INSTALLING THE VINYL TAILLIGHT COVERS


Did you want the LS Sport taillight look but don't want to pay the $700+ for the taillight covers from Chevrolet?  You might want to take a look at the vinyl covers offered by Ron at Crazy Graphics.  Ron sent me a set for evaluation for this article.


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NOTE:  Installation of the side covers requires experience.  Ron states this up front and repeats it several times.  After working with it, I agree.  For a professional look, you need someone who has worked with this type of material and knows all the tricks.  Ron even provides two extra covers for the side taillights just in case something happens.


You will need a spray bottle filled with a soap/water mixture, squeegee, rubbing alcohol, scissors, razor knife, lint free towels (paper towels will do in a pinch), heat gun, a helper, and a lot of patience.  There are different "recipes" for the mixture. 4 drops of dish detergent per 32 oz of water, 10 drops per 1 pint of water, etc.  I prefer baby shampoo because it is milder.  Because shampoo is not as concentrated as dish detergent, it takes more to do the job.  I used 40 drops of Johnson's Baby Shampoo per pint of water.  The solution is used to lubricate the vinyl sticker and allow for repositioning.

You need a heat gun, a hair dryer will not cut it.  A heat gun is similar to a hair dryer, but it produces a lot more heat with less air.  For this application, we need the heat, not the air.  I used my wife's craft heat gun since it was available.
If you are not working in an enclosed garage, try and do this in the morning or afternoon when there is not too much wind.  Gusts of wind could flip the vinyl and get it stuck somewhere you didn't want it to.  It could also blow up grit/debris from the ground.  Another option is to spray the floor down with water to keep any dust on the ground.  However, keep in mind that you will be operating an electrical device (heat gun) and you don't want to be standing in water while you do so.

Wash the whole car to remove any stray dirt that might blow off or contaminate the lubrication spray. Pay close attention to the lenses and surrounding area. Wipe the area down with rubbing alcohol to remove any wax. Pay close attention to the edges and near the center logo. Make sure there is no dust/lint. If you are using paper towels instead of lint-free towels, you may have a lot of lint left behind.
Chock the tires, insert your key into the ignition and turn the key to ON.  Do NOT start the car.  Put the car into reverse.  This will turn on the reverse lights and help you to center the decal.

Spray the whole surface of the center panel with the soap/water mixture.
Peel off the backing paper from the vinyl center cover.  As you peel it back, spray the adhesive surface.  This is where your partner comes in handy.
Apply the cover to the center panel.  If you used enough solution, it should cling to the surface without sticking to it.  Use the Impala logo and keyhole cutouts, reverse lights and the bottom edge of the center panel to align the cover.  Spray the transfer paper.  When you have the decal positioned where you want it, using short strokes, gently squeegee out the water, working from the center of the decal toward the outside.  Do it in a straight line from the logo to the sides.  Right now you are just trying to lock in the position.  Check as you go.  If it looks misaligned, gently pull back the decal while spraying more water.
Once you are satisfied with the positioning, start removing the transfer paper from one corner and working your way across.  Sometimes spraying water between the transfer paper and the decal helps to remove it.  Work slowly and carefully, especially around the cut out portions.  You don't want to stretch or tear the vinyl material.  Do not be overly concerned if some areas pull up as you can stick these back down.  If an area does pull up, spray between the decal and car to keep it from sticking.
Double check your alignment and start squeegeeing out the water, working from the center out.  Do the bottom half of the cover first then the top.  Keep an eye out for trapped pockets of water and air.  You can put the car back in park and remove the key at any time.  You will see slack areas as you get closer to the edge.  Keep in mind that we are trying to get a flat sheet to conform around a compound curve.  Do not try to get them out at this time.  Just remove as much of the water as you can.

Now comes the challenging part, removing the slack areas.  The little ripples of extra material are referred to as "fingers".  Spray between the decal and surface and try to spread the material around so you have small fingers over a large area instead of large fingers.
Warning: The heat gun produces enough heat to blister paint so watch where you point it.  Keep your fingers away from the nozzle and keep the gun moving over the surface.  Do not linger over one area.  The goal is to heat the vinyl, not the surface.  Use a waving motion.  Remember, if you don't apply enough heat, you can always go back.  Apply too much, and you can ruin the decal or your car.

As you heat the vinyl, you will see the fingers start to shrink.  Gently use the squeegee to flatten these fingers.  This is where the patience comes in.  It will seem that you get one finger to lay down when it pops up in another area.  Just keep spraying water, using the heat gun, and squeegee.  It will go down.  You can use a paper towel to dab out the water as necessary.  Do not crease the vinyl.  If you do, spray water and reheat to see if you can get it to pop up again then work it back down again.  For more info, I highly recommend you read this page: Tint Dude
If you see water/air pockets you can try and work them out to an edge.  However, chances are that you removed the water from the surrounding area and it will not want to move.  It will take a while, but if you work at it, it will move.  If it's a small area, leave it.  It will come out on its own.  Resist the temptation to puncture the surface with a pin.  If it is a large area or it just will not go away, use the tip of an Exacto craft knife to make a hole in the bubble to let the water/air out.

If you can't get the smaller fingers to go down, wrap your finger with piece of cloth that has a smooth surface and press down on the heated vinyl.  The final step is the edges.  They may not want to stick because of the water.  Use heat to conform the edges to match the surface then leave it.  Once the water evaporates, it will stick.  You can trim the edges or wrap them around.

The center decal is not that difficult.  You just need the right tools and patience.  The corner taillights are another matter.

Follow the same prep steps for the taillights.  Turn on the marker lights and use something to wedge the brake pedal down so the taillights illuminate.  As with the reverse lights, this will help you center the decal.  Spray the area with water.
Because of the extreme compound curve, you will not be able to find a good area to squeegee and lock down the position.  The advice Ron gave me was align the decal with the lower corner and bottom edge before working up and toward the front of the car.
Once you get the corner and lower edge lined up and locked down, remove the transfer paper.  You may have to hold it down while you remove the paper.  Remember, you do not want to stretch or tear the vinyl.
This is what it will look like after you remove the transfer paper.  You can see how much material needs to manipulated to conform to the shape of the taillight.
Make sure the lower edge is tacked down and gently heat the material and pull.  The vinyl will stretch like a rubber sheet. Keep heating and stretching.  This is where having a second pair of hands is essential.  You are going to be heating the vinyl, trying to work it in place, spraying to keep it wet, checking alignment, etc.
Ensure that the taillight is centered and the edges of the side markers are straight.  I really wasn't concerned that the right and left marker lights lined up the same.  You can't see both sides at the same time so you are not going to notice.  Once you are happy with the alignment, you can turn off the lights and unblock the brake pedal.
There is a lot of excess material that Ron left on to give you a handle to pull on and so you can trim to fit.  However, when you get to the edge, you will find that the extra material gets in the way.  Use the scissors to trim the vinyl but leave about an inch or more to avoid cutting too much off.  Heat the edge and use the squeegee to wedge the material in the gap between the taillight and the body of the car.  The goal is to stretch the material around the edge.  After you work out the fingers and get it to a point where you are ready to trim, remove the taillight from the car and run the knife blade around the edge of the light. Be careful that you do not cut the plastic or the rubber gasket.



Conclusion:  What are you waiting for?  Go to Crazy Graphics and order a set now.  Seriously, the decals are well made and look great.  It's a bargain compared with the cost of the factory covers.  In some ways, these vinyl covers are better than the plastic Chevy ones.  They lay flat on the surface so will not trap dirt, you don't have to remove the center emblem to install it, it's readily available, and it's affordable.  The only drawback is that the corner decals are tricky to install.

Overall I am very pleased the way this came out.  The center panel can be done by most people, but the corner ones should be left to experienced hands.  If you want to try it, Ron does provide two pairs.  If you mess one up, you have a back up to take to a sign shop.  On the other hand, heat guns are not cheap so it might be worth your while to let the professionals do this for you.


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Here are some photos of other Impalas with the covers installed.


This is Zack's Silver Impala with the vinyl covers and an Impala third brake cover which is also available at Crazy Graphics:


This is Scott's car, which was used to design the covers.

Here is a before shot.

This is what it looks like installed.

Close up of a reflector and the Impala emblem.

Here is the sheet before it is installed.

Side tail light covers.

 Another option is to paint the existing lenses.  That is what Danny did to his car.  He used Dupli-Color factory match spray paint, which is available at most auto stores.  Here are photos of his Impala: