Long shot

[josua]

Don't know if anybody can help but. Those dents in the aluminum around the shifter are getting to me. The ones Carid are selling are polished (bad) and the pictures I've seen don't cover the whole thing anyway, just around the outside (bad again). I have an exact Cad drawing of that aluminum and the ability to cut (precise) any metal. Problem is it has to match the one around the radio. I don't know what pattern that is but I can't locate anything close. I know it's not just bumps but I don't think you'd notice it. Matching the color shouldn't be that hard. Anybody?

 

[long Tall Sally]

on of the former members paid some of the high school shop kids to look for the material to match . They wrote called every factory manufacture they could find with no results. The companies that make those parts say usually they manufacture the material to match GM specs and when they finish the parts the material is scraped. Good luck. You will have a gold mind if you can replace that part. That is if all the people that want them actually buy any . Many will be glad to take one if you give it to them.

 

[Gord]

Don't know if anybody can help but. Those dents in the aluminum around the shifter are getting to me. The ones Carid are selling are polished (bad) and the pictures I've seen don't cover the whole thing anyway, just around the outside (bad again). I have an exact Cad drawing of that aluminum and the ability to cut (precise) any metal. Problem is it has to match the one around the radio. I don't know what pattern that is but I can't locate anything close. I know it's not just bumps but I don't think you'd notice it. Matching the color shouldn't be that hard. Anybody?

Howdy,
Are you talking about the aluminum wrap that's all over the center console and the radio? If so, it's beer-can thickness and soft as butter. At some point in my car's life, someone slapped wood grain -everything- in there and I detested it, so I ripped it all out. That got rid of the log cabin feel but it also exposed lots of dents and lots of other dents I put in it removing the crap!

Sooo... I found some automotive interior grade vinyl wrap and after stripping all the aluminum out and fixing up the plastic 'frames' underneath, mine is now a whole lot more to my taste. Check this place out The VViViD Shop - The Vinyl Wrap Store, Open to the public! , or others if we are talking about the same thing - I'm sure you can someone local to do the work if you're not up to it.

And ignore me if we're not talking about the same thing.

Gord

 

[josua]

Yeah Gord, we're talking about the same garbage aluminum. Where I work I have access to all kind of thin stainless down to 28 gauge which is .015". I can match the color but without the bumps it doesn't look right. I'm going to contact some of our suppliers, see if they might know. If I can get the metal, I can cut one in about 2 minutes. Cross your fingers.

 

[josua]

lous y pic.

 

[Gord]

That looks pretty nice though it's flat, correct? The original shtuff is wrapped around all the corners and edges and if anyone tried to do that by hand...yikes, that would be artwork. I'd wager GM had a press to stamp and form it and then maybe another to bend and wrap it over the plastic.

Oh, BTW, did you look at the original really closely? I sort of thought it might have just been a silk-screened pattern. I should dig up a scrap and give it a good look-see under a magnifier.

Mine is now the typical black carbon fiber (quite high gloss for this trial) which (imho) brought the car up a decade in interior design, and it's on the ebony (black) everything else so it suits me just fine. I had to do all the bits on the doors (difficult) and the steering wheel too. I found a full leather steering wheel from I think a 2009 and the ashtray / cup holder and the plank beside it are done as well = no more wood at all.

Wood in cars is certainly to personal taste and as they say 'adds a touch of warmth and luxury'...well, it doesn't do it for me, especially on a steering wheel that you just might smack your head in to at some point. I've had enough splinters in my life...

Here we go - Pics aren't great - before and after, and I stripped the aluminum crap off - not just cover it over. A couple of little boo-boos to address but I'm waiting for a nice hot day for that.





I haven't taken any other acceptable pics of the interior yet as I have all sorts of other stuff ripped out of it at the moment, sorry.

It's a shipload of work - but I quite like it.

 

[long Tall Sally]

its a textured metal piece. the problem is the plastic it is mounted to is not firm enough and there is an air space between the metal and plastic. that allows it to dent easily. Most panels like this are bonded directly to the plastic and provide a little extra protection. As thin as it is wrapping it may not be that difficult but would require a mold to hold it firmly to bend it .

 

[Gord]

Here we go.
Drag that pic off to your desktop and zoom in a bit. I'd guess it's done with electricity / a laser or such. There's basically no depth to the pattern and you can scratch it with anything sharp...not good at all.




As I recall, it was actually a pretty snug fit to the plastic, but in certain areas such as where the plastic was molded (the injection points), there were low spots indeed. And, everyone has the hole for the power folding mirrors on the driver's door panel - it's just covered over with the aluminum which means if you happen to bump that spot just so, you'll get a serious dent. The aluminum is just too soft.

 

[IAN]

Hi Gord

Your number 67 and early produced XLR impress me and thought that it would be fine to inform you.

My 2004 is the numbers 3800, while Wikipedia mention the sales of 3600 +- XLR in 2004.

My car was sold in the Vermon state in early June 2004, that indicate that the 2003 could have been counted for 2004 sales.
This site registry shows no mention of the 2003 sales or build XLR.

For your information attached are photos of a sales brochures that indicated that the XLR 2003 were build and sold.

If you having fun with your present XLR that is what the main reason for.

Enjoy the upgrade of your repairs and your efforts in keeping it rolling.

Salut.

IAN.

 

[Gord]

View attachment 9457

Thanks - merci beaucoup Ian!
The second picture is exceptionally interesting I find. The grill and the emblem, the way it is mounted flush and not sunken in like 'normal' XLRs.

I think most fascinating is the 'copyright 2002' on the bottom - to think that GM could have given themselves so much time to release the car...imagine what they have today that we do not see publicly.

If I am not mistaken, the EVOQ was first shown in 1999?! And two decades later it and the XLR still looks completely modern. "Timeless" cars are hard to find - we are all very fortunate here to have a passion for one which I certainly believe, fits in that category.

Gord

 

[Z1.]

Wow, that is nice work. I personally think the carbon wrap looks better than the OEM stuff. I'm so glad members here are experimenting with new materials to replace the original coverings.

This may save people time in experimentation: I played around with using dry ice to remove interior console dents; a very slight improvement. I then tried a mini PDA slide tool; glue on a tip, then gently hammer back; much better but did not completely remove dents.

 

[IAN]

Hi Gord.

Good observation, the 2004 crest is embossed and its lower portion is deeper in the grill, also the grill is painted the same color of the XLR body.

Find an other photo of the brochure font page, also a poster painting of a 2003 advertising.

The EVOQ program started in 1997, it seems that it has began in Germany, the team working on the project had different views of…..if the EVOQ should be a sedan or convertible.

12 clays models were produced, finally the XLR ended up to be a ''fiberglass convertible'', a metal sedan version for mostly the DTS/CTS.
The XLR is the father of all Cadillac of those years that the XLR were build.

Their theme was ART and Science, a car well imagined…. the XLR has a great story, like the 1928-35 Duisenberg an other German creation of the 2 US racers brothers.

An EVOQ brochure was made by the GM German team,( the only one I could find ) it is in their language, since your a pro in linguistic I could send you a copy to translate it for the XLR Owners.

IAN

 

[Gord]

Wow, that is nice work. I personally think the carbon wrap looks better than the OEM stuff. I'm so glad members here are experimenting with new materials to replace the original coverings.

This may save people time in experimentation: I played around with using dry ice to remove interior console dents; a very slight improvement. I then tried a mini PDA slide tool; glue on a tip, then gently hammer back; much better but did not completely remove dents.

Howdy, & thanks kindly.
I suppose had mine been perfect, I would have left well enough alone, but it was really kaput. By the time I had the wood grain shtuff removed, there was glue and yuck (and dents) pretty much everywhere.

Vinyl is very forgiving - with a caveat: the stuff I got is specifically designed for interiors, and I did try a slice of 'exterior' vinyl I happened to have about, and it was an absolute devil. I guess if I handed it off to a pro vinyl 'wrapper' they could do it without fault (look at YouTube - some of those guys and gals are incredible), but that's no fun. It's much more interesting to see what one's own hands can do, and learn a little along the way.

Odds are, I may see if they have a slightly 'flatter' interior carbon and go again. I find this one is super glossy (I tried a picture of the console yesterday and it's hopeless until I can get the car out in a dull sunlight). Also the gloss carbon shows every little boo-boo in the plastic underneath. I did spot-putty and careful sanding for ages during the winter and managed to minimize that issue, but I think with say, 'semi-gloss' carbon, it wouldn't take as much work and would ultimately look flawless.

There's lots of options for the vinyl wrap patterns and colors these days and that certainly makes it fun to play with. And, it's not expensive if you compare what some people are asking for original parts.

Gord