To Paint or Wrap your Pro-Touring Car?

[tyoneal]

Hello:

I am planning for the outside colors and graphics of the Grand Sport Corvette I'm building and I wanted to bounce some questions/ideas off you all to get your thoughts on this.

Many of you have seen it already, but I will post one of the rendering pictures of the car so for those who haven't it hopefully will give you something to visualize.

Regarding coloring my car, by Painting it, wrapping it or both, since I am going to drive this car (with any luck at all) quite a bit, on and off the road and area tracks, I'm thinking of going ahead and wrapping the car. Here are the reasons why: (Pro's)

1) Faster

2) Less Expensive (2-3k)

3) Durable

4) Easy to repair if you bugger up on single piece.

5) Easier to change designs/colors if you wanted to.

6) Don't have to worry about matching paint and fixing paint

7) Good enough for Race Cars (Which most of our Cars are types of Race cars, unless the owner just doesn't drive them how they are built to be driven) become Good enough for these Cars.

8) From the people who have used them for quite a while, they mention that "IF you do indeed have a nice paint job on your car, a wrap will do wonders for keeping the shine and finish of the paint underneath in good shape".

Now for the Con's I have thought about so far.

1) Doesn't look as nice as a painted car? (From what I'm told the finish on a wrap if done correctly looks great up to about 3-5 feet away, then you can tell it is not paint.)

2) Hurts the value of the car? (Maybe, if you didn't take the time to put a $15k Paint job on it.) I don't know about this one.

3) Feel free to add anything else you can think of.

I hope some of you will consider taking the time to give this some thought. As a Auto-X, Pro-Touring, Track/Street car, I just haven't seen this question really come up before.

Thanks in advance,

Sincerely,

Ty O'Neal

I'm going to try and get some additional information on some other sites. what ever comes up that is interesting, I'll bring over here for you all to consider.

[coolwelder62]

I am also thinking of doing the something on my next P-T project.A local company that wraps gave me a quote for around 3500.00 which is about 1/2 what I paid to get my new camaro painted.On the first 2 drives I got large chips in the fresh paint.Now I will have touch up spots on it.Which sucks since I am getting ready to try and sell it now.I like the Idea of the wrap,If you are building something you think you might be wanting to keep.Good luck,Scott M.

[vintageracer]

I think a "Wrap" is going to be the future for those of us that want unique looking car to drive, race and ENJOY. A wrap is certainly NOT for a "Waxer" or those wanna be's that build a high end car just to go Cars & Coffee to let folks OOH and AAH over their car. To make a wrap look good you still must have the bodywork and primer work on the car virtually paint ready to make the wrap look slick. As the quality of wrap materials continue to get better with respect to installation and longevity the skill of the installer will continue to be key to making a wrap look it's best. Nothing seems to change. Whether or painting or wrapping the skill of the painter or wrapper still makes a HUGE difference in the appearance of the finished product.

If you are a waxer PAINT IT!

If you are one of us WRAP IT!

[tyoneal]

I am also thinking of doing the something on my next P-T project.A local company that wraps gave me a quote for around 3500.00 which is about 1/2 what I paid to get my new camaro painted.On the first 2 drives I got large chips in the fresh paint.Now I will have touch up spots on it.Which sucks since I am getting ready to try and sell it now.I like the Idea of the wrap,If you are building something you think you might be wanting to keep.Good luck,Scott M.
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Scott:

Thanks for the thoughts. You nailed one of them right on the head In addition to this, a buyer could always change the color of the car for pennies the dollar to their own taste. Plus some of the special retro or other special paints jobs I've seen would cost a fortune to execute well and would take a long to time to get done.

Thanks again,

Ty

[tyoneal]

I think a "Wrap" is going to be the future for those of us that want unique looking car to drive, race and ENJOY. A wrap is certainly NOT for a "Waxer" or those wanna be's that build a high end car just to go Cars & Coffee to let folks OOH and AAH over their car. To make a wrap look good you still must have the bodywork and primer work on the car virtually paint ready to make the wrap look slick. As the quality of wrap materials continue to get better with respect to installation and longevity the skill of the installer will continue to be key to making a wrap look it's best. Nothing seems to change. Whether or painting or wrapping the skill of the painter or wrapper still makes a HUGE difference in the appearance of the finished product.

If you are a waxer PAINT IT!

If you are one of us WRAP IT!
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Vintage Racer:

Your Motto at the end sounds like it could be from a condom commercial. I think I do agree with you especially for those whose cars make a Historical Reference of some kind. I just finished painting my Riviera and it was not cheap by any stretch, However it was painted to look elegant and stock, so in those cases I don't thing anything looks better than a nice paint job.

I am hoping some of the members who strive to attend as many of these competitions, as possible will give there thoughts on whether or not their next.

Thanks,

Ty

[NJSPEEDER]

If you are sick in the head about weight the wrap is heavier.....just sayin :)

If you are going for a complicated look like graffics or a lot of colors meeting then I would say wrap it. The wrap is more durable and you can just reprint and replace any portions that get scuffed up.

If the goal is to have a clean single color show finish then paint it and bury everything in clear for protection.

-Tim

[vintageracer]

HERE is why you want to WRAP IT!!!!!

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/4p8cbE/www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOR9-FXdIm0

[Snake Eater]

Wrap it

[Snake Eater]

And I love the concept, very sweet.

[tyoneal]

HERE is why you want to WRAP IT!!!!!

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/4p8cbE/www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOR9-FXdIm0
======================================

LMAO: God, of all the things I was expecting to see this floored me.. This was hilarious!

Nice one.

Ty

[tyoneal]

Forgot quote with response.
Thanks again.

Ty

[tyoneal]

If you are sick in the head about weight the wrap is heavier.....just sayin :)

If you are going for a complicated look like graffics or a lot of colors meeting then I would say wrap it. The wrap is more durable and you can just reprint and replace any portions that get scuffed up.

If the goal is to have a clean single color show finish then paint it and bury everything in clear for protection.

-Tim
==========================
Tim:

Thanks for the post. You make a good point.

About the time I really get sick in the head about putting weight on my car, I'll go straight to the GYM and start with the weight I put IN the car.

I've been lazy about that issue.

Thanks again.

Ty

[tyoneal]

And I love the concept, very sweet.

Snake Eater:

Thanks for the encouragement.

Ty

[BigMal69]

I say wrap it. I am in the same place with my camaro and have decided to either wrap or go satin black vs. getting a full out paint job. I paid almost $6K for my last paint job and chipped it up pretty bad.

[zombiekiller]

i read this thread and reached out to a few shops around nashville.

i was freaking SHOCKED at the pricing. the LOWEST price that i got was almost 3 grand!

The body shop manager at the local ford dealer ( and they do nice work, they fixed my truck when I was rear ended) offered to paint my car whatever factory ford color that I wanted for $1800 if I pull the trim for him. This includes fixing some dimples and imperfections.

I can't figure why I would opt to wrap the car for almost double the cost.

[vintageracer]

The going rate that I have continued to see for a wrap is $9.00 per square foot of wrap used. This can change slightly based upon the amount of color used in the wrap design.

[tyoneal]

I went through a similar thing years ago with a 69 Camaro and a very pretty Black Paint Job with several coats of Pearl Red over the top, and the Stripes were Candy Apple Red. (It was the 1970's what can I say) but, I opened the door one afternoon and hit the bell housing off a turbo 400 transmission, and it gouged about a quarter size piece of paint out of the door.

I learned very quickly Custom paint is a bitch to match without repainting a big part of the car and that if you want to use the car and paint the car, NEVER use a Custom color or a process that requires multiple steps. Paint a OEM color and buy touch up paint and live with the scratches. Now at least there is another choice, Wrap the damn thing and rewrap what gets screwed up.

I Always felt sick to my stomach when I saw that big gouge in the door, and I didn't like driving the car around because I was always afraid something would happen further to it. Any car from now on will be designed within these constraints. Why spend $15,000 on something that worries you 24/7 and that it takes away any pleasure you could be enjoying when your out in a project you spent hours and hours working on, and had spent 10's of thousands of dollars on?

I agree with you, Wrap It?

Ty

[Happyfunballs]

Every try to remove a wrap/sticker after it's been baking in the sun for a couple years? Once you do remove it, the paint underneath will be destroyed. Something to consider. Haven't seen one yet that looks good....always see the seams, always wrinkled. I don't get it.

[tyoneal]

i read this thread and reached out to a few shops around nashville.

i was freaking SHOCKED at the pricing. the LOWEST price that i got was almost 3 grand!

The body shop manager at the local ford dealer ( and they do nice work, they fixed my truck when I was rear ended) offered to paint my car whatever factory ford color that I wanted for $1800 if I pull the trim for him. This includes fixing some dimples and imperfections.

I can't figure why I would opt to wrap the car for almost double the cost.
======================================
Zombiekiller: Try speaking to some chain stores in the larger cities around where you live. The cleaning company I use had all their vehicle completely covered to include the windows, and I asker her what it cost to wrap her, "Cube" car. She said about $1500 once you have the artwork done. She did hers on her PC, then turned it in. It was copies and the dimensions were taken. The company has the shapes and sizes of all major cars. They lay over the art work then have printers that will go and create all the parts that will be assembled on you car.

Once ordered it takes a couple days, then a day or so to have it attached to the car. She has had the car now for a couple years and it still looks great. I was really surprised how well you could actually see out of the windows. From one side there is a picture of an Asian cleaning your home. From the inside everything is slightly tinted, but you have no visual image from the other side. It is just cool.

Try some of the bigger chain stores and see what they have to say about things. Remember also she did her own artwork. I not sure of the program she used, but it came out real nice.

Ty

[tyoneal]

The going rate that I have continued to see for a wrap is $9.00 per square foot of wrap used. This can change slightly based upon the amount of color used in the wrap design.

================================
That makes sense.

Any idea how many square feet are in a 1st Generation Camaro?

Thanks,

Ty

[tyoneal]

Every try to remove a wrap/sticker after it's been baking in the sun for a couple years? Once you do remove it, the paint underneath will be destroyed. Something to consider. Haven't seen one yet that looks good....always see the seams, always wrinkled. I don't get it.
==============================

Here is what I see in them:

1) 10-15% of what a Paint Job would cast

2) I would paint the out side of the car before wrapping it. I would put on primer and sand accordingly so there is not paint to mess up.

3) Mess up one part just fix one part.

4) They are not meant to look like a show painted Car, but more like a 10 footer

5) No Headache worrying about scratches and dings in your paint.

Given one could stand a 10 footer paint job on their car, what's not to love?

Ty

[Happyfunballs]

1) I had a friend of mine that had is truck wrapped in his corporate logo's, about 50% of the truck, and it was $2k. There are shops that will paint cars all day long for $2k. If prepped properly, as you would do for a wrap, you could take it to Maaco and have it painted for $300.
2)Why? No real reason to. Paint under a sticker doesn't have the ability to "breathe" and will eventually crack and delaminate. Having a bra on a car for too long will cause this as well.
3)Seams. Unless the entire panel is wrapped. After a week in the sun it'll be two different colors.
4)Why go to that much work to have a 10 footer?
5)I'll admit that it may be more durable, but how much? Dings are in metal and could be seen with a wrap.

Again, I don't get it. Perhaps I'm more fogey-ish than my 39 years would otherwise indicate.

[Tony_SS]

I like the 'concept' of a wrap, but at the end of the day, paying $3500 for someone to wrap vinyl stickers on your car full of seams and cuts just seems completely wasteful to me. I would spend the time to learn prep work and then find a friend to lay down the top coat/clear and aim to spend the same.

I spent some money on my paint and body work, and for the 1st year, I was paranoid about the new paint. I couldn't enjoy the car. That has totally worn off, I drive my Monte everywhere. It see's bugs, chips, etc. I'm just not anal about it anymore.

That said, I still like the idea of a wrapped car, but the cost involved and final '10 ft' outcome pretty much render that idea useless for me anyway. If you're seriously considering it, find some examples of what's been done that are a few years old and see how they look. A lot of what I hear is they last about 3-5 years. So the question is do you want to spend it all up front? Or spend more over time having done over and over?

[zombiekiller]

The going rate that I have continued to see for a wrap is $9.00 per square foot of wrap used. This can change slightly based upon the amount of color used in the wrap design.

so at that rate, i'd estimate that my car should cost around 1800 to wrap. THAT i could deal with. But trying to gouge an additional $1200 out of the job is ridiculous.

out of the 5 shops in and around nashville that i talked to, the least expensive was 2800. All i asked for was black, nothing fancy or special , and stated that i would remove all of the trim and make sure that the surface was prepped so the wrap would lay flat and the car would be as easy to work on as possible.

even at 1800, i most likely wouldnt jump on it when an oem 2 stage paint job would cost the same. I'm stripping and prepping the surface for whoever does whatever anyway. The bodyshop is going to remove some imperfections that bother me ( that i do not have the skillset to get out) for free.

I can see where the wrap thing makes sense if you have a bunch of logos or designs that you want on the car, or if you change sponsers regularly, but for the average joe weekend racer, its still prohibitively expensive. the juice just aint worth the squeeze.

[Tony_SS]

the juice just aint worth the squeeze.

/tread ?

lol

[evostilo]

Warp is a good idea for a true Pro Touring cars since all ur going to do is beat on them any way, but paint & Clear 3M bra in all the rite places would be my preference

but im more of a Show & Go type of guy thats why im building a show car (first gen camaro) and not a full PT car like a primered nova with full susp.

[tyoneal]

To Everyone:

What a great number of opinions, and each one has their merits. (ie. Nothing Goofy) As soon as I can I will get some pricing on the wraps and a paint job that would follow the rendering as close as possible.

I'll do a cost-benefit analysis on each and see where everything falls. I'll update everyone on what I find out.

This GS will hopefully see a lot of track days and training sessions. It will be much more of the Pro-Touring Lifestyle vs. just being a show car. I'm hoping with some practice it will do well against some of the other "Better" Pro-Touring cars.

If it doesn't I can probably look in the mirror and discover what the main issue is. The paint jobs I have had recently sure have looked good, and one that has been done right can really overshadow some of the other flaws in the interior or engine compartment. JMO

It looks like in most post price seams to be the main thing where the wrap becomes a no-go prospect. I agree with that to a point, however I'm going to go out and really study some good wraps and see how well they can be done. If I think about it I will take some pictures and post them up for people to look at and make comments on.

Until then anything that can be added is appreciated.

Thanks,

Ty

[prodigal son coating]

I would go with a wrap. Be prepared to get mobbed every time you stop for gas! Here is a pic of my wrapped truck.

[tyoneal]

Wow!

Your truck looks awesome. Do you have some pictures of it up close or 3 to 5 feet away?

If not, don't bother yourself.

I don't doubt your statement at all.

Thanks for the post.

Ty

[72Z/28]

Hello Ty any update on this subject? I am thinking of wrapping my camaro as well, but I am a bit concerned about how the vinyl wrap would turn out on a body with some paint chips and imperfections.

[skigoose]

I am doing a 68 Charger, I know I like the RED color (for all my projects) but I have this thing for Matte Black, so I am painting the Car Red, but also looking at having it Wrapped in Matte Black, I live in SoCal, near Meguires, they have a product called WrapTivo, and it is $$ but I contacted a company that wraps cars for commercial applications, and they were half the price + they would do graphics in the wrap before printing it, I also know a wrap is as only as good as you prep the car, remove moldings ect, also there are difference thickness in wraps, I am planning on using the Matte Black for about 2 or 3 years so I think I will be happy and protecting my Red underneath.

[vintageracer]

Hello Ty any update on this subject? I am thinking of wrapping my camaro as well, but I am a bit concerned about how the vinyl wrap would turn out on a body with some paint chips and imperfections.

There was a decent article in Car Craft within the last 2 years where they wrapped an Impala convertible. They specifically discussed "scratches, chips and imperfections".

For a wrap to lay down and look great the car needs to be paint ready otherwise you will see all those "imperfections" in the wrap. Nothing is ever free or easy and includes car wraps!

[NoMoneyZ]

I'm going to do a wrap. Did it to a few cars in highschool and it was dirt cheap using 3m vinyl in a single color. Looks good to this day over 6 years later. Washing and waxing regularly.

[tyoneal]

I figure for this car I will wrap it. I am trying to make the car look like a race car so a wrap should be in line with the theme.

If it is a headache and doesn't last I can alway go back and paint it.

In any event it will be fun to try it.

ty

[tyoneal]

Yes,

I received my wheels from PS Engineering, and they look stunning. There is nothing shy about them. As soon as I can get some pictures together I'll get some posted. I also got the rear window and the headlight covers. Everything is moving, but not fast enough. I had to spend some time in the hospital this week for some test so it slows things down.

Hopefully before to long, I can make some big progress and get some nice pictures posted.

Thanks,

Ty

[chuckd71]

Curious to see how this works out. A wrap might be a good option for my hood and deck lid.