Things have been going along nicely with our Project Dirt Late Model. Each time we race, we get better, faster, and more consistent. We have numerous advertisers who have supported this project from the get-go with the latest and greatest racing products on the market. We've featured many of those products in the articles, everything from radiators to seat mounting to the chassis setup. Focusing on the critical items for performance on the track, such as setup and motor, has gotten us to the point where we're ready to give our black Pontiac GTO a whole new look.
Sure, we could've slapped some decals and sponsor logos on the side and bought some stick-on flames from our local parts store, but that low-buck approach wasn't going to fly with this car. After all, much of the setup and many of the parts in this car are very advanced, and we wanted the outside to match the inside. Project DLM needed to be wrapped.
Wraps are indeed all of the rage in racing right now, with decal or wrap companies springing up all over the place. However, the guys at Firestorm Graphix have been in the decal and wrap business since 2000, so we knew that they knew what they were doing. Racers themselves, the guys at Firestorm are based near Boston, where their state-of-the-art shop boasts all the latest machinery to turn out first-class graphics.
Project DLM has seen action (and solid finishes) at both Ocala Speedway and North Florida Speedway over the past several months. Naturally, dirt racing being what it is, there was some body damage that needed attention. After a quick call to our friends at Performance Bodies, we had some new panels that Bobby Clark and the crew attached to our '02 Rayburn.
Wrapping a racecar isn't nearly as easy as you might think, so with camera in hand, we peered over the shoulders of Matt LaChance, owner, and Fred Brundage, co-founder, of Firestorm as they wrapped up our baby.
Yes, we had to write that. We're sorry, but if you want to see what the completed car looks like, you're going to have to wait for the unveiling in next month's issue of Circle Track. Until then, head over to www.circletrack.com for a sneak peak.
After some hard racing at Ocala, we had to hang some new body panels from Performance Bodies. Matt LaChance, owner of Firestorm Graphix, says it's actually easier to wrap the panels when they're off the car, which worked out well for us since we had some riveting to do. | 
Here, Fred Brundage, Firestorm co-founder, begins the wrap process with the roof. The first step is to wipe down the panel with rubbing alcohol to remove all of the manufacturing residue and any residual oils from the panel being handled. | 
While Fred wipes down the roof, Matt trims the excess vinyl from the roof decal. |
Matt and Fred measure the centerline of the roof in order to ensure the placement of the roof wrap is exactly in the middle. Once the centerline is determined, one side of the decal is taped down to the table using masking tape. This ensures that the decal ends up exactly where intended. | 
A solution of water, alcohol, and dishwashing soap is sprayed all over the roof. Unlike applying small decals to the car, large wrap decals should be applied wet in this manner to ease placement. Once a dry decal is laid down, it can't be moved. A wet decal can be shifted around and even lifted up and relaid in a different position. | 
You can see how liberally the solution is applied. |