Installation of the sKinz onto your body panels is a simple, straight forward process, however, having a few tips to make the job simple and turn out perfect can’t hurt right?

I know, you’re thinking “But don’t I just peel and stick? How hard is that?” True, it IS that simple but the following info will make things easier and insure a great application.

Tools Needed

1. X-Acto knife with fresh #11 blade (the standard blade most knives come with)
2. A quality heat gun. Hobby grade is fine. Hair dryers are NOT!
3. Body Scissors - Curved or Straight
4. Isopropyl Alcohol - For cleaning NOT drinking (Windex will do in a pinch)5. Soft lint-free Cloth
6. A flat work surface with cutting mat or protected surface below
7. Good lighting and if you’re me, good reading glasses

Remember, you’ll need to paint your body on the inside with lexan body paint FIRST! Blacks and Whites are best for most designs.

Ready? OK, here we go..

Step 1 - Lay out all the body panels so you know which is which. Its easy to get the sides mixed up. sKinz apply on the outside!

Step 2 - Remove any stock decals. Clean all the body panels with alcohol. Dry with a lint free cloth.

Step 3 - Grab your sheet of sKinz, locate the piece you want install. Also note that most pieces are cut with 1/16” extra around the edge to make it easier to apply. Peel each piece off and apply to the body panels. Start from the middle and work your way out to the edges. If you get any wrinkles, carefully peel them back slightly and continue on. DO NOT rub down any area that the sKinz wrinkle or start to crease. (This will happen sometimes on sharp compound corners) Just leave them for now, we’ll fix them in the next step.

Step 4 - Heat em up! - This is where the magic starts. Remember those wrinkles? We’re gonna fix them.Locate your first wrinkle area and apply the heat from the gun for 1-3 seconds. Yes 1-3 is all you need. You’ll notice the area virtually lay flat now. OK. Now smooth it out (BE CAREFUL, It may be HOT!!!) and rub down well. Now just move on to the other areas. You can even stretch an area that is in need of a curve or a bit more coverage. TIP: Start in the middle and work you way to the edges. Once your satisfied, rub everything down firmly to adhere well and your ready to move on the next step.

Step 5 - Trimming time! We’re going to be using sharp objects:  SO BE CAREFUL!
Trim the excess away from the edges by pulling the knife (laid almost 90 degrees with the panel) slowly towards you. You’ll find after the first couple that this will get easier to do. You just have to be careful to keep the knife turned enough to cut but not so much as to dig into the panel. Got it? Great, lets move on.

Step 6 - IMPORTANT - Determine where you chassis screws are before you cut anything! Trim each hole in the body panels where the tie wraps and/or screws go. Just insert the knife through the hole and give it a quick spin around. Easy right? Great, almost done.

Step 7 - Lets trim the screw holes around the heads of your 3mm screws in your sKinz. This will prevent the sKinz from wrinkling when you tighten the screws and wrinkles are bad! Just grab any 1” long or so 3mm button head screw and poke it through the hole from the sKinz side. Hold onto it from the rear to keep it tight against the sKinz. Place your knife vertical, against the edge of the screw and give the panel a twist to cut - LIGHTLY - around the head. DO NOT cut too deep! You will weaken the body panel! Got them all done? Swell.

Step 8 - Mount ‘em up! Carefully re-apply all your body panels and stand back and admire your work. That wasn’t that hard was it?

If you get stuck or need help, just email us or call. We’re always ready to help.

Thank you for your purchase of FreqEsKinz... I truly appreciate your business!