:) CF Fabric trim in the evo X!
Mar 19, 2009, 11:46 PM
#1
:) CF Fabric trim in the evo X!
Hi guys !
I'm sure you've heard of the CF fabric ( a textured weaved fabric) that can be wrapped around trim and interior parts to spruce things up a bit. Well, for my boyfriends birthday, i installed this fabric, wrapped around the dashboard and door trim in the evo x , to replace the very ugly plastic pieces. I heard him mention it once, and saw that he was interested in a thread about it. Well, it took about 3-4 hours and it was well worth it , looks good and keith (sl0ev0) loved it and was definitely really surprised !!
This might be the first evo X with it !
I thought i'd make a very brief step by step, incase anyone was wondering how to , or wanted to see how it was done. To get this done costs 400$ , you send out your parts and they come back wrapped, but its about 35$ a yard to DIY. Sorry the pics are so bad but i tried.
What You Need:
CF Fabric ( 1 yard is all you'll need), Exacto knife (or a razorblade), scissors, and 3m 77 super adhesive spray
STEP 1- figure out how to remove the trim.
- The dashboard trim comes off pretty easy, there is a screw in the glove compartment and the rest pops right out
- The trim on the door has snaps on the outside but a piece which is connected internally in the door , so there are two ways you can go about it. You can remove the entire door panel and try to remove the trim , or you can wrap it while it is popped out but still connected by the one middle snap.
- There's a screw you can't get to holding it in place, but if you pull really hard, you can pop the screw out of place and the whole trim piece comes out.
STEP 2- remove the part/parts you want to wrap. self explanatory.
STEP 3- cutting the fabric.
- lay the fabric over the part , cut around the part with enough room to be able to wrap it fully around ( just to be safe ).
STEP 4- spraying the adhesive.
- hold the can a few inches away from the part , spray the adhesive generously on it and make sure to get every spot covered completely.
STEP 5- laying on the fabric and the final cut.
- immediately after spraying the adhesive, lay the fabric you cut out on top and slowly smooth it down as best you can. you wan't it to be tight, but if you stretch too much you will end up with air bubbles.
-the adhesive has a quick drying time, just a couple of minutes, but wait longer and remember the fabric will still move while the adhesive is wet.
- on the corners of the parts , there will be extra material ... you have to pinch it together and cut if off neatly with scissors so there is no bunching of fabric.
- after you have cut all you can with scissors and the adhesive is dry , you then want to use the exacto knife to cut the excess fabric so that it is a perfect fit. make sure to cut the fabric around the snaps.
STEP 6 - putting the trim back in.
here is what ended up being done for the door -
- the whole process as the other parts, except it is not removed fully from the door , the door is covered with newspaper so nothing would get adhesive on it and the trim was rotated vertically to make it easier to maneuver.
- note: you can spray both surfaces, the back of the fabric/the trim surface, to strengthen the bond, i didn't do this but if anything it will make it last longer.
_________
really happy with how it came out .
if you are interested here is the link to where you can get it.. http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=325750
these pics are just to give you guys an idea so sorry about the bad quality, my bf will post better interior pics of the finished product soon
( shout out to my friend justin (porsherules911) for helping
)
- May
I'm sure you've heard of the CF fabric ( a textured weaved fabric) that can be wrapped around trim and interior parts to spruce things up a bit. Well, for my boyfriends birthday, i installed this fabric, wrapped around the dashboard and door trim in the evo x , to replace the very ugly plastic pieces. I heard him mention it once, and saw that he was interested in a thread about it. Well, it took about 3-4 hours and it was well worth it , looks good and keith (sl0ev0) loved it and was definitely really surprised !!
This might be the first evo X with it !
I thought i'd make a very brief step by step, incase anyone was wondering how to , or wanted to see how it was done. To get this done costs 400$ , you send out your parts and they come back wrapped, but its about 35$ a yard to DIY. Sorry the pics are so bad but i tried.
What You Need:
CF Fabric ( 1 yard is all you'll need), Exacto knife (or a razorblade), scissors, and 3m 77 super adhesive spray
STEP 1- figure out how to remove the trim.
- The dashboard trim comes off pretty easy, there is a screw in the glove compartment and the rest pops right out
- The trim on the door has snaps on the outside but a piece which is connected internally in the door , so there are two ways you can go about it. You can remove the entire door panel and try to remove the trim , or you can wrap it while it is popped out but still connected by the one middle snap.
- There's a screw you can't get to holding it in place, but if you pull really hard, you can pop the screw out of place and the whole trim piece comes out.
STEP 2- remove the part/parts you want to wrap. self explanatory.
STEP 3- cutting the fabric.
- lay the fabric over the part , cut around the part with enough room to be able to wrap it fully around ( just to be safe ).
STEP 4- spraying the adhesive.
- hold the can a few inches away from the part , spray the adhesive generously on it and make sure to get every spot covered completely.
STEP 5- laying on the fabric and the final cut.
- immediately after spraying the adhesive, lay the fabric you cut out on top and slowly smooth it down as best you can. you wan't it to be tight, but if you stretch too much you will end up with air bubbles.
-the adhesive has a quick drying time, just a couple of minutes, but wait longer and remember the fabric will still move while the adhesive is wet.
- on the corners of the parts , there will be extra material ... you have to pinch it together and cut if off neatly with scissors so there is no bunching of fabric.
- after you have cut all you can with scissors and the adhesive is dry , you then want to use the exacto knife to cut the excess fabric so that it is a perfect fit. make sure to cut the fabric around the snaps.
STEP 6 - putting the trim back in.
here is what ended up being done for the door -
- the whole process as the other parts, except it is not removed fully from the door , the door is covered with newspaper so nothing would get adhesive on it and the trim was rotated vertically to make it easier to maneuver.
- note: you can spray both surfaces, the back of the fabric/the trim surface, to strengthen the bond, i didn't do this but if anything it will make it last longer.
_________
really happy with how it came out .
if you are interested here is the link to where you can get it.. http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=325750
these pics are just to give you guys an idea so sorry about the bad quality, my bf will post better interior pics of the finished product soon
( shout out to my friend justin (porsherules911) for helping
)- May
Last edited by Ev0L0vE; Mar 20, 2009 at 05:03 AM.
Mar 19, 2009, 11:55 PM
#3
Looks good!
I just did the exact same thing today, I'll have to get some pics.
The door trim pieces will come off. There's a screw you can't get to holding it in place, but if you pull a little harder, you can pop the screw out of place and the whole trim piece comes right out, and it'll snap right back in when you're done.
I just did the exact same thing today, I'll have to get some pics.
The door trim pieces will come off. There's a screw you can't get to holding it in place, but if you pull a little harder, you can pop the screw out of place and the whole trim piece comes right out, and it'll snap right back in when you're done.
Mar 19, 2009, 11:57 PM
#4
Looks good!
I just did the exact same thing today, I'll have to get some pics.
The door trim pieces will come off. There's a screw you can't get to holding it in place, but if you pull a little harder, you can pop the screw out of place and the whole trim piece comes right out, and it'll snap right back in.
I just did the exact same thing today, I'll have to get some pics.
The door trim pieces will come off. There's a screw you can't get to holding it in place, but if you pull a little harder, you can pop the screw out of place and the whole trim piece comes right out, and it'll snap right back in.
tried really hard to get it off and even called a few people, no one could help !
Mar 20, 2009, 12:17 AM
#7
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Looks good, one thing I can mention about that 3M 77 spray glue, is well what you did is fine but your pieces could come loose over time when the temp changes, or the heat gets crazy hot in the car. So what I have always done with that spray glue is spray both surfaces to be mated together, but do so in this fashion. Spray the hard material first, the dash piece and let it set for about a min, let the glue to start to tac up somewhat, then spray the fabric too, and as soon as you spray the fabric mate the two together and work out the bubbles like you mentioned. This is how we did vinyl wraps for sub boxes. I used to be an installer for a stereo shop and did this type of stuff everyday. Just letting you know it will come loose on you sometime by just spraying one side, UNLESS you caked the glue on. 
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Mar 20, 2009, 12:29 AM
#8
Looks good, one thing I can mention about that 3M 77 spray glue, is well what you did is fine but your pieces could come loose over time when the temp changes, or the heat gets crazy hot in the car. So what I have always done with that spray glue is spray both surfaces to be mated together, but do so in this fashion. Spray the hard material first, the dash piece and let it set for about a min, let the glue to start to tac up somewhat, then spray the fabric too, and as soon as you spray the fabric mate the two together and work out the bubbles like you mentioned. This is how we did vinyl wraps for sub boxes. I used to be an installer for a stereo shop and did this type of stuff everyday. Just letting you know it will come loose on you sometime by just spraying one side, UNLESS you caked the glue on.
Mar 20, 2009, 05:00 AM
#12
they have a little bit of texture , but its not a weave all the way through, it is flat in the back and a bit textured on the surface. i think it looks good because it has a dry carbon look as opposed to the stock or even replacements you buy that are very shiny or glossy and look just as cheap as stock trim.
Mar 20, 2009, 06:09 AM
#15
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no lie i thought of this 2days ago while at work while trying to think of how to use the spare cf fabric i have . looks exactly as i pictured it. very nice install 
. looks exactly as i pictured it. very nice install