I just trimmed some pods which i built and the the vinyl isnt as good as i liked. One one i have had to cut it and overlap it just to get it to sit smooth on the front side, its in a hidden kinda spot but im not happy with it. I did heat it in some spots and just stretched it in others. Has anyone got any tips for working with vinyl on complexish curves. All my experience is with carpet and velour which is easy as crap to work with! If need be i might pull it off and start over and try some of your ideas as vinyl is cheap as!

CHRIS...

You're not alone, I did the same thing with my pods, basically there is a join on the underneath side (you cant see it unless you put your head under the door). For some time i tried to figure out how i could do it all over again without the join and could not come up with any ideas. I used the heatgun but just could not get it around my curves. Apparently "Vacuum moulding" is the way to go, but over here in WA no one seems to do it, and bugger sending 2x door pods over east...

I know that doesnt help you, but just letting you know youre not the only one with that problem, and I'm also interested in any ideas people have.

Cheers,
Gav

yeh vacuum forming, done at most good trimmers.

Audio stores all around Australia will be able to point you to the nearest joint that can do that for you.

Most good trimmers anywhere but WA.

Seriously, I've rang an insane amount of trimmers all over WA, and all i got was "There used to be a guy who did it in perth, but he doesnt do it anymore". Meh, this state is useless sometimes I reckon!

Cheers,
Gav

Yeah i know about that but it adds cost to my job!

CHRIS...

Even vacum forming won't help you if the shape is too complex. If it's a very complex shape, I'd just do what you have done basicly, which is put a join in a spot you can't see it, such as underneath.

I only ever had to have two jobs vacuum formed - 1995 CRX and GT4 Celica full doors.

Everything else just takes a lot of effort. It's not something you can jump into and be good at staight away. I've been in the custom scene for over 15 years.

Phil