Is Vinyl Wrapping An Aluminum Grille Possible?

We take a stab at vinyl wrapping the grill on our 1964 Falcon Hardtop. Leasons were learned. And Yes, I will try again.

#mustang #Cougar #Fairlane #Galaxie #Maverick #F100

Episode 261 Manic Mechanic

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[EricHawleyofShaw]

Love that you tried and showed how it "failed". Cross that one off my list of things to try, cuz you showed my why not...

[heathhenderson]

I vinyl chrome wrapped a few interior pieces on my 55 Oldsmobile after watching one of your episodes and it worked perfectly. 👍 thank you

[johnbarker]

You're a a braver man than I am! That's a really difficult thing to wrap and I don't think I'd have tried it.

[blakeneysanders]

I think if I have tried doing that on YouTube, there's a high probability my channel would be banned 😂. Thanks for saving me. Another awesome video as always.

[davidryan]

Congratulations You just qualified for Sainthood, it was smart to screw the grill down because I would have thrown it across the garage, your patience is truly outstanding, thanks for all the effort.

[AnnoyedCoastalBeach-nltm]

Way back when I was a helper if I was having trouble the mechanic would say you aren't holding your mouth right.

[paulbruno]

Another option is chrome spray paint.
It actually works pretty good.

[bjsteg]

Better than my first attempt at wrapping or doing window tint! Water between the adhesive and substrate, along with heat from a hairdryer or heat gun makes this whole job very easy. Vinyl is very stretchy when warmed up and helps wrap without wrinkles or seams. The adhesive does not react with water so you can float the vinyl on the substrate to position, stretch, and squeegee without much effort. All that is left is a very sharp razor and a light touch to make cuts and trim off excess... disposable ones with the break-off end are perfect.

[kennethstaszak]

It didn't turn out too bad for a first try but it's selvage not slevage. It's a term from the fabric industry.I haven't tried wrapping a grille but when doing wider vinyl striping I use soapy water or glass cleaner as a lubricant to prevent the vinyl from sticking prematurely. Rubbing the vinyl down forces the water from between the base and the vinyl and the adhesive takes hold. Another thing that can help is to cut a piece wider than you think you need to allow for the different lengths of the edges. If you templated it out you would find that the shape needed would be a shallow vee.

[Mechazawa]

I wonder if a vacuum forming machine would make this work better and much easier.

[robertmcdonald]

If you decide to try this again (either redoing this one or doing another) I would suggest starting with a much bigger piece of material. Start in the center and work your way out. This way you aren't trying to pull and reposition so often. Cut off excess and shrink it with the heat gun.

[lilorbielilorbie]

It doesn't look all that bad really. And for the vinyl "experts" Just remember the first thing that you wrapped. I'll bet it wasn't perfect.

[gregorycasarotti]

I did all the aluminum trim on my ‘64 Futura using a solution of lye and water “CAREFULLY” . Brushed it on a small area at a time removing the anodization washing the solution off quickly . It turns the aluminum to a milky finished . I then used a good chrome cleaner to polish the aluminum to a shine real close to the shine of the original anodized shine. It took time labor wise but lye is cheap, couple of bucks for a pound and water from the faucet. Rubber gloves and safety glasses a must.

[robbjohns]

Years ago, I took my 64 grille to a plater and had them re-anodize it and the finish wasn't what I was looking for, so I had them strip off all the anodizing and I ended up with a plain aluminum grille that could then be hand polished. The results were amazing. Did the same for the headlight bezels. I'm not sure that chrome is the best look for the grille, but polished aluminum has a kind of warm mirror finish which I think looks better.

[whatyaworkingontoday]

If this doesn’t sell Vivvid Vinyl, nothing will. That stuff took an ass whipping and never gave up the ghost. Final results aren’t important right now, strength and forgiveness with workability are the winners today.

[markhouck]

Jeff, you give it a good try. I'm thinking of doing it on my front bumper. It's definitely an art. The area with opening really marks it the challenge. I give you 7 of 10 for trying.. lol

[davidlaborde]

Sherman's flank at Shiloh... NICE!!!

[donbellot]

Hindsight is the only way I can see clearly. That being said, I would definitely start in the middle and work my way out. They can't all be zingers.

[jerrybishop]

I follow flying sparks too. i remember those episodes and yes, they concluded it wasnt worth the effort. i think the goonzquad folks had the same conclusion. I did a vinyl carbon fiber wrap on the chrome part of the grill in m 2010 flex. it was a pain but worth it.

[CopCat]

I like your vinyl wrap poster, especially 'as seen on TV.' I would pay someone to wrap any and all car parts. Thanks for the college try.