To Be.... or Not To Be...................

[Gino]

Wanted to ask a simple question and get input from others here.

We're picking up a new [used 2006] shop vehicle tomorrow. It's a diesel Ford V8 6.0 extended E350 cargo van. No windows on sides or back, so it has some really nice areas for canvases.

No one here at the shop thinks we should do it up with a wrap, partial wrap or much more than some simple lettering of our name. I'm in disagreement, but see their point.

I know many of you have your vehicles dressed up pretty neat..... do you think it helps ??

I'm not talking about doing it up so much that nothing makes sense or it becomes sensory overload, but no one here thinks we should use any effects such as bevels, colors or anything other than just the name and phone.

 

[Border]

Sounds like a creative bunch ya got there!...LOL

why not do it up good??? what could possibly be the downside?

 

[airborneassault]

I love seeing a big blank white van...think of all the options you have to dress it up! I lean towards the option of a wrap but only because in my area I'd blend in with all the electricians, plumbers, etc with simple lettering and a nice classy wrap gives us that much more of an edge & chance at getting noticed.

As far as design I know what the folks at the shop are worried about, too many wraps are disgusting and offensive to the eyes BUT they don't have to be its just the execution of design.

I think if we asked most folks on S101 they'd agree ANY of Mr. Dan Antonelli's designs attest to just how effective a simple wrap is (partial or full) and we'd all have a hard time not rubberneckin' those examples.
-Nathan

 

[Pat Whatley]

why not do it up good??? what could possibly be the downside?

Because 90% of the wrapped shop vehicles I've ever seen look like somebody slung the Easter Bunny at the side and just went with whatever stuck, not that Gino would allow that. Looks at design trends and things are heading back toward strong solids and away from gradients (with swirls, diamond plate, bevels, and rainbow sprinkles) People are definitely fleeing the wraps around here, I'm getting more and more calls about simple partials or vinyl jobs now.

Wrap it, or partially wrap it, but use it as a screaming example of LESS IS MORE....or heck, wrap one side of it and do the other side with a stellar vinyl job. That way your customers can see examples of both and people will think you've actually got two delivery vans!

 

[WildWestDesigns]

Wanted to ask a simple question and get input from others here.

We're picking up a new [used 2006] shop vehicle tomorrow. It's a diesel Ford V8 6.0 extended E350 cargo van. No windows on sides or back, so it has some really nice areas for canvases.

No one here at the shop thinks we should do it up with a wrap, partial wrap or much more than some simple lettering of our name. I'm in disagreement, but see their point.

I know many of you have your vehicles dressed up pretty neat..... do you think it helps ??

I'm not talking about doing it up so much that nothing makes sense or it becomes sensory overload, but no one here thinks we should use any effects such as bevels, colors or anything other than just the name and phone.

Gino this is not what you had asked about, but there are some issues with the 6.0 PSD engine in particular that you might want to be aware of. They weren't really cleared out of the E series vans until 2007 (they kept the 6.0 in those vans up until a year or two ago, unlike the PUs).

Just FYI, my DRW is a 2006 PSD as well. While I didn't have the issues that most others have had, I do have extensive knowledge of that engine and it's quirks since the DRW can put down 550 at the rear wheels (all four of them) and did it by myself.

This may not reach all that high on the "I care" meter, but thought I would mention it anyway. The 6.0s definitely have their quirks. They can be good engines, if handled in some respects with care.

 

[Border]

I wasn't suggesting throwing the Easter Bunny at it! I wasn't even suggesting a wrap necessarily, but something more betterer than just plain lettering as he said was being suggested.

 

[sar bossier]

Wrap that baby!!!

 

[CheapVehicleWrap]

Friday is the ideal day to fire these folks. Liking Pat's ideas of Left side wrap / right side stellar vinyl.

 

[SignosaurusRex]

Gino this is not what you had asked about, but there are some issues with the 6.0 PSD engine in particular that you might want to be aware of. They weren't really cleared out of the E series vans until 2007 (they kept the 6.0 in those vans up until a year or two ago, unlike the PUs).

Just FYI, my DRW is a 2006 PSD as well. While I didn't have the issues that most others have had, I do have extensive knowledge of that engine and it's quirks since the DRW can put down 550 at the rear wheels (all four of them) and did it by myself.

This may not reach all that high on the "I care" meter, but thought I would mention it anyway. The 6.0s definitely have their quirks. They can be good engines, if handled in some respects with care.

I was just thinking the same thing. It can be more than just a little quirky. I was looking at a rig with that same engine and my mechanic told me to stay away.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

I was just thinking the same thing. It can be more than just a little quirky. I was looking at a rig with that same engine and my mechanic told me to stay away.

They are a blast if you know their quirks. I wouldn't give mine up for anything. 200k on the clock, pull ~16k with it and when need be, get up and go.

But the biggest thing with the 6.0, is that you have to think differently about diesels, then when even I was growing up and first learned to drive on my granddad's 6.9 (also a Ford/Navistar engine, but back in the mid 80s).

The one bad thing about mechanics and the 6.0 though, even the Ford "certified" ones, some of them really don't know how to work on them (for whatever reason). Finding a good tech for the 6.0 is the hardest thing, but I find them easy to work on, but I was motivated to do so beyond just a job requirement.

 

[Pat Whatley]

I wasn't suggesting throwing the Easter Bunny at it!

I know, you do better work than that. I just cringe when I hear somebody say they're going to wrap their vehicle because for some reason when it comes to wraps most people seem to lose their dang minds and forget the design should look good to their prospective customers....not their buddies at the bar.

 

[Border]

I know, you do better work than that. I just cringe when I hear somebody say they're going to wrap their vehicle because for some reason when it comes to wraps most people seem to lose their dang minds and forget the design should look good to their prospective customers....not their buddies at the bar.

You are correct,Sir!

There is a wrap/sign shop here in town that I drive by fairly frequently and even though I KNOW what their name is I still can't, for the life of me, read their fricken sign out front when I drive by at 25 mph.

It is totally lost in effects, fills and grungy swirly crap. Their shop vehicles are the same.

 

[OldPaint]

from my years of working at NAPA, outside sales, i went to commercial business that had fleets of diesel eqipment. EVERY MECHANIC/SHOP FOREMAN at these places told me the same thing about diesel maintenance:
FUEL AND OIL FILTER CHANGES are the easiset way to make a diesel go 3-400,000 miles with out any problems.
diesel fuel is notoriously dirty. engine oil in a diesel picks up more contaminates then a gas unit. CHANGE IT OFTEN, AND A NEW FILTER every oil change.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

from my years of working at NAPA, outside sales, i went to commercial business that had fleets of diesel eqipment. EVERY MECHANIC/SHOP FOREMAN at these places told me the same thing about diesel maintenance:
FUEL AND OIL FILTER CHANGES are the easiset way to make a diesel go 3-400,000 miles with out any problems.
diesel fuel is notoriously dirty. engine oil in a diesel picks up more contaminates then a gas unit. CHANGE IT OFTEN, AND A NEW FILTER every oil change.

Thing is that is amplified even more so with the 6.0 and newer diesels. Forget about idling long times unless you have a high idle circuit on this baby as well. You'll either have a sticking EGR valve or injectors "wet stacking (along the lines of the wet stacking on exhaust pipes, but happens on the injectors)", which will get to a sticking VGT turbo. If that thing sticks then over or under boost condition which can lift your heads.

 

[ucmj22]

Do you have a good logo? If so, I'd splash it on there BIG. You dont have to get fancy. I'm sure you have seen these before, but these are good examples of ,no clutter, straight forward brand display. every van going down the road is lettered, you of all people should be standing out.

 

[visual800]

I started out with large and loud van graphics early 90s, mid to late 90s I ran magnetics on side. Now I have nothing on them. IF I were to chane my mind I would do a partial wrap. I dont care for wraps but I do like large graphics and partial wraps. they just look cleaner to me

 

[rjpjr]

Do you do Wraps?
If no... Don't wrap it... If yes... wrap it.
Wrap it only if you want to promote the service.
...IMHO

Let's see it when it is finished whatever you decide to do.

 

[petepaz]

i would say just keep in mind what you would do for a customer #1
and like some others said you don't want an easter egg explosion.
you want to show your potential customers you have some good skills and at the same time make it easy to read and easy on the eyes. on ours we just did the top window area from the front doors back. showed some full color and in easy to ready lettering put our info. (i know from alot of the work i have seen here there are far better artists then me but we got our point across)

 

[ForgeInc]

Full wrap = yes.
Bevels, effects, drop shadows = no.

 

[rjssigns]

Check out some of Dan Antonelli's layouts for vans. Brilliant.