I own a 2009 base corvette with a Targa top that has spider cracks, I was wondering if I could install a carbon fiber wrap on it? If I can how hard would it be for me to do it myself? If not does anyone know a shop that can install it for me near Lake Placid Fla? Thank you.

 

Yes, you can wrap it. Get the black PPF.

 

@StayinStock is our resident expert on wraps. I would suggest you wrap the b-pillar or the halo as most call it.

My 2012 GS targa top and halo have been wrapped since 2013 without issues. I didn't do it myself.

 

I would avoid PPF on that roof just for the cost and skill level associated with it. Def not something id recommend for any beginner. If you want gloss go with 3m High Gloss Black 2080, if you want a Satin go with Avery. Both are pretty user friendly for beginners. The 2080 has a protective cap on it that will help you get better results as it can be installed with the cap sheet on and pulled after you get it on (no squeegee marks). The key to the roof on these cars is have a friend help you pull the material out and lay it down even. Then work your way from the center out toward the body line in the roof. Don't try to stretch the material into that indent. You need to lay it in with zero tension or it will lift. once you get past that indent then you can lay right to the edge with a little bit of stretch. May need some heat to relax the film. I would look up CKwraps on YouTube or The Wrap Institute (Justin Pate) for some pointers. It's not a bad job. For roof and Halo you'll need about 8ft of material. If you have any specific questions feel free to hit me up.

 

CF wrapped by a TN shop

 

OK, dumb question time: Is it really true that wraps do not work well over polycarbonate or acrylic, and if so, why not? Thx

 

where did you see that? People literally wrap everything.

 

so it does have a lower surface energy so it can have issues with adhesion over a period of time. Chrome has the same issue. Textured plastic is almost always a no go unless you load it with adhesion promotor and that's no guarantee.

 

So, wrap over polycarbonate, say a Corvette clear top or maybe a headlight, good idea or bad?

 

Perfectly fine.

 

Thanks. Still like to hear Stayn' Stock's opinion, after all he's in the business.

 

Maybe some local tint/wrap guy that didn't want to do the job told him that?

 

I've never personally had an issue. I did one for a customer at the beginning of the summer on a car that spends a lot of time outside and he has yet to have an issue. We also used a fairly tacky 3m Shadow Black though with a textured pattern.

 

Thanks for the reply. It's always good to learn from guys who do it for a living.


I saw it on the internet, right here on the good ol' Corvette forum. So it has to be true, right?

 

When people see my top, halo, and a-pillars with black PPF, they believe its paint. The results were worth it to me.

 

Your right for sure, it does have inherent risks with it. I've also heard poly carbonate can offgas up into the wrap when it gets hot. I haven't personally seen it but something worth mentioning to a customer when your providing a warranty. I wouldn' personally warranty polycarbonate or chrome finishes. Ill wrap them, but at the customers risk

Yeah I agree, youll get the best results if its professionally installed but for a first time DIY I cant recommend it, color change PPF is way harder to work with and more expensive than vinyl.

 

Yeah, the guy that did mine took a few hours just to do the a-pillars.

 

Another question: What is the difference between "clear bra" PPF, color change PPF, and vinyl?

 

So PPF is Paint Protection Film, most of the time its clear and serves as a barrier between your factory paint and road debris. Most of it is self healing as well (heat will take scratches out of it). They also now do Matte PPFs that show your factory color but make it appear to be a Matte Finish... its really caught on in the last few years. Color change PPF is fairly new... its a hybrid of Vinyl and PPF, It installs dry like vinyl and is available in alot of different colors, but it gives off a more paint like finish with the protective properties of PPF. Regular vinyl comes in two flavors as well, Cast and Calendared. Cast films are typically your 3m, Avery, Oracle, Hexis (don't use hexis ever, its junk). Typically you get anywhere from 5-7 years out of these films if you take care of them properly... the finish has gotten better on cast film but still not perfect (the caveat being the new 3m high gloss 2080, but its an extremely limited color pallet right now). Calendared vinyl is a little more paint like in finish but also only lasts about 3 years max if properly cared for. These are your chinese brands like Teck Wrap, Tinybot, Vinyl Frog, ect... the plus with Calendared is they have a much bigger color pallet but it comes at the cost of longevity. Neither of the vinyl types really have any sort of paint protection qualitys although you could argue it does to a degree. Its not designed to protect paint however.

It seems like the industry is about to make the switch to color change PPF as the standard, but the tech is new and still being developed and the cost is higher. I'm suppose to do a class with Flexi-Shield next year to learn their line of color change PPF. Excited to learn it and try it out. From an installer perspective regular clear PPF is way harder to work with than vinyl. It can't be stretched or shrunk like vinyl and is typically wet apply. Two completely different animals.

 

Great info, thanks