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Kit Install Instructions/Tips

The following instructions/tips apply to any livery or itasha kit, as well as any large vinyl graphics in general. Professional install is recommended.

If you decide to DIY install and do not have experience applying large vinyl stickers, please ask a friend for help and/or do a fair bit of research beforehand. 

Things You Will Need:

To make the most of your kit install, you will need:

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Prep Surface

Start with a washed, dry car. You can just wipe the car down but be weary of any oils left behind by detail sprays. The best surface for installing vinyl on is a very clean, very dry one. Make sure the edges of the panels are very clean too, or the vinyl will not stick. We like to go around and clean all panel edges a few times to be sure.

With isopropyl alcohol and a microfiber cloth, go over the panels paying close attention to the edges again. The car should be very dry and free of oils at this point. Make sure to do this step right before installing the kit. 

How to Mockup (optional, highly recommended)

Every car will be a little bit different, so the example layout for the livery kit purchased may not be the exact same one you'll end up with. If you'd like, you can use one of the provided kit mockup templates to mockup how it will look on your car. 

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The easiest way to do this, in my opinion, would be to place a piece of the kit onto your car with some painters tape (don't actually stick the vinyl on yet) and then size the mockup image onto your car in an app like Instagram, or CapCut. 

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Step 1

Place a big piece of a livery kit (with painters tape) on the car where you think it might look good. Take a picture of it, as direct from the side as possible. It doesn't have to be perfect.
 

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Step 2

Download the mockup PNG for the kit on your phone. Mockup PNGs are in this google drive folder: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1_Gk9kB3zN4susRhJvL_dth-8ueop-0Bq?usp=sharing

In Instagram, you can choose the picture you took as a story and from the story editor you can paste in the PNG. Go to your photo library, copy the photo, then come back to Instagram and use the text paste command. Line up the mockup PNG with the livery piece you taped onto your car. 

Step 3

Adjust the mockup to your liking. Now that the size of the PNG is matching the size of the livery kit in real life, you can move it and rotate it until it looks good. Just be careful not to make the PNG any bigger or smaller, because then the size in the mockup won't match real life. 

Now you'll have a pretty good reference to look at while you're installing the kit! The mockup may not be quite perfect depending on what car you're installing the kit on, so use your best judgement as you go. And have fun with it! 

General Install Tips

Make sure to cut out the pieces of the kit before trying to install them. On printed kits such as the Ghost finish kits, there are dotted lines which tell you roughly where to cut out the pieces (once you've cut the pieces out, you can peel the excess vinyl surrounding the actual cutouts). Minimizing excess space around the vinyl pieces makes the band-aid method much easier (this method is described further down the page).

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Be very careful when peeling small pieces of vinyl off the backing sheet: it's very delicate and can rip easily, this is especially the case with metallic finish vinyl.

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Start with the biggest pieces first and do both sides at the same time. e.g. for the Star Rush kit, start with the biggest star and place it on both sides. Then use the next biggest star, place it on both sides. If you do it piece by piece this way, it will be much easier to make both sides come out alike.

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To make the livery kit really look good, you'll want some pieces to be off the edges of panels and so they'll need to be cut. Use a utility knife for this, or a razor blade. X-acto knives are not recommended because the round handle makes it really difficult to control where you're cutting. I like to use these knives from amazon- they're cheap and easy enough to use. If you don't want to use a knife, knifeless tape can also work.

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Installing vinyl over curves can be really difficult, especially with chrome or holographic. If there's too much curve or tension, the vinyl can wrinkle. A bit of heat from a heat gun can help, moreso with the non-metallic vinyl. Be careful not to overheat the vinyl. If there are any panel gaps on the curve, it would be easiest to cut the vinyl on the panel gap before installing. 

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Make sure to apply pressure to the vinyl all over once it's stuck to the car to get the best adhesion, with a vinyl squeegee or you can use a something like a credit card with a soft cloth over it.

Wet-Install

Wet-install is specifically recommended for Ghost finish vinyl and extremely large decals such as an XL rear banner (in any finish).

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Wet install solution: We recommend a mixture of isopropyl (70% strength) and water. The mixture should be roughly 1 part isopropyl and 5 parts water. Some people like to use soapy water, or just water.

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To wet-install, spray the wet-install solution on a clean surface as well as the adhesive side of the vinyl. Less is not more: the surface should be visibly very wet, you can't go wrong by spraying too much. Place the vinyl on the wet surface gently. If the positioning isn't correct, move the vinyl to the desired position before pressing down. Once the position is correct, apply pressure to the entirety of the vinyl with a squeegee, hand, or credit card wrapped in microfiber towl, etc. Press all of the liquid solution out from under the vinyl in order to get a seal between the vinyl and surface. If you see air under the surface of the vinyl, gently press it out as much as possible. Use a towel to gently dry the surrounding surface. 

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Note on Ghost Finish: If after install you still see any air bubbles underneath the surface (these can look like small light/dark patches), leave it alone for a few days to a week. Heat, sun exposure, and time will help get rid of those small bits of air left under the surface. Air bubbles will be most noticeable on dark surfaces.

Band-Aid Method

We typically recommend the band-aid method for applying large pieces of vinyl:

 1 Cut excess backing paper around the vinyl so that there's no more than about 1 inch of backing sheet around the vinyl. 

2 Place the vinyl exactly where you'd like to install it, holding it up with a bit of painters tape (any weak tape will do fine, you just want to avoid something like duct tape or packing tape as it could pull your paint or leave extra adhesive).

3 Peel back half of the backing paper and cut it off so that half of the vinyl is ready to stick down

4 With a squeegee, start laying the piece down from the middle of the vinyl, working your way outward. 

5 Peel the rest of the backing paper and again work your way outward from the middle with a squeegee. 

Care Instructions

When washing cars with livery kits, you have to be really mindful of all the small pieces. Be careful not to use too much pressure around vinyl edges. Automatic car washes are not advised, including touchless washes. Some cleaning products can be harmful to vinyl. If you are worried about a specific cleaning product, you can wash a test spot on one piece of vinyl with it first. In general, most car wash soaps are okay when used in reasonable amounts when washing by hand. 

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The longevity of vinyl is determined mainly by the weather. A car parked outside in the sun all day will see deterioration of vinyl faster than a car which is parked under a cover or in a garage. Keeping vinyl clean is also a great way to ensure its longevity. Dirt on vinyl edges can lead to vinyl peeling up over time.

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Please also note that metallic vinyls are very, very easy to scratch.

Support

If you have any questions as you're going through this process, feel free to reach out via email!
heytetra@gmail.com

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We tend to respond within a business day and are happy to help troubleshoot any problems. 

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If you do run into problems during install and some pieces get damaged, we are sometimes able to send replacements pieces at a discount or for free depending on what they are, provided that shipping is covered. Just send over an email with some info on what you need as well as photos of the damage and we'll see what we can do!

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