Satin Black Hood?

[BenLC]

I quite like the look of the black hood the 1LE's have, but I'm not sure what the best way to attain this is? I know a vinyl wrap is an option, but I've heard mixed opinions on whether or not that's a good idea. Some people say it looks great, other people say it starts to look lousy, and is a pain to upkeep. Another option is obviously having the hood painted, but that's probably a little the spendy side, and more permanent than a wrap, lol. I also noticed you can just buy a new steel black hood from Summit Racing for around $350, (or aluminum for $480) but Idk.. I've never really tried to do anything like this to any of my cars, so I'd appreciate any ideas/Input. Thanks!

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[SSMY1LE]

Mine is like new still, its a 2014.
Factory 3M wrap satin black

[BenLC]

Originally Posted by SSMY1LE

Mine is like new still, its a 2014.

Factory 3M wrap satin black

Looks good to me! I'll have to look more into wrapping it.

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[SSMY1LE]

Originally Posted by BenLC

Looks good to me! I'll have to look more into wrapping it.

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Very easy to keep clean. I use a mild glass cleaner but I know there are other products out there.

[InFiD3ViL]

Wrapped my own 2010 SS hood in 3M 1080 Satin Black and it looks great and is super easy to maintain. That film was very nice to work with. Don't go cheap on the actual vinyl. I just recommend you have a buddy help you with install.

I keep mine nice with detailing spray. Easy peasy.

[BenLC]

Originally Posted by InFiD3ViL

Wrapped my own 2010 SS hood in 3M 1080 Satin Black and it looks great and is super easy to maintain. That film was very nice to work with. Don't go cheap on the actual vinyl. I just recommend you have a buddy help you with install.

I keep mine nice with detailing spray. Easy peasy.

Awesome, this is the kinda stuff I wanted to know. Looks like wrapping it is definitely the way to go. Thanks guys!

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[1JEWLDSSRS]

All the guys I know that have the 1LE's showed me that all the hoods are wrapped from the factory, you open the hood and look underneath and you can tell. Just when you do it like OP said, do not go cheap or it won't turn out too good and last. Good luck sir !!

[InFiD3ViL]

My advice, if you are going to do this yourself is to watch a TON of videos. That is what really helped me with this. The good instructional videos will not only show you how to apply the wraps, but also show you how to prepare and clean the surface, how to use the heat gun, how to make proper bends and cuts, and how to repair wrinkles or misapplications.

Also, there are multiple reasons to use a good name brand wrap. One of them is that they are very forgiving (Such as the 3M 1080 line). You may get to a point where you think you have ruined the wrap with a simple mistake or carelessness, but with a little heat and careful massaging all the flaws disappear. It really is amazing the technology they have designed into these wraps. A good wrap can be accidentally misplaced/misapplied and/or wrinkled but can be pulled off and reapplied and still come out looking great. The hardest part about doing the hood for me was definitely the driver/passenger corners near the fenders.

Seriously though, take the time to do as much research on application and working with wrap as possible. Also, it doesn't hurt to practice on spare parts or things lying around the house. Next thing you know, you will be wrapping everything.

[Clarkstar]

Mine is painted matte black

[Level300]

I recently did this to my fiberglass hood. As commonly in life, your first attempt may end in sub par results. But that’s okay, nothing ventured, nothing gained. It looks simple to do but it’s the material and material handling experience that you can’t get from watching the videos. Some of the things I have learned....

-Get the vinyl to ambient temp before you start
-wet down your work area floor to minimize dust
-a warmer work area makes it easy to work with the material and lessen the risk of creases. Don’t apply this in direct sunlight as it will get too hot to handle.
-you’ll need the magnets (get all the tools) to hold down the ends when removing the backing paper
-liberally use vinyl tack reducer on the hood before you remove backing paper to temporarily reduce tackiness when you lay down the vinyl. It makes it easier to move around/adjust the material.
-watch your heat gun. You can easily melt/discolor the vinyl if you stay on one spot for too long or if you’re not paying attention.
-watch when you squeegee, always be aware of where you are driving out the air. It’s easy to trap air if you’re not looking at the larger picture. Always look around the area as you work. It’s easy to fixate on a small area as you work through a localized problem.
-it’s easier to shrink the vinyl over a larger area rather than a smaller one. The smaller the area you heat the less it can shrink.

I had a 3.5” cowl hood which complicated things. I plan on redoing it next summer. My next attempt should be perfect as I learned a great deal.
It’s not hard to do (the hood) so if you’re thinking about doing it, do it. Just treat the first time as a learning experience. If you nail it, great. But if you don’t, it’s just a learning thing.

[InFiD3ViL]

Originally Posted by Clarkstar

Mine is painted matte black

Haha, love the corn badge. Damn that hood is tall!

[Chris49066SS]

Originally Posted by InFiD3ViL

Haha, love the corn badge. Damn that hood is tall!

+1 on that corn badge, never woulda thought of that!

[wasthatacop?]

I love the black hood look. I've been considering it too. I recommend going with a new hood w/ vents or something. And you can leave it unfinished matte black.