TAC Tech => Exterior => Topic started by: b_hill_86 on May 20, 2021, 09:56:11 AM
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I installed my decals a few years ago but with the newly added ability to add pictures I thought this might be helpful. I know when I installed mine I read varying opinions on what to expect but opinions can differ so much it was hard to know what to expect.
This is not a how-to by any means. More of a “this is what I experienced and how it turned out” so someone might be able to see what to expect.
I used a soapy water mix on the surface and back of the decals. The small ones came out fine but when it came time die the bird things got interesting. I laid the bird down where I wanted it and lairs tape to mark it. After wetting both surfaces my dad and I started in the center squeegeeing from the center out. We were very careful and thought we got all of the bubbles out. Once the backing came off is when we could see how many bubbles there were and I messed up the tail feathers somehow. My dad was sick to his stomach he said. He wanted to rip it off and buy me a new bird to retry. I said no.
I used the pin pop method to get rid of some larger bubbles but there were a LOT of little ones. Well after probably a week of sitting out in the September (or August? Can’t remember) sun a few hours a day it came out just fine. Even the tail feathers! There are one or two spots where I tried to squeegee large bubbles out and I stretched the vinyl. Don’t do that lol. Resist the urge. I can still find them but I doubt most, if any, people see them.
Hope this helps someone know what to expect and hopefully not throw in the towel if the initial results don’t look salvageable. I was surprised how well the bubbles came out.
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A day or two later
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3-4 days. Just some little ones left. Wasn’t sure if those would come out completely
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And the final product. I still can’t believe those tail feathers laid down. Hope it helps though!
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I would have been sick to my stomach as well so I can understand how your dad felt. It turned out exceptionally well considering all the bubbles! I like the color of that bird on a black car!
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Nice job Brian. You're way braver than I am.
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I have two installation under my belt but none came out that good. Nice job.
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Thanks guys, I appreciate it. It was a little intimidating but wasn’t bad overall. I’d do it again if necessary.
Larry, thanks. I wanted something different. The car was originally silver when I bought it but desperately needed paint. I’m not overly into silver, especially on 77/78s so I was very hesitant to spend the money on paint and body to risk being unhappy. I decided on black (which I regret in some ways still too) but thought the black and charcoal would look nice plus it’s what could have been paired with the silver so that’s what I went with. They should’ve been an option on a black car. I think they look good.
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I could cut and paste your installation experience. Almost identical to mine, except I am the father and my son was helping. Did everything the same way, after it was squeegeed (is that even a word?) we peeled off the top layer of paper, only mine looked absolutely perfect. Not a bubble one, I told my son of all the horror stories and we laughed at how easy it really was. Went back out after an hour or so and the thing was completely full of bubbles. You know how I felt then. I too was tempted to pull it off and start over. Pretty much did the same as you, now it looks darn near perfect.
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Wow that’s crazy yours started out flat and then bubbled. Makes me wonder if mine did too cause I think I left the backing on initially. I can’t remember. Funny too...when I typed my first paragraph I typed “squeegeeing” followed by “(if that’s even a word)”. When I went back to reread my post to make sure it made sense my phone changed squeegeeing into some weird word but when I went to edit the post my phone must have figured out it was indeed a word so I deleted the rest lol.
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Almost the same experience here. Lot's of bubbles and a strong temptation to go off in a corner and cry.
My message to anyone looking to do this the first time is that it's not difficult at all, and DO NOT worry about bubbles. All mine dissipated in less then a week. I would go so far as to say that bubbles are a normal part of the process.
A couple considerations. First is that the top paper is so thick that you can't really see bubbles through it so you won't realize you have them until after you pull the paper off. Expect this.
Second is what we consider to be bubbles. I used the gel solution and all my "bubbles" were pockets of gel trapped between the edges of the graphic. These kind will dissipate. I'm not sure what would happen if you have true "air bubbles". It seems like you would have to be pretty sloppy laying the graphic down to get air trapped underneath but I wonder if those would dissipate like the gel pockets.
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I would also emphasize the you need to resist the urge to work out really hard or stubborn bubbles. I too stretched my graphic trying to get out a large bubble. I did have two bubbles that turned into really small wrinkles. I should have left it alone instead of working on the bubbles so much. One day I may replace it but it's ok for now.
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My experience was very similar, although not quite as extreme. The best thing we did was just quit working on it. I didn't feel good about it, parked it, went on a usual business trip, came back and looked at it a week later and was amazed that it was nearly perfect. Good write up and advice.
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These are all great tips and points! I had no idea everyone else had such a similar experience. Nothing I found really prepared me for those initial bubbles or what was normal so I think someone who reads this in the future might be able to avoid that pit in their stomach we all felt hopefully lol