If you've shopped around for
graphic wrap kits for your sled but were
too afraid to actually put them on by
yourself, we feel for you. It's an intimidating
project. But, it's not as bad as
you might think. Here's a step-by-step
guide with a few tips to simplify the
process. There are more tips and photos
on www.sledwraps.com.
1 Our graphics from SledWraps.com
arrived rolled up on one sheet. We laid
the sheet out flat and let it sit at room
temperature overnight to flatten out.
2 Cut the individual pieces out and trim
the paper backing right to the edge of
the vinyl graphic for easier placement
when you peel back the paper backing.
3 Here are all of the pieces of our wrap,
cut and trimmed and laid out how they
will go on the sled. You need to determine
which piece you are starting with and
know which pieces go where on the hood.
We began our Arctic Cat M8 install with
the hood center piece and worked out
from there.
4 It's best to work with a room-temperature
hood, whether that means removing
the hood and taking it inside or warming
up the garage. We installed our wrap on
a C3 Composites carbon fiber hood, so it
was easy to do the install indoors. Clean
the hood with soap and water and then
wipe down the hood with alcohol. If you
removed stock graphics, you might need
to use some adhesive remover to get
all of the old junk off first, then wash the
hood with soap and water and wipe down
with rubbing alcohol.
5 Before you remove any paper backing,
lay some of the graphics on the hood and
tape them in place. Position the piece
you are going to install first by taping one
side of the graphic to the hood so that the
other half can be folded up to remove the
paper backing.
6 Peel the paper backing back and cut
(don't tear) it off to expose a portion of
adhesive.
7 & 8 Use a flexible plastic tool, like
a spatula, to work the graphic onto the
hood and force out any air bubbles. Take
your time.
9 On curved surfaces, work the graphic
onto the longest, flattest surface first and
then work it around the curves. Use a hair
dryer or heat gun to get the vinyl to form
around curves.
TA-DAH On the M-Series hood, the
most difficult piece of the wrap to install
was the large side graphic. The best tip
we have for this is to lay the graphic face
down on a table. Peel the paper backing
up from one end to about halfway back.
Use a razor knife to slit the backing into
three strips running lengthwise with the
long graphic piece. Lay the backing back
on the vinyl. Peel up the backing from the
other end and finish the cuts. Then position
the graphic on the hood and tape the
top edge to the hood. Lift up the graphic
and peel back an end of the center strip of
backing paper, then work the center of the
graphic onto the hood, front to back. This
gets the graphic in place on the longest,
flattest part of the hood surface. Once
that's done, peel back the bottom piece
of backing and work down from the center
to adhere it to the hood. Do the same
from the center up for the top portion of
the graphic.