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PaddyPrix

If breakin' parts is cool, consider me Miles Davis
725
1,081
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
San Diego
It's not really a "how too" but this is a thread I made when I did my vinyl wrap. It's honestly not hard just tedious if you want it to look good. On a side note, my car looks WAY better than cars I've seen at shows with the vinyl companies stickers plastered all over it as advertisement. Most of those guys are a joke.
I believe it also really depends on what brand(s) you use. I started with vvinyl, which has got to be among one of the tackiest and unforgiving there is. I'd bet if I went 3M, Avery, or KPMF I would have probably faired much better and continued on with it. Would probably have paid double as well. 100ft of 5ft wide matte white for like $475.
 

PaddyPrix

If breakin' parts is cool, consider me Miles Davis
725
1,081
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
San Diego
After speaking to 7-8 wrappers and each saying different things about what they wanted the bodyshop to do, i said eff it and told the bodyshop to paint mine
Yeah, for the cost coming out the same, I thought about that too. I have had some shitty luck with the various body parts coming off of late though, so being able to hit up a junkyard and toss a quick white base coat over it means I could quickly rectify the situation with another quick wrap job. Not like I'll ever really get sponsored to the point where I need to, but I'm the type to plan for the worst and hope for the best.
 

PaddyPrix

If breakin' parts is cool, consider me Miles Davis
725
1,081
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
San Diego
I really, really need to seek professional help.

... and, like, get experienced people to help me instead of doing stuff by myself. Props to you that actually make your cars look nice, and drive even better.

So stripped the wrap off, and then decided that it'd look better all white, and since it's going to be wrapped anyway, who gives a flying f if it looks terrible.

PXL_20200924_025936412.jpg

So, I did. Used 3 cans, kinda ran out, so didn't end up doing more than 2 coats on each. Let it dry overnight, and then started cutting holes into perfectly good fenders.

PXL_20200924_191545564.jpg

Those are the unpainted Race Louvers side vents, and these are the holes that I cut in my hood, which goes a lot deeper than I had previously expected, and if you're doing it yourself and are as dumb as I am, uh, use a jig, not an angle grinder/cutter. Yeah, I know, I know, shut up.

IMG_20200924_154044_532.jpg

One of the few things that I did do correct, was to use a bunch of paper in the engine bay, because shavings and dust go EVERYWHERE. Looking back, I could have taken the hood off, but as I do most of my work solo, mounting the hood is a pain, and I don't have a horse or anything really solid to put them on, so I kept the hood slightly propped open so I couldn't poke holes in my engine.

PXL_20200925_032138201.jpg

... and there we are. For now, anyhow. Goes to wrap tomorrow, and I've got to do some bondoing to fill the holes the previous owner left behind for the Roush scoops.
 
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PaddyPrix

If breakin' parts is cool, consider me Miles Davis
725
1,081
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
San Diego
I used a regular Dremel and many blades. So you're not the dumbest one here 😂
Awh man, then you can certainly appreciate the mess that leaves behind, holy cow, dust and metal shavings everywhere.
 

PaddyPrix

If breakin' parts is cool, consider me Miles Davis
725
1,081
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
San Diego
When I cut my hood a used a little battery powered 3.5" skill saw, it worked great but you can't comprehend the amount of dust on a fiberglass hood, lol.
Not calling you a liar, but I'm having a real hard time imagining what that'd even look like, wish I took a pic, there was a LOT 😂

How's the install of the fender vents? Do you have to remove the fenders from the car or can you leave them on?
I found it pretty easy, but I chose not to install that gooey pad closer to the back blocker thing, and I don't have any wheel well fenders to play with, so I just went at it. I did loosen them up a little just so I couldn't possibly get the body.
 

PaddyPrix

If breakin' parts is cool, consider me Miles Davis
725
1,081
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
San Diego
Here in lies why i’ll never do bodywork. I did my canards and the passenger one was off....drove me bonkers.

#never-forget
It's a lot different from software engineering where you can press an undo button, that's for sure. The older I get, the less of a perfectionist I become, as I've been fortunate that my 90% is better than others 100%, now that obviously doesn't apply to driving and certainly not bodywork, but like a bike, it's not a matter of if, it's when. I'm not going to hard park this thing fo da gram, I'm going to race it until it breaks and brakes.
 
539
687
Exp. Type
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3-5 Years
SoCal
I didn’t remove my fenders for my fender vents.
Is there anything behind the fender to remove or be aware of or is it as simple as line them up and start cutting? Probably going to make this a 2021 project along with 305 square setup

@PaddyPrix at least your cutting into a salvaged car. I might be dumb, crazy, or both for cutting into a car I paid MSRP for only 2 years ago. But that's ok; I'm not worried about resale value cause I don't plan to sell it. I'm going to enjoy it to the highest level I can rather than preserving it for the next guy
 
1,040
1,088
Monaca Pa
Is there anything behind the fender to remove or be aware of or is it as simple as line them up and start cutting? Probably going to make this a 2021 project along with 305 square setup

@PaddyPrix at least your cutting into a salvaged car. I might be dumb, crazy, or both for cutting into a car I paid MSRP for only 2 years ago. But that's ok; I'm not worried about resale value cause I don't plan to sell it. I'm going to enjoy it to the highest level I can rather than preserving it for the next guy

I pulled the plastic fender wells out and reached in at the door hinge area and remove a plastic coated foam plug that goes from the top of the fender to the bottom. Make sure you mark them so you can put them back in the same way. As with my hood vents I used a fine short jigsaw blade to make my cuts.
 

PaddyPrix

If breakin' parts is cool, consider me Miles Davis
725
1,081
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
San Diego
Don't mind me, just came here to biznitch and moan. Think I'm done with this neighborhood, as I got a nice threatening e-mail from the HOA about my inoperable car that they just can't tolerate. I'm guessing they mean the other race car under the tarp with a rubber chock under the rear tire that I've been warming up and driving around on the weekend. That inoperable car that's currently in my garage. They also say I'm performing maintenance out on the driveway, when dude, it's been 90-100+ on the weekends for the past two or three months, why would I want to sit out in that heat and do stuff when I have a perfectly good garage? Unlike the guy 4 houses down who works on his K10 Blazer in the street, which, I guess is just fine because it's not in the driveway... gotta love that California. I mean, I get it, my cars are rather loud, but I roll it down the driveway, and with her directing me in (giggity) I'm loud for all of the 3 minutes to get it onto the trailer on Friday afternoons, and unloads on Monday late-morning.

Aaaanyhow, whatever, moving on. Wanna see something cool? Still staying Oxford/Metallic White for the most part, but adding in a little Blue Chrome, which with Avery turns out to be almost exactly Ford Blue, which, well, I dig.

PXL_20200930_222111795.jpg

Promised to be finished by tomorrow evening so I can get it out and get some better pictures of it over the weekend, which is sadly, shaping up to be one of the last outings at Auto Club Speedway. I'm going to miss it, as I enjoy it, lots of higher speed action, long straights, heavy braking zones, and some really fast chicanes you can fly through (literally!) if you're crazy/dumb/fast enough.
 

PaddyPrix

If breakin' parts is cool, consider me Miles Davis
725
1,081
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
San Diego
Yeah, been thinking about it more than enough lately. I don't have many demands other than I need decent and dependable internet so I can continue to perform my job remotely (perhaps a tech sector should it not work out), a slightly cheaper cost of living than San Diego (pretty much everywhere but Seattle and SF Bay), and that I need a famous/quality road course within a 5-8 hour drive. That has me pretty much looking at Arizona, Texas, and most likely Georgia with Road Atlanta, Sebring, Daytona, and NOLA within its reach. I get what they're trying to do, and appreciate it to a point, but their misplaced anger at a guy with a few race cars is curious.
 

PatientZero

@restless_performance
825
865
Exp. Type
Autocross
Exp. Level
10-20 Years
Kansas City, Missouri
Just because I'd love to have more car guys around, I'll pitch Kansas City.

-We have Google Fiber
-Amazing Food, Best BBQ in the world and very underrated pizza
-Some of the cheapest cost of living in America for a large city
-And the tracks;
-Heartland Motorsports Park - 1hr
-Raceway Park of the Midlands - 2.5hrs
-Iowa Speedway - 3.5hrs
-Gateway Motorsports Park - 3.5hrs
-Motorsports Park Hastings - 4.5hrs
-Hallet Motor Racing Circuit - 4.5hrs
-Eagles Canyon Raceway - 7hrs
-NCM Motorsports Park - 8hrs < Time Trials Nationals
-Road America - 9hrs
 

TMSBOSS

Spending my pension on car parts and track fees.
7,529
5,242
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
10-20 Years
Illinois
I lived in KC for two years. Lots of positives there. Although the reason the pizza there is under rated, it’s under rate. BBQ sauce does not belong on pizza. Lol. If you want great pizza, go to Chicago.....then leave. Nothing else of value. Lol. Did I miss anything??
HOAs are a no go. Good luck with the neighbors. There are a few race cars on my block. No one seems to mind.
 

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