Project Spec-V: Part 23: Getting the Look Down
9/17/2007
Now that most of the difficult mechanical work is done for Project Spec-V we now have to turn to the all important cosmetic aspect of the car. For a racecar to be successful, it also has to look good. Looking good is important for the sake of your sponsors. Your car must make a good impression on the public since you directly reflect your sponsor. Usually this means spending big bucks on a custom paint job with a flashy theme, which is sometimes a project just as arduous, expensive and time consuming as building the car itself.
In the rough and tumble environment of road racing, custom paint jobs seldom last long. Most race tracks in California are located in the middle of the desert. This means that the finish of the car is subjected to blasting by sand and rocks continuously even if nary a wheel is misplaced off road. Sometimes the conditions are so bad that the paint and windshields are completely chipped and pitted after one race weekend. It is said that racing is like rubbing and cars bump and grind off of each other on a routine basis. Under these conditions, keeping a custom paint job looking sharp is a very expensive proposition.
To bypass these issues we decided to use a new technology in vehicle finishing. Our finished car has the best of both worlds; a wild looking vehicle that is easy, and quick to apply. We turned to the folks at Modern Image for help. Modern Image is a graphics house with extensive experience in custom vehicles and race cars. Many NASCAR Teams and Import enthusiasts use Modern Image’s services.
We first had to start with a design. We really wanted something wild. After looking at an RC car magazine we were inspired at the graphics that the RC guys use. So we sought out Charlie Barns of CFX Designs. Charlie is one of the leading custom painters of the RC world who also happens to be a Graphics Design Instructor for a local College. Using a RC car aesthetic, Charlie created a rendering of our car in Adobe Photoshop working from a photo of our actual car. We came up with several revisions of the design until we had something that the guys at Nitto, our main sponsor liked. Being able to show your sponsor what their car will look like before its done is a plus. 
We took the rendering to Modern Image where Charlie worked with Max, Modern Image’s art director, to scale the design of the car, using photos of the car.
Once everything was to scale, Max printed the design of the car onto a special plastic film. The film is designed to replace paint as the main finish of the car! The printer is very similar to a dot matrix printer but it is much larger and the ink used is more like a permanent paint than a simple ink. 
The plastic film has multiple layers designed to be very durable when exposed to outdoor conditions. It still manages to be very elastic so it can be stretched over the curvy surface of a car without wrinkling. 
Once printed, the film was run though another machine where it is coated with a clear coat. The clear coat gives the film gloss and more resistance to UV light. 
This process creates a giant sticker that can be applied over the surface of the entire car! Before application, the backing is peeled off like a giant sticker and then is stuck to the car.Another reason why the film works so well is the adhesive used. The film is applied to the car dry. The adhesive sticks to the car tenaciously but can be pulled up and put back down without harm or loss of its adhesive power. This makes it possible to stretch the film tightly over curvy parts of the car without wrinkling. It also means that the film leaves no residue when it is removed for quick and easy repairs. When you look closely at the adhesive you can see little channels in it. The channels let air trapped between the film and the car body to be releases easily so bubbles don’t form.
Our giant sticker is walked over to the car and carefully set down on the body. At this point there is no way this seems like it’s going to work that well!
Joe, Modern Image’s installer, begins by burnishing the film down with felt blocks and plastic squeegees. This helps get the air bubbles out. . In areas with compound curves, Joe carefully stretches the film and uses a heat gun to soften the film. 
Once the film is down, Joe uses a knife to trim around the edges for a finished look. 
Believe it or not, the film is starting to look like a paint job.
Soon the side and roof of the car is finished and looking good.
A windshield banner is laid down and trimmed in a similar manner.
The bumpers have severe curves which is a challenge for this process. The film is placed on the bumper and a squeegee is used to press it to the surface.
A heat gun is also used to soften and help stretch the material. Care must be taken not to overstretch the film or the colors will lighten and it could possibly lift later. 
A knife is used to trim the film near the edges of body panels and around other details.
The bumper starts to gain shape. A few spots on the front of the car were beyond the films ability to stretch so other pieces of film had to be spliced into these areas. Other than in these small inconspicuous places the film went on in one piece over the whole car. 
To protect our expensive Lexan windshield we used windshield skin. One of the problems with track driven-cars is window pitting and cracking from sand and rocks. Windshield skin is a flexible and hard protective layer to protect the glass or in our case, Lexan. The film also blocks UV and heat from the interior of the car. Enrico wets the film down with a mixture of water and baby shampoo. The film is applied wet and a squeegee is used to press it on, similar to windshield tint.
Most racing associations require that you tape your headlights to prevent shattering and dropping glass on the track. We used headlight protective film from Xpel to avoid the look of tape. Xpel film is used on ALMS racers for headlight protection. The Xpel kit uses a thick, precut polyurethane film that gives the headlights reinforced protection. We think that the yellow also looks cool. The film is applied wet and a heat gun is used to help shrink the film around the headlight curves. 
We also wanted to protect and black out our taillights. This time we used a precut film kit from Headlightarmor.com to cover our rear lights. The blackout film is applied in the same manor as the headlight film and gives the rear of our car a cool look.
To help improve the durability of our wrap job, protecting it from blasts of rock and sand common on Southern California tracks; we applied clear bra material from MIL, Modern Images clear bra division. 
Clear bra is a multi layer tough polyurethane film that resists impacts from sand and rocks. It is also very elastic and can be stretched around most bumpers allowing a clean installation with few seams. Clear bra is essential to protect the finish of any car driven on the track or street. 
Like the other films, a heat gun is used to help stretch the film into place. The water and baby shampoo mixture is used for flat surfaces.
Our finished car! Our wrap and protection job is done. 
Believe it or not, it is nearly impossible to distinguish our wrap job from a custom paint job. The whole process only took a couple of days. No more kissing your car goodbye for months at a body shop. 
Our wrap job is easily and quickly patched in a wreck or touched up if it gets pitted or abraded. This makes it quick and easy to keep the car looking professional. If we get tired of the look, it can be completely changed in mere days. 
Stay tuned. We are coming down to the wire!