Signal to Noise: Carbon Wrap Marcus Fitzhugh

- How Things Work / DIY Section -

Mercedes-Benz | Porsche | Motorcycles & Miscellanea | How Things Work (DIY) Section

Carbon Wrap Makeover
photos and documentation courtesy of Alex Gunderson (Gundo of MB World) and DestronsGarage.

Many people have grown tired of their car's factory interior. They feel the wood, aluminum, or whatever is in need of an update.

Alex Gunderson (Gundo of MB World) decided the Bird's Eye Maple in his Mercedes-Benz CLK would look better in carbon. Alex contacted DestronsGarage.com, ordered some supplies, and got to work.

The premise is simple, remove the part, wrap it, and put it back.

I'm not going to review how to remove all the wood in every car Mercedes-Benz has ever built. Many will agree that removing most of the wood in a modern Mercedes is pretty straightforward. The one tricky part is the long piece of wood that flows across the top of the dashboard, just below the windshield. This is also typically the most expensive piece of wood in the car.

This is how Alex removed that wood strip in his CLK430:
From inside the car, sitting in the passenger seat, he used a small flathead screwdriver to pry out the far right side of the wood. The screwdriver had to be inserted at least ¾ of an inch before trying to pry the wood. Once he heard a few clicks, he then moved to a bigger flathead screwdriver and continued to pry at the right side. Eventually the right side was far enough out that he could see that the metal rod was out of the socket.

Once the right side was loose, he grabbed the trim, and pulled it over to the right side, until it shifted as far as it would go. This is about a one-inch shift. At that point, the wood was completely unobstructed. Alex then wiggled the wood while pulling it straight out.

Alex was able to remove the wood on his first attempt. DO NOT TRY THIS FROM THE DRIVERS SIDE AS IT WILL NOT WORK! Looking at the photos, you can see why this must be done from the far right.

Once the parts have been removed, the wrapping begins. Alex used carbon wrap from DestronsGarage.com and was happy with the results, so that's what we'll cover here.

Aside from the carbon wrap, a pair of scissors, a razor, and a can of 3M Super 77 adhesive are needed.

Once the part has been removed (electronic switches, lights, etc. should be separated from the part that's being wrapped), it should be cleaned of any grease or contaminants.

Then, the part is sprayed with the 3M adhesive.

The part then sits for 2 minutes, while the adhesive sets up.

The carbon wrap can then be spread over the part and smoothed out with one's fingers.

Spray the 3M adhesive on the back of the carbon wrap, and roll the edges over the part.

The edges can be trimmed for an easier roll.
Note: it is always better to over estimate the amount of carbon wrap needed because you can always trim it down.

After rolling the edges, the part should look like this.

When cutting a hole for a switch, use a razor.

Creating multiple triangular cuts will make the edges smoother as they are rolled around curved surfaces.

Finish rolling the edges in, and allow it to dry.

After reinserting the switch, reconnecting the wires, and placing the unit back in the door, this part is done. Now it's off to the next part.

Eventually, the project is complete.

I like the dark wood in my car, but I can think of a lot of plastic bits that could use some dressing up. If you're considering adding some carbon wrap to your car, DestronsGarage appears to be a good vendor and I recommend that you contact them for materials.

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