1-Peec Beetle

As a few of those on the board already know...Ive been wanting to get my hands on a New Beetle to shrink that BG. Well my popz does custom auto-body and on occasion collision work. Well, He had a Beetle in so I cut a nice big peice of HP-20, grabbed a dryer-sheet and heat gun and went out there.


The film rolled out just as I had imagined it would, and did not look to bad.
I set my horizontal in the middle and went at it. Everything went smooth until the last 4" on top, and the last 4" on bottom!!

It was finger after finger after finger!!!!! None the less I burned a lil spot and creased a lil spot.

Whats the trick to this???

i MAY go back this weekend if I have time to try again with a method Ive used on trickier B/G and has worked.
Put the horizontal anchor waaaay up top. JUST under the matrix, so this way the top will be reasonable to shrink, and then for the bottom you will have all that space in the center to suck up all the slack. I think that'l do it. Any tips/suggestions???

Yeah-dont do that!!! Anchor it in the middle-because the tops as bad as the bottom! And use soap!!!!

stretch that bad boy....top and bottom.....pull the hell out of the film.....

You mean pull the outside corners out more??? That sounds like a really good idea. Cuz the problem I had was obviosly TOO much bunched up on there to shrink!

Can you explain a 'lilmore' on the details... of the stretching.

I dont stretch it-I just shrink as normal.

If you pull the film it should stretch when you apply heat. Work from the middle of the window out to the edge on the finger(s). Some will stretch the middle and then the sides, but I have found that the middle will lay down when the sides are stetched out. FTI has the stetching tech on their most recent how to video. They show using "tabs" on the top corners and pulling. I have learned to do it with the whole top a bit more.....

With the Bug you have room to pull the bottom also as long as it doesn't have any spoiler wing. I did one bug windshield by stretching and shrinking.....it was out of the vehicle and I had a hard time because I was pulling so hard and I had no one else there to hold window...it was an improvise as it was sold by a shop for me and I really didn't want to do it...but the shop is one of my better customers....so I got it done.

When you start with the stretch you will begin to see the film change shape. I will look a bit odd compared to simply shrinking, but you will see it make the change and learn what works.

Hope this helps.

Good luck...

One thing that kind of helped me is when you get near the rough area where it felt like it wouldn't shrink anymore, I lift the film off the glass, top and bottom, lay it back down. For me it seems to allow the area you just shrunk to shrink some more. And sometimes do it a couple of times.

i did a VW dealer for years.
i cut it pretty big, shrink it as normal, then when i get to the last few inches, shrink what i can then i pull the whole thing up and re-shrink it and pull and re shrink.. i've tried allot for this car and this is the only thing that works for me...

Don't flame me but I swear I can wet shrink a bug rear window in less that 15 minutes.

Spray the window down roll out the film (40in. roll) so you have about three to four inches of overhang on either side.

Anchor the film down the center from left to right.

At this point you will use the lift and pull technique that I explained years ago even before that guy showed up a Rico's

There should be for or five fingers along the top evenly distributed. Tug on the center finger while lifting it up off the glass about 2-3 inches. This should blend the three fingers together to create one large one. Heat the large finger back and forth until you get to the top of the glass. The film will just lay down and if done correctly the film won't even get hot so you don't take a chance on ghosting.

If you have any questions PM me and I will give you my number and explain it better over the phone.

This method is plastered on the front page

Its not to hard to find it has a big red box that says NEW on it

That sounds pretty slick!!! I dont know if I have time to go back and try this weekend....I actually have 2 cars to tint!! But Im pretty sure its still at my dads shop. ....I just dont know If I want to waste more film on it.... Cuz if you think abt it....even if I nail the 1-peice....I dont get to install and admire. ...in the trash it goes.

ooooor, maybe I could save it as a pre-shrunk Beetle b/g!!!

Thaks again Willie for pointing that out. My bad it was done wet

So when is LB going to come and show us a video of him torch shrinking the BG on a new Beetle?




























In 2 minutes...

I this LB guy the one on Youtube? I must have missed something.

I have the same problem as midcoast, use mainly suntek hp and now madico onyx.

Some of you suggest only using non-reflective film for this, is that best ?

When anchoring, centre horizontally and dont anchor the sides, leave 3 to 4 inches top and bottom for pulling and start from the centre when shrinking, is that the jist of it.

I have 1 to do today and although I dont like them I am looking forward to trying this, have only done 3 or 4 and have always ended up splicing (dont shout at me)

Bob