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Transform Your Truck Instantly with 3M Vinyl Wraps

JEREMY RICE . September 05, 2025 . How to . JEREMY RICE
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Change Styles Easily with 3M Vinyl Wraps

The quickest way to completely change the entire look of any truck’s exterior is a vehicle wrap. Vehicle wraps are exactly what the name implies, the exterior of the vehicle is completely covered with a special vinyl designed for automotive use. The vinyl materials are offered in several basic colors and even custom versions like carbon fiber and chrome. They can also be done in different finishes, such as gloss, flat and matte. The coolest thing about the wraps is that they can be printed on stock vinyl with any design imaginable, and that’s exactly what we did with this truck.

Tre5 Customs was recently approached by an aspiring MLB pitcher about wrapping his Yukon in a camouflage design to put it in a league of its own at the ball field, so they called upon good friend Jim at Fry Media to handle the job. Fry Media houses several large format printers and experienced designers who were more than ready for the custom camo job. They also only use genuine 3M materials and 3M-certified installers to perform tasks in-house.

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Compared to a completely new paint job a wrap is less than half the cost, but the biggest dif- ference is time. We hung out down at Fry Media in Phoenix for a day as they transformed this ’07 GMC Yukon in just under eight hours. ST

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[01] The first step of a custom-designed wrap is the layout. After sifting through several camouflage designs, this was the look chosen. To orient the image, provide a reference and show the customer what to expect, the design is laid out on a computer image of the vehicle.
[02] Fry Media uses only 3M vinyl designed for automotive applications.
[03] The camouflage pattern is printed on white vinyl at the proper width. These printers are much more sophisticated than standard ink or laser printers. There are heaters in the machine that blow hot air onto the freshly printed material so that the ink comes out completely dry.
[04] After removing the material from the printer it’s run through another machine that laminates the design. You could think of this step like the clearcoat for a paint job. A matte-finish lamination was applied for our application.
[05] The last step to the vinyl preparation is to trim the excess material, leaving only the pattern.
[06] This piece is trimmed and ready for installation.
[07] All of the individual pieces are labeled and set aside for installation.
[08] Here is the candidate for the transformation, an ’07 GMC Yukon with a factory white paint job.
[09] The exterior is stripped of bolt-on pieces, such as the license plate and roof rack. Then it’s thoroughly cleaned to promote adhesion.
[10] A layout is printed for reference so the installers know which panels goes where.
[11] The printed vinyl panels are temporarily taped to the vehicle, using the reference, to ensure the panels are oriented correctly.
[12] Once everything is in order they begin the actual installation.
[13] The material is stretched across the surface of the vehicle and the flat areas are pushed in place by hand to avoid air bubbles or creases.
[14] In the areas where compound curves are an issue, a torch is used to heat up the vinyl to allow it to stretch across the curve with little distortion.
[15] Areas such as the taillights are simply cut out with a sharp razor blade after the vinyl is applied.
[16] The material is cut leaving a little extra so that it can be folded into the recessed areas with a squeegee, leaving a covered edge for a clean look.
[17] When applying the second panel there is a small overlap to ensure that the pattern lines up perfectly because the vinyl has been stretched slightly.
[18] When they get to the door handles they cut a small slice above the center of the protrusion. Then heat is applied with the torch so that the material can be worked around the handle.
[19] One of the more difficult parts of the installation is wrapping the door handles. With moving parts and several seams, they can be a handful. A true professional and a blow torch is all that’s needed to wrap the handle in a separate piece of vinyl and trim off the excess, ensuring proper functionality and good looks.
[20] Another difficult area is the mirrors, which are wrapped with several different pieces.
[21] After the mirrors are done, it’s difficult to tell whether they’ve been wrapped or painted.
[22] The crew decided to take this installation one step further and wrap some of the interior pieces. The window and door lock trim pieces were covered as well as parts of the dash.
[23] The vinyl wrap works really well on several surfaces. Not only was it used on the exterior sheet metal and interior plastics, it was also used to wrap part of the wooden speaker box.
[24] After all of the vinyl was applied, the exterior pieces that were removed are replaced. Here you can see the roof rack reinstalled.
[25] The final product: It’s a completely different look. The best part is, if the truck must return to stock or the owner decides to change the look again, it’s as simple as peeling off the vinyl and applying a new batch.

SOURCES

FRY MEDIA
Frymedia.com
602.454.0701

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TRE5 CUSTOMS
Tre5customs.com
602.284.2466

3M
3M.com

 

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