Wheel Project Idea.
 

I'm going to run this wheel during winter. I was thinking of having the wheel face painted gun metal in color. I saw someone DIY this color on a set of BBS RK's using only Wurth spray or something. Remarkably (for a can) it turned out very well. But then I saw this video below and though it might be cooler. Basically a black vinyl wrap applied with a heat gun. Maybe the carbon finish instead of straight black vinyl.

I'm thinking of doing the 'Porsche' door decals. I see that Suncoast Porsche sells a set for $130. So the black might play well. I'm also considering wrapping the side mirrors and air intakes in 3M Di-Noc carbon wrap. Inexpensive and decent winter protection that can be easily reversed. Nice change of pace after 11 years too.

BMW Wheel 3M Di noc Carbon Fiber Wrap - YouTube

DIY: Wrapping Rims in Matte Black Vinyl - YouTube


http://i.ebayimg.com/t/PORSCHE-CAYMA...nYpe!~~0_3.JPG

http://www.porsche-decals.com/images...ication_tn.jpg

You should check out the latest hydrographics transferring techniques. It's amazing what they can do .

There are some better products available
 

now than the DINOC particularly for exterior surfaces. 3m makes a similar textured wrapping film that is more flexible than the dinoc and would probably work better on your mirrors. I work at a graphics place and we wrap cars but have not wrapped wheels yet (except to kill time on occassion). I am thinking of doing something similar to my boxster and painting (wrapping?) the wheels (sport classic II's) in matter or gloss black and doing the boxster script rocker/door decals in matter black. The car is arctic silver. I have mocked it up in photoshop several times but still have not got the nerve to do it.

I'd love to wrap the whole car in a satin black. I think it would really pop with the red interior and those Turbo wheels in the polished finish would finish the look nicely. Do you think that would ever be a DIY type project? The heat gun makes it looks like a much easier process around the bumper inlets than working with a clear bra. The big panels seem like a piece of cake.

As for the wheels have you heard of gun metal wraps? You know with like metallic/gloss type finis? the inside of the Turbo wheel has a similar color.

I don't think I would consider a DIY job unless you had some downtime with the car to practice. There are lots of cuts you have to make (door handles, weatherstripping etc.) and if you do not have a steady hand you can have exposed areas (paint) underneath the wrap....just depends on how particular you are I guess. Most of the car would be pretty simple to wrap. The radiator intake areas on the front bumper can be a challenge but the boxster is probably easire than alot of other cars. The material is 3m scotchprint 1080....I am not sure what other colors it comes in but I have had samples of the matte black, matte silver, matte white, matte green (army), and black and anthracite carbon fiber. The silver was probably my favorite and is kind of a gun metal color....not really a metal flake though. I have not worked with the clear bra material myself other than removing it from my car. The wrap material is probably more forgiving in the long run. I am not sure about the durability as it is a fairly new product but the manufacturer suggests about 3 years outdoor durability. You might get a bit more out of it on a car as the sun is the enemy of all of these kind of products.

well in theory, I was thinking about doing the easy sections on my own: hood, rear trunk, fenders, rear 1/4 panels...to save on labor time. And then having someone more in the expert category do the doors and front bumper.

I hear labor prices in the $2K to $3K neibohrhood on what appears to be less than $400-$600 in materials? That makes me think of car detailing rates. It's time consuming but the level of skill required doesn't seem to out of reach for a DIY'er. As far as the steady hand required, a lot of the cuts seem to be straight lines. Is there some sort of flexible plastic straight edge device that can used? I guess long curves like the wheel arch would be a trick.
But granted I'm not really familiar with the pricing of materials other than what I've seen on Ebay for the 3M Di-Noc. Looks like $50-$80 per panel, less if you buy in a bulk roll. I mean if you screw up, just cut another section. Point being the cost doesn't seem that huge since the work is being done section by section vs one long stretched piece where one little error would require tossing the whole section.

I can't believe I haven't found a sinlge matte black or satin black wrap Boxster on Google. Just this one guy who painted it matte black and the video quality is terrible.

We do all our trimming with a small narrow knife...
 

Olfa stainless is the brand of choice...keep a fresh blade handy. The knives are now sold at lowes. Most of the cuts you just run it along the body edge just being careful not to cut into the paint. We usually charge about 2-2.5k for a full wrap on a large truck or SUV and that is with us printing and laminating the material so it should be considerably less to have it wrapped in flat black wrapping vinyl as this film has no laminate applied to it (*supposedly built into it during manufacturing). The 3M 1080 stuff I was referring to runs $265 for a 10 yd 60" wide roll....pretty cheap. The dinoc you see people selling on ebay is probably way overpriced. There are a few other brands (oracal and avery) that offer similar products that may be just a bit less. Someone experienced with the material could probably wrap a boxster in a day pretty easily.

Just a cheap option with an easy out if you dont like. Several friends have done the "blacked Out" rim look with Plasti-Dip spray. Spray it on...looks great...dont like or surface damage during winter....Just peel it off. For a spray can job and just some degreasing prep work...it looks very impressive. Go to You Tube and type in Plasti Dip rims......
Like I said..just an option..and for $15 for all 4......without removing the tires.....Im thinking of trying it myself.

I'm heavily leaning towards doing this. Some dude in a Toyota truck decided to reverse into my bumper at the gas station. A trip to the body shop is imminent.
Once it's out I'm thinking a Reventon-esque color wrap would be good winter protection and would contrast nicely with the 997 Turbo wheels. I'm looking over the panels on the car and I don't think any are too complicated. Even the GT3 front bumper doesn't seem that complicated. The "PORSCHE" decal along the door in silver would be nice. Voila new car for $300. I have my buddy signed up to help if I help him wrap his VW

What brand of heat guns do you use?

We actually use a torch (the trigger type). Heat guns will work as well but once you use a torch it is hard to go back. If you are looking for a cheapie...the harbor freight heat guns have worked pretty well for us in the past. I think there is a brand called steniel or something similar that makes a really good one but unless you plan on using it over again it probably would not be worth it. You probably want to purchase some stuff called 3m primer 94. It is a clear liquid that use brush along the edges (door seams, fender lips, bottom of bumper, etc.) to help the material stick. Unless you put several layers of the stuff on the car, it is invisible under the vinyl and keeps the edges down that would get bumper and come into contact with road grime and water. The primer is removeable with a citrus based degreaser when you get ready to take off the wrap.

Also....you may/may not like it, but one thing they are doing now is putting vinyl decals on the vehicles and wrapping over them. It makes the wrap look embossed with the vinyl underneath it. Of course the vinyl decal is not noticeable like it is when on top of the wrap but it makes it subtle and can look really cool.

I still haven't warmed to the whole wrap idea. No reason to cover great paint with (as some I've seen) matte finished vinyl.

I'm with you MileHigh .. though there is one reason I'm really considering getting my car wrapped .. AX.

Where we run our course .. its not exactly 'dirty' but as with any big open pavement area thats not really maintained / used daily .. tiny rocks accumulate. After 2 AX events, not just my bumpers and wheel well but my doors have multiple rock chips in them. Yes most AX racer painter's tape their car but that's also a pain in the butt to do everytime. I think a wrap might be a good solution.

Especially if I could DIY it .. then every 6 months or couple track days .. for the cost of a detail job and a few hrs .. i could 'restore' my car by simply put a new layer of wrap back on.

I see. If I was going to wrap for protection, I would do a great design and a partial wrap to protect the vulnerable areas.