Wrap Done Right

"Josh Welton" (watchtheprettylight) 10/04/2015 at 17:50 • Filed to: truck yeah, wrap, brown dog welding, the wrap mafia, mopar, ram, detroit drop, detroit, daily driver

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Usually when you wanna do a vehicle wrap, you start off with a dark finish. Black, grey—-something that won’t pop out at you when you change the main color.

So of course I started with a white truck to do a brown and black wrap. My insane friends at !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! love a good challenge, and my god did they knock this thing out of the park. If there’s been another wrap done up to this level of detail, I haven’t seen it. I did a post on my !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! project as a whole, but the wrap deserved a write up of its own.

The starting point, my ‘09 R/T:

We’ve all seen frame-off restorations. How about a frame-off wrap?

The tailgate is super cool. I didn’t want to go full “shop truck,” but Jeff Watkins (the man behind Wrap Mafia) had an idea to give it a “Brown Dog” identity in a subtle manner.

The black-down-the-center theme starts in the front fascia and runs up and back all the way to the tonneau cover.

Kill All the White

Handles, before and after.

The bed was problematic due to the new welded-in rollpan. That meant he entire back half of the truck was one piece, no easy places to hide a seam. Skills.

3M’s Matte Brown Metallic is pretty freaking rad. Hard to really show it’s brilliance in pictures, but my buddy/photographer !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and I drove around Detroit and he shot some slick images of the finished finish. This was after we drove the Detroit to Cleveland to Detroit !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , so she was a bit dirty.

Again, love the tailgate. And check out the tonneau handle.

Slightly tinted headlights and yellow fogs set it off (note the train station photo bomb)...

Yeah. That’s how you do a wrap.

Blondude > Josh Welton 10/04/2015 at 17:52

1

That is one hell of a wrap.

TractorPillow > Josh Welton 10/04/2015 at 17:55

0

Wow nice.

akant > Josh Welton 10/04/2015 at 17:55

5

How do you maintain a wrap like that?

Josh Welton > akant 10/04/2015 at 17:56

5

Marc at AutoLavish did a protective coat on it like he did my Challenger, and I just wash it like I do the car.

red_ > Josh Welton 10/04/2015 at 17:58

5

Thats sick

Birddog > Josh Welton 10/04/2015 at 18:00

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That’s beautiful. Really, that’s beyond words.

It almost looks like weathered Copper.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > Josh Welton 10/04/2015 at 18:09

2

Ballpark on cost for something that extensive? What would a respray cost?

Looks badass.

Josh Welton > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 10/04/2015 at 18:24

10

Wrap, 3-5k. A full paint job would twice-ish that.

akant > Josh Welton 10/04/2015 at 18:39

3

Very cool! Being able to treat it like a normal finish must be a big selling point.

That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms > Josh Welton 10/04/2015 at 18:45

14

Whoa. I can’t believe they were able to do that in the door jambs. Insane, and looks fantastic.

4 cam torino > Josh Welton 10/04/2015 at 18:57

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So, you don’t wash it? :)

Josh Welton > 4 cam torino 10/04/2015 at 19:20

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I did once, that was a mistake.

Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch > Josh Welton 10/04/2015 at 19:47

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I can’t get over how awesome of a job everyone involved did. The tailgate detail is amazing. The door wraps are so thorough.

10/10 would daily.

Josh Welton > Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch 10/04/2015 at 19:52

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Werd. Ice Nine did an incredible job sculpting in the Grant Kustoms rollpan to fit the body lines too. And Max Sullivan with the rendering, Wrap Mafia followed it to a T. It’s nice walking out to this or the Scat Pack.

Urambo Tauro > Josh Welton 10/04/2015 at 20:47

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What’s the life expectancy of a well-executed wrap like this?

gmctavish needs more space > Josh Welton 10/04/2015 at 20:51

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Wow, that is seriously something else. What fantastic attention to detail

Milky > Josh Welton 10/04/2015 at 20:58

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Dat subtle train station shot.

Truck still looks great.

anon-sxmcyecofnu1eocpqsk9iq > Josh Welton 10/05/2015 at 00:54

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I never really liked pickup trucks, but this is awesome. I love the color and how great it looks on the truck.

Josh Welton > Birddog 10/05/2015 at 09:18

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In person the color is nuts. Looks satin under clouds, then has a little shine when the sun hits it . New color from 3m this year, so rad.

David Ruddock > Josh Welton 10/05/2015 at 17:54

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That’s also a TON of material. Smaller cars cost significantly less to wrap in both time and material. Thinking of getting my ‘16 MX-5 wrapped a few months after I get it, and I was ballparking 1.5-2.5k for that.

Brian, The Life of > Josh Welton 10/05/2015 at 17:56

26

I love, Love, LOVE this embossed look. Never seen that done before. So neat!

FJ80WaitinForaLSV8 > Josh Welton 10/05/2015 at 17:56

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Dude love it. She looks awesome. I have to ask though. If you’re going to go through that much trouble, what are the advantages of wrapping vs painting? How much cheaper is it when you’re pulling all those parts off?

David Ruddock > Josh Welton 10/05/2015 at 17:57

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I’m not a smoked taillight kind of guy, but the rest of this truck looks great. The copper is just outstanding. Super cool and you’re just not going to see anything else like it on the road. I was a matte-hater for ages, but I’m starting to come around on matte vinyl, which doesn’t have all the ludicrous care issues that matte paint does. Cool stuff.

Mustang 'DontHitTheCrowd' GT > Josh Welton 10/05/2015 at 17:57

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Whats your Challenger look like? :) Great wrap!

Pending Approval > Josh Welton 10/05/2015 at 17:58

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nice smoked brake lights you fuck. I hope looking dope as hell is worth getting rear ended.

Vin > Josh Welton 10/05/2015 at 17:59

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A+ results. That is one bad-ass truck my friend.

HolyShi > Josh Welton 10/05/2015 at 18:00

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I like this. I think it’s a great color and done very well!

However, what’s the benefit of a wrap over a new paint job? It seems as much work, and wouldn’t the vinyl have the possibility of tearing?

Just curious.

Doctor-G-and-the-wagen > Josh Welton 10/05/2015 at 18:01

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So now anyone can wrap their wagon to have the mythical brown wagon.

Urambo Tauro > Pending Approval 10/05/2015 at 18:01

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I’ll give it a pass if the lights are bright enough to overcome the lenses.

darthd > Josh Welton 10/05/2015 at 18:02

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I tinted my tail lights so they work less. No, I tinted MY tail lights so they work less.

DamnTheNoise > Josh Welton 10/05/2015 at 18:02

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Did you consider spray dip? Looking to understand potential pros/cons.

Looks great.

Pending Approval > Urambo Tauro 10/05/2015 at 18:03

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are they ever though?

My 2 Cents > Josh Welton 10/05/2015 at 18:06

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Fuck. Thats more than my best friend spent to buy his whole car.

Marioshi > Birddog 10/05/2015 at 18:06

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Except weathered copper is green, think statue of liberty. ;)

Karmakazee > Josh Welton 10/05/2015 at 18:08

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street truck with off road tires?

GOAT__RODEO > Josh Welton 10/05/2015 at 18:11

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you should get it lifted so you can get some use out of those nice tires. :)

T off the New > Josh Welton 10/05/2015 at 18:13

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TheDon > Josh Welton 10/05/2015 at 18:13

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Damn....

I want a truck like that

AfromanGTO > Josh Welton 10/05/2015 at 18:14

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That looks really good, and that is the correct way to wrap a vehicle!

Autohaus Derp > Josh Welton 10/05/2015 at 18:14

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Holy shit. Literally.

Looks incredible!

Chariotoflove > Josh Welton 10/05/2015 at 18:14

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Since you obviously know what you’re doing, would you answer some questions? I have wondered about the advisability of wrapping as an alternative to paint. If you plan to change the color long-term, I would think that any ding or scratch would ruin your investment because you can’t repair it. Is that true? Overall, how would you compare the advisability of wrap vs paint? Is a wrap only for short-term look change, or can it be a good long-term option?

MrAcoustics > Pending Approval 10/05/2015 at 18:16

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If those are the stock LED tail lights then he just did the public a service. The stock LED tails on those trucks are way too bright. I own one and always feel bad for people that get stuck behind me at a stoplight.

Joe Squirrel > Josh Welton 10/05/2015 at 18:17

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This thing looks like a turd on wheels.

Axis ThirtyTwo > Pending Approval 10/05/2015 at 18:19

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Really, I feel like even if your opinion is warranted regarding the taillights being less visible...why did you pick that out? The article was about the wrap job, the skills involved, the materials. I know this is the internet blah blah blah but really? Somebody take this guys username seriously and send him back to the Grey’s.

Wind_sail > Josh Welton 10/05/2015 at 18:20

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Big fan of brown paint/yellow fogs. This truck is beautifully not over done.

Maxaxle > Josh Welton 10/05/2015 at 18:21

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BROWN

William Robinson > Josh Welton 10/05/2015 at 18:27

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Humm that would make my white 15 chrysler 200 be the bestest brownednessed car it could be. Kinda happy I got whit now. Those matte metallic 3M wraps look great.

Oh and the wrap mafia make every installer local to me look like children. And they are much more even in cdn dough.

shop-teacher > Josh Welton 10/05/2015 at 18:30

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It really does look fantastic!

bdubya > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 10/05/2015 at 18:31

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How long does it last compared to paint.lol.

jcn-txct > Josh Welton 10/05/2015 at 18:32

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Great color, I wish manufacturers would expand their color palates. Really good looking truck! Pardon my ignorance, other than the tailgate detail, why not paint it instead? Is it the cost or the time?

MrAcoustics > Josh Welton 10/05/2015 at 18:36

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Man that is sweet. It makes my dropped R/T Ram seem so boring now, and it still gets plenty of looks.

Kdub > Josh Welton 10/05/2015 at 18:41

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This is my car and yes the brown metallic is striking. I can't think of a better color to rewrap it with.

66671 - 200 [METRIC] my dash > Josh Welton 10/05/2015 at 18:42

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I think it looks great, but I think the rims matching is a bit too much, if they were a dark silver/grey (idk about black) then it would be perfect for me.

Tymm Thorpe > Josh Welton 10/05/2015 at 18:45

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This has nothing to do with this post, but can someone tell me what's going on with the comments today?

Tymm Thorpe > Tymm Thorpe 10/05/2015 at 18:45

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And now I'm back in the greys.

SlowlyCrazy > Josh Welton 10/05/2015 at 18:52

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Guessing it refused to get in the tub and promptly rolled around in the dirt.

24kt Silver > Josh Welton 10/05/2015 at 19:04

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I don’t like wraps. Or pick up trucks.

But I gotta admit, that looks nice. Good job...clearly they take pride in it. The American Way.

RedWhine > Urambo Tauro 10/05/2015 at 19:06

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Curious about that as well

A dude who likes cars. > Josh Welton 10/05/2015 at 19:08

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Why put knobby off-road tires on a lowered truck? Weird.

SerialThriller > Josh Welton 10/05/2015 at 19:10

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Are the wheels wrapped, too?

RavenousRam > Josh Welton 10/05/2015 at 19:12

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Hmm I am debating selling my ‘11 after some issues including a water pump going up at 60k, but this looks very enticing and maybe would rekindle my feelings for my truck. How would silver paint do under a color like that beautiful brown? Also if your a Cleveland Dawg pounder, you must get all kinds of love.

Foo2rama > Josh Welton 10/05/2015 at 19:19

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Are those TE37’s on a truck?

SaabLife, because Gripen > Pending Approval 10/05/2015 at 19:28

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Looks like they work fine to me. Not sure what the issue is.

Urambo Tauro > Pending Approval 10/05/2015 at 19:43

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are they ever though?

Yes. Take a standard dual-filament incandescent 3157 bulb, for example. It has an output of about 402 lumens for brake/turn indication, and about 38 lumens for the dim filament (running lights). There are many available LED replacements that easily exceed this.

Naughty0ne > Josh Welton 10/05/2015 at 19:48

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Noe you just need some Trucoat

Dangerous > Josh Welton 10/05/2015 at 19:49

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That’s straight up beautiful no doubt, but isn’t it kind of a bummer knowing someday that stuff is going to get brittle and faded? And then isn’t it going to be virtually impossible to “peel” off at that point? Or, do you plan on removing it in like 5 years or something? I dunno, I just personally would prefer paint for something this awesome...I’d want that shit permanently.

SP23 > Maxaxle 10/05/2015 at 19:51

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I read this in Mr. Regular’s voice.

ECS Camaro > Josh Welton 10/05/2015 at 19:52

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LOVE the matte colors. HATE the brown. GM needs to start offering matte colors for their “performance” cars, and other models.

I need a bigger hammer > Josh Welton 10/05/2015 at 19:56

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How long will it last with good upkeep? I’d imagine, while twice as much, a professional respray would last decades.

Skamanda > Josh Welton 10/05/2015 at 19:58

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Love the Depot...

Skamanda > Josh Welton 10/05/2015 at 19:59

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So, it may be a bit gauche to ask but since I’m considering wrapping my MINI, I’ll risk it... How much does a full wrap cost?

And how long does the wrap last?

boilerdam3 > anon-sxmcyecofnu1eocpqsk9iq 10/05/2015 at 20:14

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Came here to say exactly that - never liked pickups but the smooth-out contours & flat look make that truck really awesome. Audi bros!

HemiJKU > Josh Welton 10/05/2015 at 20:15

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Awesome truck! I think I may have seen you driving around town. Makes me regret going with a boring matte white wrap on mine.

zipfuel > Josh Welton 10/05/2015 at 20:26

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Gorgeous colour: Now we need to see it on a wagon...

cire78 > Josh Welton 10/05/2015 at 20:28

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The average wrap costs 3-5k, what did THIS wrap cost?

nmalinoski > Josh Welton 10/05/2015 at 20:36

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I probably would’ve cut these out; or if they’re those stupid service-in-X-miles stickers, removed them altogether.

nmalinoski > Josh Welton 10/05/2015 at 20:37

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Shame on you for having smoked lights.

ironshoe > Josh Welton 10/05/2015 at 20:47

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This is the best wrap job I have seen yet. How is washing the truck with the wrap?

Drzhivago138 > SP23 10/05/2015 at 20:55

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BROWN BROWN BROWN BROWN EZRA POUND

chaos-cascade > Josh Welton 10/05/2015 at 21:06

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They did a hell of a good job on that. I can’t imagine how tricky the door handles, and door sills were to do. I want to learn how to do that, but 3k+ is so much money for stickers.

Freakusaurus-Rex > Josh Welton 10/05/2015 at 21:08

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That is a very nice wrap. Lots of detail and clean. Brown is never a go to color but that is your choice.

I happen to think this is a wrap done right though

http://paintisdead.com/the-kpmf-pacif…

FlimFlamMan > Josh Welton 10/05/2015 at 21:09

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GTFO! Amazing work.... looks absolutely amazing.

CrizazyCartXLPilot > Kdub 10/05/2015 at 21:19

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Yo are those window rain gutters like stock yo? Hella tite

drnwrng > Kdub 10/05/2015 at 21:24

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Looks fantastic. More pics?

Beep! > Josh Welton 10/05/2015 at 21:31

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Wher’s the “yoda”?

hellohowareyouimfinehowareyou > Josh Welton 10/05/2015 at 21:33

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So afraid of the creaks this introduces to reattached body and trim panels.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Josh Welton 10/05/2015 at 21:49

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I don’t get your tire choice, but besides that I love the truck, the color is awesome, the wheels are pretty great. I just feel like the tires got lots and ended up on the wrong truck.

SixSpeedSteve > Josh Welton 10/05/2015 at 21:49

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Freaking. Awesome.

Frisky Dingo > Josh Welton 10/05/2015 at 21:58

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Um. Is your truck lowered on MT/AT’s?

Tohru > Pending Approval 10/05/2015 at 22:01

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stay salty pony boy

feel free to gently lubricate your opinion before jamming it up your backside

Vincent Davidson > Maxaxle 10/05/2015 at 22:03

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This is a Ram. It’s brown...

Josh Welton > David Ruddock 10/05/2015 at 22:17

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Yeah, it is. Materials alone were close to that on this truck. Also, most wraps don’t include blowing the vehicle apart.

Josh Welton > Frisky Dingo 10/05/2015 at 22:20

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2/4 drop on Mickey Thompson Deegan 38s. Yup. I found the shortest, narrowest, gnarliest looking M/Ts I could find to get the look I wanted. My wife’s been daily driving it with no issues for a month now.

Josh Welton > FJ80WaitinForaLSV8 10/05/2015 at 22:22

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Well, having friends that paint and wrap helps. But in reality if you wanted a similar job done in paint, it would double the cost. Wraps last 4-6 years, and by then I’ll want to change it up again.

Josh Welton > Mustang 'DontHitTheCrowd' GT 10/05/2015 at 22:22

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Still black on black, for now :)

Josh Welton > 66671 - 200 [METRIC] my dash 10/05/2015 at 22:23

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Honestly, when I had the wheels powder coated I was thinking the truck was going to be grey. So I get where you’re coming from, but I ended up digging the look.

Josh Welton > Urambo Tauro 10/05/2015 at 22:24

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4-6 years.

Josh Welton > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 10/05/2015 at 22:26

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It’s the look I wanted. 2/4 drop on M/Ts; the gnarliest, shortest, most narrow ones I could find. Only rubs at full lock, exhaust is louder than the tires, still cruises straight at 85, I’ll still drive it year round.

Dy-no-mite Jay > I need a bigger hammer 10/05/2015 at 22:26

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I’ve heard they lay around 7 years. Most (all?) chrome plated cars are actually wrapped, so I’ve been told anyway.

Josh Welton > Chariotoflove 10/05/2015 at 22:30

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If you’re going beyond 6 years, paint it. A high end paint job is going to cost quite a bit more than a wrap, but it’s going to last a lot longer if maintained. You can repair sections of wrap....like if I mess up a fender they can re-wrap it. I’m looking at this for a 5-ish year thing, then I’ll change it again. It also protects the paint.