Real Fiero Tech

I wrapped the Apocalypse Wagon.

Looks badass. Great backdrop for the photo, too!

Great photo, but now no one can see the car.

Another, sharper shot from the same set:



Now I'm off to rallycross! Hope to get some sick action shots this weekend.

RallyX season has begun!

I also put some camo up on the roof basket fairing, and got an '04 Outback grill that I plastidipped in black.





Placed 6th at this event. Hit a bunch of cones on run 2 which dropped me out of the running for the podium but meh, I don't really care about winning again this year. Had a helluva lot of fun out in the mud!

Love the wrap, looks really good. Did you do it yourself? Any comments on how you did it? Something friends have talked about doing but we've never gone for it.

CincinnatiFiero wrote:Love the wrap, looks really good. Did you do it yourself? Any comments on how you did it? Something friends have talked about doing but we've never gone for it.

Thanks!

Yes I did it myself. I did have a couple helpers for the hood, since the sheet of material is pretty hard to handle alone.

It took 16 to 20 hours to do the 10 body panels plus mirrors and door handles. A full car (bumpers, sideskirts, roof) is probably 30+ hours to do alone. With experienced helpers you could finish a car in 8 hours, but they would have to have enough experience to work independently.

I'd recommend getting some practice first... Pick a car that would look cool to wrap but that you don't care too much about, and order some solid-colored vinyl with the same basic material and adhesive you plan to use. Then wrap it and don't worry too much about the first few panels not coming out perfect. By the end you'll be pretty good at it, and someone's beater will have taken on a new life.

I got my material from Metro Restyling. It's the 3M Controltac graphic vinyl: http://www.metrorestyling.com/3M-Contro ... /20303.htm
3M also makes films with the same Controltac adhesive but in solid colors.

Also, read all of the technical sheets for the material you want to use, and watch all of the installation videos on youtube. There are a lot of VERY important details that you will miss if you don't carefully read the documents. For example, the vinyl I used needs to be post-heated to a minimum temperature of 80*C to recast it so that it retains its shape around areas where it was stretched a lot, particularly around edges. The heat also allows the adhesive to grab better.

Thanks for taking the time to explain that, vinyl wraps are something I'll probably get to right around the time days become 25 hours long. Just haven't had the time to try it.

Do you lay it down dry, or do you wet the adhesive like you would with window tint?

CincinnatiFiero wrote:Thanks for taking the time to explain that, vinyl wraps are something I'll probably get to right around the time days become 25 hours long. Just haven't had the time to try it.

Do you lay it down dry, or do you wet the adhesive like you would with window tint?

It's applied dry. There are air release channels in the adhesive to let bubbles out. The channels are invisible once the film is applied with firm squeegee pressure.

I've heard that's tough with clear vinyl (or that the clear doesn't have air release channels because you'd be able to see them, or something like that)

Found out from sl-i.net that Whiteline sells larger front and rear swaybars that fit the '01 Outback. These will be useful for when I get the Bilsteins installed.

BSF14 - Front, 20mm (for non-turbo)
BSR12XZ - Rear, 20mm, two-position adjustable

There is also BSF15 which is a 22mm for the front for turbo crossmembers. Might be useful if I do a turbo swap in the future.

Went on another adventure in the Apocalypse Wagon.


Packing up camp on Saturday morning. We slept in our cars. Pouring rain for most the night, and howling wind the whole night. Subarus kept us warm! Also visible is some evidence of shenanigans the night before: my flat tire. There were a bunch of rocks stuck between the rim and the tire bead. No luck cleaning it out. Good thing I had a full size spare on the roof!


Splashing through some puddles.


KERSPLASH!


Climbing the ant hill


Looking for the next destination


Desert junkyard


Found some cool caves


They're big enough to drive into but also steep and slippery... so I didn't go inside






We were making good progress toward the highway when we came across Nathan's epic Subaru Forester parked by a busy campground. Adjustable long travel suspension, custom bumpers, front and rear winch mounts, all kinds of stuff! Awesome.




Gassing up before heading home


Sunset at the journey's end.

That looks like a lot of fun. We are finally getting some warm weather and the snow is mostly gone. Getting excited about getting the quads out on some trails.

The desert driving on those hills looks like a blast. Do you get cell phone reception out there in the desert? Probably don't want to go alone.

Looks like a lot of fun. Great pictures!

crzyone wrote:That looks like a lot of fun. We are finally getting some warm weather and the snow is mostly gone. Getting excited about getting the quads out on some trails.

What's the terrain like up there? Logging roads and stuff?

The desert driving on those hills looks like a blast. Do you get cell phone reception out there in the desert? Probably don't want to go alone.

There is cell reception in only a few areas; mostly the flat areas of the desert but not in the hills. Definitely don't want to go alone, especially not without a long range radio and/or someone who knows your travel plans and can check in when you have service.

CincinnatiFiero wrote:Looks like a lot of fun. Great pictures!

It sure was. Thanks!

Going up for sale shortly! Any interest on here?

Swapping for SUV or getting a different wagon?

Tell me you've put 35s under a cayenne or something silly to justify getting rid of the apocalypse wagon.

I saw a Touareg with big mean M+S tires and rally lights on the roof AND the front grille a few weeks back... Wasn't the right angle to tell if it was the V10 TDI or not.

Likely getting a Cayenne soon to fulfill all of the Apocalypse Wagon's previous duties plus towing a car.