a search on "Wraps"
I've done some and it aint easy
NSF

 

Anyone can wrap a car and it be a good 5-10ft'er...up close though...gonna be a wreck.

 

Whenever I hear someone is going to wrap a C6 I think back to an episode of "Dallas Car Sharks" where they wrapped a C6 in metallic gold foil. I threw up in my mouth a little.

 

I few additional comments and my 2 cents FWIW. I wrapped my halo (2 times ) and console ( 3 times ) before I was happy with it.

Good advice ... This takes practice!!

The knifeless tape will leave a (barely if you do it right) visible edge, on use it on the edges of the panel not on flat areas.

Oh this is so true. He's obviously done this a few times.

I also recommend:

• Do not you not touch the back side that is going to touch the panel.
• Use a little heat to relax the wrap after you have it the way you want it.
• Use heat when you stretch and don't stretch if you can.
• Clean the surface, then clean it again before wrapping
• (Some people say this doesn't help) Use a primer where the wrap edges are going to be.

I used up quite a bit of wrap before I went from worthless to amateur status. Did not take a class, watched a lot of YouTube and sent a lot of wrap, compared to what I finally used, to the trash. As K.I.T.T recommended, if I was going to wrap $$$ an entire car I would take a class. On the other hand if you can handle a lot of frustration and have attention to detail you can do it with a helper after some practice.