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Wrapping advice (not Christmas presents)
james h - 22/12/15 at 03:12 PM

I am fed up with my shoddy bodywork - lots of scratches of varying depth, a couple of chunks of fibreglass missing here and there, apart from my nose cone which is gloss black and in fine condition.

Given the supposed difficulty in wrapping compound shapes, I'm thinking of wrapping all but the nose in gloss black wrap.

My question is, how much attention do I need to pay to the scratches before I start wrapping the panels? Will light ones not show through? I want to avoid getting the filler out as much as possible.

James

CosKev3 - 22/12/15 at 03:24 PM

If you can 'feel' the scratch it will show through,as the wrap isn't very thick,and gloss wrap will show up imperfections in the panel being covered more than a satin a matt wrap.

My car is wrapped,well pleased with it.

But,after watching the professional wrap mine it's not a easy job.

ps,what's happening with the clocks

nick205 - 22/12/15 at 04:35 PM

Have a squiz on YouTube, wrapping properly is quite a task and imperfections will show through.

It might be cheaper and/or more effective to get new bodywork!

james h - 22/12/15 at 04:49 PM

Hmm not the answers I was hoping for! Wrap on eBay seems cheap to give it a shot though.

How much would I reasonably expect a professional to do it for do you think?

quote:
Originally posted by CosKev3

ps,what's happening with the clocks


The speedo was working with your clocks, then it wasn't I put it through the MOT with yours on, so I'll have to explain to any potential future buyers the mileage discrepancy. D'oh! I'm going to have to go back to the drawing board on that front

Slimy38 - 22/12/15 at 05:19 PM

Wrapping isn't difficult, and it's worth giving it a go. But I wrapped a panel where some of the lacquer had come off (not even a layer of paint, just the lacquer) and the outline was visible through the wrap.

As mentioned, a matt finish can look tidier, but it's not the 'cover everything' solution that most people think it is.

And I wouldn't worry about compound shapes, I managed to wrap a motorbike fuel tank which is about as compound as you can get!

[Edited on 22/12/15 by Slimy38]

gremlin1234 - 22/12/15 at 06:05 PM

quote:
Originally posted by james h
Hmm not the answers I was hoping for! Wrap on eBay seems cheap to give it a shot though.
having seen lots of questions about wrapping on here, many suggest using better quality ie '3M' materials.

The Black Flash - 22/12/15 at 09:19 PM

quote:
Originally posted by gremlin1234
quote:
Originally posted by james h
Hmm not the answers I was hoping for! Wrap on eBay seems cheap to give it a shot though.
having seen lots of questions about wrapping on here, many suggest using better quality ie '3M' materials.


Having used both 3m dynoc (which I gather has been superceded, but still) and the cheap stuff, the difference is night and day. The 3M stuff you can heat, form over compound shapes, mess up, heat, peel off, and redo - heat makes it go back to its flat state. The mouldability also makes it comparatively easy to get rid of bubbles. The cheap stuff, once it's stretched, it's buggered for good, so you only get one shot at it. It doesn't mould nearly so well. Even on fairly flat panels I wouldn't consider the cheap stuff again.

jossey - 23/12/15 at 08:27 AM

Get the air free 3m wrapping I've tried loads and it's the only one I'll use now.

As mentioned about if you can feel it with Ye nail just use some stopper filler to patch up and sand before wrapping.