Advice on Flame Kits

[Robinh]

Okay, got my vinyl today, going with a flame kit that's somewhere between chrome and ghost, can't wait to get them on. Looking for sage advice from the learned one's here, other than the normal, "wash it good, take your time, use good lubricant", etc. Any tips???

Pics of the kit below - these are from hotrodworks.com or flame-it.net (same place) and Woody made me custom flames for over the sport bar, which I couldn't find a good example of anywhere. Then he made nice gas cap flames too. So he's hooked me up, now all I have to do is install them...

I've labeled the flames so you can get an idea of where they are going:

[PTPreacher]

Looking good Robin,
I hope you put a picture on the site when you get them on....PTpreacher

[Robinh]

I'm doing sort of a photographic diary as I complete them, but am posting that on my site. Right now I only have photos from last weekend's show, as I just threw the site together over last weekend, but should have many more up there soon...

You can check it out a Chromenut's 2006 PT Cruiser GT Convertible Photos

[NCPTCruiser]

I do know for a fact you are gonna have to remove wax from any body part you are placing the vinyl, I use Gunk® Bug & Tar Remover to prep my waxed surfaces...
more good advice to be had over at Streamlinedesigns.com

StreamlineDesign.com - Support

[Robinh]

I plan on washing, then claybarring before applying, should be extremely clean by then...

[NCPTCruiser]

that's great...but you need to remove the wax...make the bug & tar remover your first step.

if you don't, you may have trouble with the vinyl not adhering to the surface...just trying to save you some grief here bro!

[2_2COOL]

The clay should remove the wax...but...just to be safe I always wash the area with Dawn dish soap (then wax surrounding areas soon after avoiding the vinyl edges).
My best suggestions after having done a LOT of large vinyl installs is to:
Have a helper who's in for the long haul, don't be in a rush, find a good place free of wind & in the shade, use the hinge method (use tape to keep the pieces aligned), measure several times especially when doing the sides so they are relatively even, take your time & use plenty of wetting fluid, do it when you are in a calm & patient mood, if it looks like you've messed up calmly try to repair what you've done. 99 out of 100 times you can fix it (Tim & I have had our share of mishaps & we've managed to fix nearly all of them to be practically unnoticeable & I am an EXTREME perfectionist).
Make a soft side on one of your hard car installation tools (plastic squeege). I used some spare felt (you could also use T shirt. I folded several layers over ONE side & duck taped it on. This is used on the flames AFTER the carrier tape is removed (if you have it), and to smooth out extra fluid & bubbles. Have a VERY sharp fine tipped needle handy to pop bubbles after a day or two in the sun.
These tips have served me well. I hope they help you too.
GOOD LUCK!! Your flames look relatively small & easy to handle. You should do just fine. I've had 3 sets of large vinyl flames over the last 8 years. The most important advice I can give you is watch the vinyl's finish. If it dulls & discolors, or looks grey & colorless REMOVE IT ASAP. Removing damaged vinyl (powdery grey or cracked) is a true living nightmare. Removing old but still relatively decent condition (dulling w/out heavily faded spots) vinyl is a walk in the park. No problem whatsoever.
Here's a pic that shows the soft sided squeege I was mentioning. The hardest part of this installation was aligning the hood pieces. I think that alone took us over an hour. We got them within 1/8 inch though. Not bad for amateurs! lol

[Robinh]

Thanks all. I did a bit of prep-shopping to make sure I had what I needed, ended up with a really nice rubber tool that a friend who owns a window film company gave me, he does full body graphics on company trucks all the time and gave me one of the tools he said was 'priceless' in doing what you are suggesting, Rach. Also he agreed that getting it spotless, and removing any wax that I can, is essential to getting a good bond. Luckily I'm starting with a "mini" flame kit, and have extras in case I goof it up, but as OCD as I am I'm hoping it'll turn out all right. If I go slow and easy, should be fine. The only decal that I have that I'll need a helper with is probably one of the easiest, that is the one going across the top of the windshield as it is the entire width of it. That one I'll definitely have to hinge to get it just right, but being a vert at least I can stand inside with the top down and align right along the top edge of the windshield without a lot of trouble. Because most of the others line up on a given edge (ie. the headlight frame, the fender well, etc.), I think aligning them so both sides are equal should be easier, well, at least not as difficult as say the hood would be. We shall see. I'm going to mix up the 3 drops of dish soap to a bottle of water and test a few spots tomorrow, if it doesn't rain. Have some blanks that can use to get the feel for it, so I can screw that up and not have my first mistake one of the good pieces.

As to removing old vinyl, I've been told that my heat gun would be my best friend, that heating them up properly you can almost slip them right off, but then you're left with a good cleanup afterwards.

Anyway, thanks all for the suggestions, I'm hoping to get these on before Saturday's show at the AutoFair at Lowe's Motor Speedway...

[Robinh]

Oh, big question, going across breaks, like fender to door panel... how do you handle the cuts???

[NCPTCruiser]

I'd try to trim the excess as close to the edge as possible ( single edge razor ), then hopeful the rest should adhere around the curve out of sight.