Outboard motor cowling help

[Miliani]

Hello, I am new to wrapping and I would like to wrap my outboard motor cowling. The back part of the cowling has deep indentations as shown in the attached picture and I am wondering that best way to wrap those holes. Can I go over top of them and then cut the middle section out or cut a slit and then push the vinyl in to cover the indentations and then trim the rest after it is adhered? Or is there another technique that would work better? I would also appreciate suggestions on which brand of vinyl would work best for this application.

 

[Boudica]

Ambitious project for someone who's never wrapped anything before. Good luck!

 

[Miliani]

Well I thought I'd start small but I understand this is not the easiest shape to wrap. I guess worst case is that I tear it off and try again!

 

[defarge]

You will have to do inlays (separate pieces) in all the indentations. Also, if the plastic has any texture to it at all, regular wrap vinyl won't stick long term, it will peel up on the edges and corners, if not just fall off the whole thing. If it's smooth, I would use 3M 2080 rather than Avery, because the 3M is a little bit stickier. This is probably the second-worst first wrap project, behind trying to one-piece a motorcycle helmet. Definitely not Vivvid, Teckwrap, or any of the cheesy chinese calendared films.

 

[somcalmetim]

Some 3M adhesion promoter would help but I doubt there is any way to wrap that completely...those hard inside corners will peel back up...
You could pre wrap the indents with smaller section of vinyl with as few seams as possible and then wrap the entire outside in one and trim away the indent holes to leave the prewrapped hole sections visible....
buuuut...I would figure out what the background color is going to be and paint those indents with a spray bomb then wrap everything else and if you cant wrap it at least its a matching color if you have to trim it back...
Some molded plastics are coated in a weird mold release chemical you cant see but screws up adhesion so it can help to run a torch over it quickly to flame treat the plastic and burn off the mold release chemical before wrapping...3M 180/2080 works good but there is also other options with super adhesive for weirder sandcast plastics common in rec vehicles.

 

[Miliani]

Thanks for the replies and based on the comments and my lack of experience I think I'll find something else to practice on. The main reason I want to do this cowling is protection from the sun so the most critical areas are those that take direct sun. Maybe I will just try to do the top and some of the side flat section in the same color black as my cowling to start with and see how that goes. What is the best way to find true representations of colors of 3M 2080? Will they send you a sample chart if you ask them or is there some other way?

 

[Ron at Forest Litho]

Does the cowling get hot from the motor? Will heat be a problem for the wrap?

 

[Miliani]

Yes it does got hot from the motor and from the sun. Will that cause it to fail? I do know that people wrap outboards so I didn't think it would be an issue.

 

[SightLine]

Thanks for the replies and based on the comments and my lack of experience I think I'll find something else to practice on. The main reason I want to do this cowling is protection from the sun so the most critical areas are those that take direct sun. Maybe I will just try to do the top and some of the side flat section in the same color black as my cowling to start with and see how that goes. What is the best way to find true representations of colors of 3M 2080? Will they send you a sample chart if you ask them or is there some other way?

If you are a sign company that has been in business for quite some time and regularly buying materials then your sales rep from your wholesale distributors "might" get you a 3M 2080 (or other brands) swatch book at no cost. Otherwise most suppliers do sell them...

 

[damonCA21]

The best way to wrap that in a single colour is to paint it! Seriously, some shapes really don't work well with wraps. It works best on larger mostly flat areas like car panels, which is why it is popular for those. You see very few nearly spherical shapes being wrapped.

 

[Notarealsignguy]

Paint it. Cheaper, will look better, last longer and you won't end up with white areas where it can't be wrapped. We have painted a lot of vehicles that were wrapped, sun destroyed it (especially hoods and roofs) and the vinyl couldn't be reasonably removed without damaging the finish. There's no way Id wrap an engine cowl. Heat and sun will wipe that out pretty quickly.