Vinyl the whole XJ?

Just saw this over on autoblog:

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=376442

Seems like it might be a good thing for "repainting" an off-roader... especially for the Jeepspeed guys who have sponsors and such (hell they may already be doing it).

My paint is multicolored and terrible and I'm thinking I might give it a whirl.

Wow props to that kid. I used to work for a sign/vinyl company, and full wraps were ALWAYS a pain. Materials cost dick, it's the labor that is so intensive.

I'd say if you're up for it, give it a whirl.

man that looks really good! I expected to see something that looked like crap

DanMan2k06 said:

Wow props to that kid. I used to work for a sign/vinyl company, and full wraps were ALWAYS a pain. Materials cost dick, it's the labor that is so intensive.

I'd say if you're up for it, give it a whirl.

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I figure I've got a month at home between the end of the school year and the start of my internship. If I don't do that, all I'll do is sleep and drink beer.

I currently work for a sign shop. The poster in the BMW thread didn't specify what type of vinyl he used and the type of vinyl makes a huge difference. Judging from the fact that he used application spray, the price and from the way it was laying in the pictures it just looked a standard cast vinyl that is not necessarily intended for wrap usage. Products such as 3M Controltac and Avery MPI 2005/2105 RS/1005/900 that are designed more for vehicle wraps and curves. You also have a lot of options in terns of different brands of vinyl to choose from. I personally prefer the Avery products.

They are still difficult to work with and don't expect a perfect result on your first job. Takes a while to get use to the way a vinyl works, how it goes down and how it works with heat. However the XJ wouldn't be a bad vehicle to start on as it does not have a lot of curves. The major problem areas will be the header panel, bumper ends and anywhere you have two or more curves happening at the same time.

Yea be careful with the matte finish. Too much heat or too much stretching and it's gonna become glossy.

Another hard area would be at the top corners of the liftgate. On an older gen you'd probably have to cut and make a seam. But on the new style ones it's a rounded corner.

Thanks for the info guys.

Seems like he got one hell of a friend price to do it, so $120 isn't happening for us normal folk.

Wow that is really an awesome idea i think! Im just wondering how it would look once you decide to change the vinyl... Would this ruin the vehicles original finish? Meaning, once you go vinyl, you have to stay vinyl? What if the vinyl could be used as like a paint armor for us off-roaders?

I would love to see a write up on this for a cherokee. Heck, maybe i'll be the guinea pig!

I have considered this a long time ago and just havent had the time to source the materials...aka didnt know where to start

I have access to vinyl and I don't know what I want to put on my XJ..lol

I would camo wrap it

http://www.jerseycamoskins.com/camo-truck-1.html

JSwamper said:

I would camo wrap it

http://www.jerseycamoskins.com/camo-truck-1.html

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Zubaz stripes!

4WDlifeform said:

Would this ruin the vehicles original finish?

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I doubt it, there is a car dealership near me that fully wraps brand new vettes with advertising and parks them out front, doubt they'd do that if it ruined the paint on the car. Might depend on how gently you take it back off though.

What if the vinyl could be used as like a paint armor for us off-roaders?

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3M makes a clear vynil that goes on like window tint, designed to help with stone chipping and the like on the front of sports cars. not sure how durable it is but it looks good, a friend of mine owns a tint shop and also applies this 3M ClearBra stuff to 4 or 5 cars a week.

I don't know if it's such a good idea for an offroad vehicle. Especially if you wheel in the woods. It will get scratched/gouged sooner or later. How would this stuff hold up to scratches? You can't touch it up if it gets scratched - & I don't mean pinstriping scratches. And once it gets scratched, I'm thinking it will deteriorate not long after.

This place seems to carry most of the good stuff and the tools. Prices seem okay too.

https://www.earlmichcatalog.com

GrimmJeeper said:

3M makes a clear vynil that goes on like window tint, designed to help with stone chipping and the like on the front of sports cars. not sure how durable it is but it looks good, a friend of mine owns a tint shop and also applies this 3M ClearBra stuff to 4 or 5 cars a week.

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That clearbra stuff really works. There are also several different brands that do the same for less. After my first PA winter my fender flares were sand blasted from the stones they put on the roads. I had them repainted and coated the flares in something similar to clear bra about 12" up. I also did my rocker panels. That was around 6 years ago and the stuff is still holding up.

Mighty.Mighty_XJ said:

I don't know if it's such a good idea for an offroad vehicle. Especially if you wheel in the woods. It will get scratched/gouged sooner or later. How would this stuff hold up to scratches? You can't touch it up if it gets scratched - & I don't mean pinstriping scratches. And once it gets scratched, I'm thinking it will deteriorate not long after.

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Worth trying... the nice thing is if it does get scratched you just have to re-vinyl the damaged panel.

Think about that for Jeepspeed racers with sponsors, don't have to pay to get your ads painted back on if they get screwed up in a race, just replace the vinyl

Jeepspeed doesn't paint the sponsor's logos on. They are decals.

Nascar also uses wraps for their vehicles, but they can afford to/have to redo them after each race.

Almost seems to me that with the amount of surface prep you have to do to apply the vinyl......... you'd just as well take the car and have it painted.

All the paint "cleaning" (clay bar, polish/wax) prior to application would be about the same to scuff sand...... Still gotta pay attention to all the crevices, corners and recesses the same way - if it's dirty or too smooth, the vinyl or paint isn't gonna stick well.

If your XJ's paint clearcoat is peeling....... it'll continue to deteriorate and peel under the vinyl....... you'll get bubbling.

Ever looked at a vinyl wrapped promotional vehicle after about a year? The seams have gapped, the corners/crevices/recesses are peeling...... Do a google search for pics of vinyl covering deterioration/damage..... I'd think vinyl wrap would be a really bad idea if the car sits out in the sun a lot.....

I know the BMW guy in that thread was thinking he could do something kinda cool and temporary, thinking his original paint would be well preserved and he could peel it all off later........ just seems to me that if you're covering a vehicle because the paint looks like crap....... you'd be better off just painting it in the long run. :dunno: