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So I've been applying some vinyl wrap to my C7 in recent weeks. I originally started with gloss black 3m 1080 vinyl wrap to cover the white stripe that goes between the roof panel and rear window.
Today I applied Gloss White 3M 1080 vinyl warp to the each of the ends of my transparent roof panel. I particularly like the the sides of the roof panel to be the paint of the vehicle, however to order a roof panel with actual Arctic White paint was upward of 3k. So I decided to go the vinyl wrap route.
You can tell there is a color difference between gloss white vinyl wrap and the arctic white paint of the car. However I found that the color difference not much of a glaring factor. What do you think?
I'm no vinyl wrap professional, but with a heat gun, and proper tools, I was able to really get smooth application around the edges.
Nice job. Great job in doing the cuts. The lines look perfect in the picture.
Thanks Stan!
Just a helpful tip, for me to get the perfect lines, I purposely used the pre cut lines of the vinyl wrap roll. The roll was about 8 feet long allowing me to cut two pieces, and used the pre cut straight line to apply properly without worrying about having to cut the vinyl after it was placed on the panel. The ends that I actually cut with a scissor were wrapped underneath the edges and tucked behind the rubber ends so you wouldn't see the imperfections.
Great job. How did to ensure that there were no bubbles?
Well, I utilized the heat gun to warm up the vinyl while I was applying it, which allowed me to really stretch it and allow it to lay without bubbles with massaging it down with a squeegee, a squeegee that had a nice soft end (Do not use the hard surface as that will scratch the vinyl).
I think many people including myself at first, got discouraged once you apply the vinyl and start to run into bubbles, but after a few applications I realized that I could peel off and reapply without worrying about the surface of the vinyl. Its the heat gun, that helps re-smooth the vinyl surface if you were to unpeel it and re-apply...the more heat, the bubbles and lines you may cause will flatten out and allow the vinyl to reshape itself to a smooth surface.
So again the trick is apply heat the stretch and warm the vinyl, and not to be afraid to lift the vinyl and re apply as needed.
Just be patience while doing it. The edges are always the toughest, but that is were you use the heat gun the most, just heat, stretch apply and repeat until you have covered the corners, sharp edges with no bubbles or imperfections.
You'll find different sizes based on the amount of surface you're looking to cover.
Be sure its 3M 1080 Series. There are other brand vinyls, however in my opinion the 3M 1080 Series is the way to go.
There are all sorts of colors you can purchase as well for anyone else who is looking to do the same for their vette. For the guys with the more specialized paint jobs, that will be tough attempting to find a color that 3M 1080 series provides to closely match original paint. Below is a link that shows your the colors available if anyone else is looking to do the same.
Very nice job. How close does the gloss black match up with the black on the A-pillars? Did you consider any of the metallic black options? I wonder if any of them come gloss to the color used on the C7 trim?
Very nice job. How close does the gloss black match up with the black on the A-pillars? Did you consider any of the metallic black options? I wonder if any of them come gloss to the color used on the C7 trim?
Great question. After applying the Gloss Black, I did notice a difference in how "Deep" the black really was compared to the A-pillar. In direct sun light you can tell substantial difference, its just not as deep of a black as you'd want it to be like the black pillar, but if not in direct sun light the black gloss vinyl really blends in.
I was going to cover portions of the front vender with the black gloss at the time, but I ran into some obstacles, and gave up...of course that was my first time applying any vinyl..I had no clue how to lay it properly to a surface that had so many sharp edges like the front lower fender.
I will tackle the front fender again perhaps this coming weekend. BUT I'm currently shopping around for a different color black, just to see if I can find a black that is more rich, and more deeper black to get a closer match to the A-pillar so that it looks better in direct sun light especially if I'm covering a large area on the front fender.
If I cant find an alternate black 3M vinyl wrap, I will use the current Gloss Black vinyl I have in stock.
Ah, this is just the thread i've been looking for!
Did you apply the vinyl dry or did you put down a soapy lubricant first ?
Which end did you start at ? (back or front )
instead of a heat gun, a blow dryer ok to use ?
Ah, this is just the thread i've been looking for!
Did you apply the vinyl dry or did you put down a soapy lubricant first ?
Which end did you start at ? (back or front )
instead of a heat gun, a blow dryer ok to use ?
I applied the Vinyl Dry, did not need to add or apply any lubricant or soapy water. I applied the black vinyl to cover the white pillar first, and I did this outside with the temperature being about 70F degrees for reference.
When applying the white vinyl to the transparent roof, I elected to bring the roof panel inside the house for better reach and accessibility. I used the heat gun to soften the vinyl around the edges as well as to give me enough stretch to avoid any bubbles or creases in the vinyl when having to wrap it around and under.
As far as using a blow dryer, I elected to use a Heat gun because I already had one available. However, you can try using the blow dryer by testing it out on a small piece of vinyl to see how fast or how long it would take to soften the vinyl film to provide stretching and smooth applying. Just depends on how much heat the Blow dryer can produce to really soften that vinyl up to stretch.
Make sure you have some squeegees available, I think I noted which ones I used in this thread in earlier posted if memory serves me right.
lastly, don't be afraid to peel off the vinyl if you feel you didn't lay it down correctly, it's not going to do any hard, and use the blow dryer/heat gun as a means to reapply as needed to warm up the vinyl for a very smooth application and help reframe from creating air bubbles.
Oh, and make sure to clean the surface and remove any dust, dirt, and any wax or polish you may have applied to the areas you want to cover with vinyl to assure that you have a smooth application and that the adhesive sticks to the surface properly for longevity and not deal with premature lifting or peeling down the road.
Good luck and have fun. Post pics when you're done and what color vette do you have or do you have an arctic white as well? I'm curious to see how other colored vinyl matches factory paint; I know the white vinyl nearly matched the arctic white..so it worked out well for me.
08-09-2015, 03:01 PM
C7 vinyl wrap DIY / Roof Panel etc.
