# 3M carbon fiber wrap



## MikeTheDiabetic (Mar 16, 2010)

So I have been thinkin about this 3M carbon wrap that gives you the dry look of CF and I think I might do some interior work on my GTO. My friend has it done to his bmw m5 and it looks great. What do you guys think? I have a black on black M6. I wanna leave the silver trim alone because I like how it accents the silver "gto" stitching in the seats. I am thinking about wrapping the top black cover where you would put the gauge pod, and then work down the center console. I am going to use black CF to wrap the black plastic. I believe it will be sublte but a nice touch.

what do you think?


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## jpalamar (Jul 22, 2008)

I have seen and heard good things about the product itself. Since your black on black, I bet it would look good... and if it doesn't, you can already remove it.

I've personally considered accenting some things in the interior with it, the grey stuff since I'm black on red, but since I'm strongly considering grey/silver racing stripes I think it would then look good inside as stock.

Such hard decisions lol

Dry Carbon Wrap - Your Local 3M Carbon Fiber Wrap Installer/Distributor - TriStateTuners.com :: Home of Tristate Auto Enthusiast


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## MikeTheDiabetic (Mar 16, 2010)

Thanks jpalmer, your always the first one to respond to my nonsense posts lol and I thank you for that. I just ordered the black 3M carbon wrap. I am going to wrap the center console items like I said. I am also going to wrap some of the incerts on the doors and rear passenger panels to balance the whole car. I got a 12" x 48" sheet on ebay for $29 and free shipping, not bad. I will have enough for the center but prob not the doors. I will post pics when it is finished so all can see. I should be getting it in 4-6 days.


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## MikeTheDiabetic (Mar 16, 2010)

Also, does anyone have a thread on how to take apart the center dash/console? and more specifically the heat/ac knobs? How would I take them off?


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## jpalamar (Jul 22, 2008)

MikeTheDiabetic said:


> *Thanks jpalmer, your always the first one to respond to my nonsense posts lol *and I thank you for that. I just ordered the black 3M carbon wrap. I am going to wrap the center console items like I said. I am also going to wrap some of the incerts on the doors and rear passenger panels to balance the whole car. I got a 12" x 48" sheet on ebay for $29 and free shipping, not bad. I will have enough for the center but prob not the doors. I will post pics when it is finished so all can see. I should be getting it in 4-6 days.


I have one of those jobs where I have too much down time lol


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## MikeTheDiabetic (Mar 16, 2010)

jpalamar said:


> I have one of those jobs where I have too much down time lol


Yup, i dont have alot of down time but all my breaks consist of this forum lol.


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## GM4life (Mar 18, 2007)

I would have to see it. I don't think it would look right, it looks tacky. It took a while for the C6 Corvette to grow on me.


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## QUIKSLVR04GOAT (Nov 24, 2008)

That is a good idea. id really like to see the pics when you finish. Ive been wanting to do something with the interior but not sure what to do next... and now i know what im going to do probably not the same parts tho haha :cheers


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## MikeTheDiabetic (Mar 16, 2010)

Im not gonna go nuts. but I believe it should look pretty good. I will post pics as soon as its done


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## GM4life (Mar 18, 2007)

MikeTheDiabetic said:


> Im not gonna go nuts. but I believe it should look pretty good. I will post pics as soon as its done


Make sure you do don't leave us hanging. I guess if its done tasteful it might look good. I'm just not into the faux C/F.


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## MikeTheDiabetic (Mar 16, 2010)

I wont leave you guys hangin lol, it hasnt come in yet. It says it has shipped so im hoping for monday or tuesday. This stuff aparently looks great and all the pics ive seen look really good imo. I wanted the dry look cause I think the glossy coat of real cf would stand out way to much in a bad way on our cars. And hey if I dont like it, i will just pull it off, so im not that worried. I hope that myself and all you guys like it.


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## jpalamar (Jul 22, 2008)

Your only a few hours from me so let me know what you do it. I'd be interested in possible coming down and helping to see how it looks and how hard/easy it is to install.

Plus if you don't like it and maybe I do I'd trade peices with you


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## MikeTheDiabetic (Mar 16, 2010)

sounds good man. i will let you know. i will most likely be installing it in odd hours of the day cause thats usually when i have time. either way we can meet up some time so you can see it in person, that is if it turns out good lol.


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## Gunslinger (Jan 5, 2010)

Funny thing is I ordered the exact same thing off ebay 2 days ago..I think if you use it in moderation it will look good. Don't go overboard or it gets tacky/lame.Like the guys who wrap their hoods and bumpers in it.


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## MikeTheDiabetic (Mar 16, 2010)

oh god i know. ive seen pics of whole cars wrapped in it. i am doin the center console and the door inserts thats all. Maybe the outside door pillars, thats a big maybe. i dunno you guys will see and tel me what you think.


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## Gunslinger (Jan 5, 2010)

Just got mine in the post today.. It looks pretty good, a little plasticy, but in the right light it looks really nice.I might wrap a few bits to see how it looks. The "Aluminum" steering wheel parts and bezel around the gauges trim up around the console anr radio. too much will look tack but a little might add a nice bit to the inside.


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## MikeTheDiabetic (Mar 16, 2010)

yeah, lucky you mine somehow got ms routed so im still waiting. i am going to start with the door panels and the rear leather panels and then tackle the dash.


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## crustysack (Oct 5, 2008)

sorry guys but this stuff is crap- looks cheap and everyone I've seen with it in their car tries to tell everyone it IS carbon- the funny this about this stuff is that it photographs extremely well and looks 1000 times better in the picture than in real life- I was VERY curios when it came out so I ordered some and way VERY disappointed with the look- there is ZERO depth- what makes cf look so cool is the 3 d effect of the woven fibers after it has been clear coated properly-you DO NOT get that effect when looking at this material- save your money and do it right


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## MikeTheDiabetic (Mar 16, 2010)

We are not expecting the depth and the glossy finish. The material we ordered is called the "dry" look and I have seen it in person. I saw it on an orange gto 2 days ago and looked fantastic. No one in here is trying to pass it off as real cf we are just trying to do some subtle touches to the interior. I guess it is all in the eye of the beholder.


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## Gunslinger (Jan 5, 2010)

Crustysack is dead on the money with that comment. I was looking at it in the light today, put a few pieces on and it loooks like I stuck pieces of vinyl table cloth to my dash. Really plastic looking. On a flat surface it might look ok if you did an epoxy pour on finish that ws really thick but otherwise its total crappola. Did make a nice laptop protector though, but even that looks cheesy..


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## MikeTheDiabetic (Mar 16, 2010)

really thats too bad. you got the 3m? i saw this product up close on more than one occasion and i thought it didnt look bad at all. i guess i will have to wait and see.


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## Gunslinger (Jan 5, 2010)

Yeah its the 3M stuff. Its not bad for what it is but it looks a bit plasticy not dry. Honestly if you coated it with ample clear coat it might actually look pretty good. I have a 12"x48" section. Also if your doing anything that has curves and edges you REALLY need the primer or the edges want to peel back especially if you heat and stretch it. With the primer Ibet it would stick good. I used super 77 and tested some on my laptop and it really helped at the edges. I would love to see some pics if you pull it off, the idea sounded really good. if you could pull the whole thing out of the car and take it apart you could probably do much better job.


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## crustysack (Oct 5, 2008)

I have seen it done very well before(the whole technique of the wrap)-definitely take the parts out to do them- you need to trim the edges that you cant see when parts are in place. If you are going to do this there is another product out there that is superior to the 3m stuff - check ebay for the stuff- i think this is it item #140383585087- I just personally dont like the look


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## MikeTheDiabetic (Mar 16, 2010)

ok thanks guys. i am definatly planning on removing all of the panels and such to wrap them. i will see what happens when it gets here. im so pissed mine is taking so long. i am tracking it through usps and it said it was misrouted but it had been fixed. that was on friday of last week. i just want the stuff already.


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## Gunslinger (Jan 5, 2010)

Heat gun or really hot blowdryer a must......it heats and stretches real nice actually I was suprised how well you can get it to conform to angles but it really comes down to how good you are at workin with this stuff. I think its just not my thing, though I might try to cover the plastic engine covers just to see, then epoxy coat them to give them the finished real CF look. or I'll have another beer and not.


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## crustysack (Oct 5, 2008)

heres how some real ones look


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## Gunslinger (Jan 5, 2010)

Much nicer than I could ever get with the vinyl wrap..Where did you get those? They are nice looking, I might be in the market for a set if they arent a friggin fortune...


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## MikeTheDiabetic (Mar 16, 2010)

knowing cf i bet they are around 500. i found a guy online that will cover anything in real cf. he covers them, not replaces them but in any case it is real cf. he does a great job, still pricey tho


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## MikeTheDiabetic (Mar 16, 2010)

Ok i finally got the stuff in after almost 2 weeks. I can see why you sayits a little plasticy. All in all i think i like the stuff, it is kind of a p.i.t.a to work with but the end result is pretty good. what do you guys think? Oh and one tip if your thinking about buying this stuff and trying yourself. If you dont have a heat gun, dont bother. It just will not work without one.


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## The Detailer (Nov 1, 2009)

I had mine done, I'm thinking of removing it, Not liking it so much now, It was hard to work with. Pics in my photo's.


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## MikeTheDiabetic (Mar 16, 2010)

Yeah not a big fan of that red


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## crustysack (Oct 5, 2008)

Yes cf IS spendy, materials are through the roof and it is so labor intensive to get it to come out nice- I probably have at least 25 hours into the engine covers, I made them as 1 offs so I dont have a mold to make more.A word of caution on the carbon covering- very hard to get carbon to stick to certain materials-especially plastic- unless you can get it to mechanically bond it will not stick- I think thats one reason this 3M wrap is taking off, a little spray glue and it sticks.


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## Gunslinger (Jan 5, 2010)

That didnt turn out too bad. For what it is it looks ok. Yeah I could tell that without a heat gun you would get nowhere with that stuff. Yeah real CF is definitely tough to get to turn out perfect especially on odd shaped and angular surfaces. Ive been looking around at materials and they aint cheap but cheaper than a few years ago. I was wondering how real CF would bond the plastic of the covers or interior surfaces, you would need a chemically hot glue to bond it to the plastic. Hmm might give it a try, cant be too hard.


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## crustysack (Oct 5, 2008)

You can not get epoxy to stick to plastic but you can lay up your piece of carbon on the piece you want to cover, let it cure, pop it off, and then stick it back on with spray adhesive, double sided tape or some hot glue- most of the after market cf interior kits are held on with double sided tape. I have been working with cf for over 15 years (building custom racing sailboats) and I experiment all the time with stuff believe me when I say it almost impossible to get it to stick to plastic


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## Gunslinger (Jan 5, 2010)

Oh I believe you....I work in the paint industry, not cars, and know the woes of plastic bonding problems....You literally need something that can chemically bond to it to get a real bond. I like the spray adhesive idea. Wish it was a little cheaper so I could experiment more. Maybe I will start with some fiberglass and surfboard resin to practice the technique, even though they are different. Any suggestions online where to get less expensive cf and supplies?


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## crustysack (Oct 5, 2008)

I can sell you some cf twill for $20 per yard on a 50 inch wide roll. As far as supplies a cheaper resin then epoxy is polyester, use Polylite surfboard resin, dries quickly and clear and has some UV already in it- if you are just experimenting with technique use plain old poly resin- but remember epoxy will come out nicer and you have a lot more working time when you what to really make something to keep


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## Gunslinger (Jan 5, 2010)

Thanks for the info.Poly resin has that slight blue tint doesnt it? Yea for practice I'm sure I would use the cheaper stuff to get the technique down. 20 a yard is good from what Ive seen. How bout shipping to Los Angeles? Would be interested in a few yards to start.


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## crustysack (Oct 5, 2008)

Most polyester resins dry clear as long as you use clear MEKP ( catalyst)- the only drawback with poly is that it gets tacky really quick so you really cant wet out the carbon on a table and then drape it on your part- so the technique is to cut the carbon about 1 inch larger than the part, apply a LIGHT coat of spray adhesive to the part ( that has been waxed with a release agent-Meguires mold release wax will work fine) drap the carbon onto the part. keep in mind to be VERY gentle with the fiber pulling it will distort the weave and make it look like sh!t, also make sure there are no stray fibers on top of the material- they will stick out like a sore thumb after laminating. now your part has the carbon on it and you can wet out with a chip brush. you can dab the brush to get the air out and then after the fiber is wet out you can flow coat it- pouring resin directly on it- this technique works very well for small parts with poly resin- the resin will dry in about 1/2 hour at 70 degrees. If you time it right you can trim the edges with a razor knife- if it gets to hard then you will just sand them down. Cover your skin and use a dust mask or better yet a full face respirator -carbon fiber dust makes fiberglass dust feel like baby powder- it would be about $15-20 to ship to SoCal and it will be shipped rolled in a tube so the fibers are not creased. PM if interested and check my other threads in the classic restoration section with pics of all the parts I've made for my 65


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## Gunslinger (Jan 5, 2010)

Ok I got a little piece of CF from my buddy. Man it really is hard to get it to turn out nice and straight on something as contoured as the fuel rail covers. Im totally going to have to start on something with way more flat surface or really fill in alot of the contour on the covers.


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## crustysack (Oct 5, 2008)

Theres one reason its so expensive- its hard to make it come out nice- takes patience, practice and a good feel for how the material works- if you pull or snag one thread the part ends up looking like junk- start out with easy shapes, no hard lines


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## The Detailer (Nov 1, 2009)

Actually its not red, Its orange black and gray, Was really hard to work with and get it to stick to the parts, Not to mention it was expensive.


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## Gunslinger (Jan 5, 2010)

Ok so I have been experimenting with various products and so far have had some bad luck. I wrapped a few pieces in the car, looked great, really took my time and put more hours than I could count into it. First of all it is so far impossible to get CF to stick to ABS parts in the real world. They looked so good and perfect unitl they sat in my car all day at a 150 plus degrees in the sun. all adhesion was completely lost with spray adhesive, contact cement, epoxy, and weatherstrip adhesive. AND it turns out my epoxy coating went from rock hard to nice and soft in the summer sun. So back to the drawing board, any suggestions on names of proper clear epoxy coatings that work and dont get soft in the heat? Im having a hard time finding anything except on the web and its a bit confusing. And Im trying to find a mold making renforcing putty that goes on after the gel coat to beef up the mold.Any suggestions?


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## crustysack (Oct 5, 2008)

what kind of epoxy are you using? are you mixing it properly- epoxy is NOT like poly where more hardener make it go off quicker, measure with a gram scale to have accurate mixing ratios. Yes as mentioned before epoxy WILL NOT stick to plastic. what technique are you using to make molds?? and what are you making them out of?? I will assume polyester molds- gelcoat over the part then 2 or 3 layers of mat fiberglass then 3-4 layers of 1708 ( 17 oz double bias with a layer of 8 oz mat) unless the mold is larger than 3' x 3' no reinforcements should be needed, but you can mix in cabosil, q-cells, or even finely chopped up fiberglass to make a putty.
epoxy shouldn't get soft at 150 ( which leads me to believe your mix ratios are off) but after you lay up your part let it dry then post cure it in the oven for 4-5 hours @ 120-150 degrees F- most epoxies will not reach their Tg at room temperature for 4-5 days but will be reached much more quickly with a elevated temp cure- also keep in mind that the parts NEED to painted with a high solids UV protective paint because UV degradation of the resin is what will make the parts soften and yellow over time. You can pm me with your technique and I will help trouble shoot


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