Thứ Bảy, 4 tháng 2, 2017

Rear Chrome "TESLA" text painted - and car named... part 1

  • Mar 22, 2013
    aaron.s
    Hi All -

    For a while now, I've been thinking about getting the embossed "TESLA" text on the rear chrome bar painted so it stands out more... Kind of felt Tesla should have done it all along. So yesterday I finally took the plunge and had a pin striping guy paint the raised text Blue to match the body color. Here are the results....

    Also - have finally named my car after someone on the forums here from Europe decided to name his soon to arrive baby... "Serenity". Found black & white decals on Amazon - got the black one today and fitted it -- what do you guys think? When the white one arrives, I'll test fit it under the "Model S" badging to see how it looks....

    Aaron

    IMG_0732.jpg IMG_0733.jpg IMG_0734.jpg
  • Mar 22, 2013
    vfx
    Looks great!

    Except for the NY plate.
  • Mar 22, 2013
    aaron.s
    Yea - but can't do anything about that unfortunately....

    Aaron
  • Mar 22, 2013
    inottawa
    It really does look awesome! I would maybe swap out the plate frame now though. Having the same 'TESLA' so close together looks like a little too much.
  • Mar 22, 2013
    aaron.s
    Yes - I agree - the two Tesla's are redundant.... Although when its bright out, it still is hard to make out the newly painted text....

    Aaron
  • Mar 22, 2013
    cdabel
    Shiny! Car like this, be with ya 'til the day ya die
  • Mar 22, 2013
    Hank42
    nice! Hopefully it won't start looking like Serenity any time soon!
  • Mar 22, 2013
    digitaltim
    Love it!
  • Mar 22, 2013
    Liz G
    Hope you don't mind if I copy you and do the same thing for Lithie.
  • Mar 22, 2013
    Lanny
    Looks good Aaron. Just make sure your car wash guy with the steam cleaner is careful around the decal.

    Lanny
  • Mar 22, 2013
    aaron.s
    Thanks TIM!

    Aaron

    - - - Updated - - -

    Hey Lanny!!!!

    I just had the car steam washed today! When I got home, the decal was waiting for me in the mail - so it was perfect timing!
    Hope everything else has been well with you! Want to see you soon when I pass through to visit my sister in Richmond!

    Aaron

    - - - Updated - - -

    Liz G

    Please do! Thats why I posted these pictures! Are you going to do the painting of the letters, decal or both?

    Aaron

    - - - Updated - - -

    Thats pretty funny Hank.... Great ship she is - but I hope to keep this "Serenity" in tip top shape!

    Aaron
  • Mar 22, 2013
    JakeP
    Aaron that looks utterly fantastic...such a minor change, yet a major impact. Well done!
  • Mar 22, 2013
    carrerascott
    Get one of the "100% electric" plates off of Amazon. Would look perfect with the new TESLA painted. How did they paint it, by the way?

  • Mar 22, 2013
    carrerascott
    Well, you inspired me. Just so happens I received some oil-based Sharpie paint pens today from Amazon. Since my car was black, I went ahead and blacked out the letters. Looks great! Before & after below... Sorry the after pic isnt great as it was in the garage at night with my cellphone...

    FUELFTR.jpg FUELFTR-blk.jpg
  • Mar 23, 2013
    artsci
    Nice Aaron. You've inspired a trend I think.
  • Mar 23, 2013
    aaron.s
    Scott

    LOOKS GREAT!!!! I'm so glad I've inspired you guys!

    I had a pinstriper paint the lettering... He mixed the paint on the spot (on a magazine no less) to get the color right and then painted it by hand.... But the oil-based sharpie was probably super easy! Didn't even know they made them!

    Aaron

    PS - Now that I have "TESLA" painted in - I will probably replace the silver Tesla license plate frame since having the 2 "Tesla's" is a bit redundant. I still have a white "Serenity" decal coming to see what that may look like under the "Model S" badging - and if I don't like that, I may try getting a plate frame with Serenity on the bottom lip (where your's says "Electric") in the same font as the decal I got. I have to see... I may not want to keep the black decal on the chrome strip since it does look a little out of place...

    Opinions everyone? I will post a pic when I get the white decal....
  • Mar 23, 2013
    cdabel
    Vastly superior to those Capison 38- powered vehicles
  • Mar 23, 2013
    Liz G
    @aaron.s

    I'll be getting a decal from Uppercase Living.

    Liz
  • Mar 23, 2013
    Cattledog
    Have to say the colored TESLA letters are a home run, no, a grand slam! I'd send them a photo, I think Franz would take one look and go YES! Can you get a chromed plate that says 'Model S'? That would pull it together nicely.

    First impression of Serenity was lukewarm, but the whole 'name a your car like people name their boats' is sort of cool. What if Tesla offered this like when you get the back of your ipod engraved? If they can add 'TESLA' to a piece of chrome I'm sure those robotic arms could be programmed learn cursive and write any name you want.
  • Mar 23, 2013
    sp4rk
    Agree with you the lettering needs a "pop".

    Can you please explain this process a little more.
    "pin striping guy paint the raised text Blue to match the body color"
    Never heard of pin striping, (nor'd I heard of wrapping til here and then went down that road with bad results.)

    I just ordered frames that simply say at the bottom "100% ELECTRIC".

    My car I call Nikki (short for Nicola) so the lettering would have to be to the left!
  • Mar 23, 2013
    carrerascott
    I think they just handpaint with a fine brush -- the letters are flat on top so as long as you take it slow you don't need to tape anything off. Since my car was black I just used black Medium oil-based Sharpie paint pens -- they come in a lot of colors on Amazon, so maybe you can find something close enough (or just do black):

    http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_nr_seeall_1?rh=k%3Asharpie+paint+pen+medium%2Ci%3Aarts-crafts&keywords=sharpie+paint+pen+medium&ie=UTF8&qid=1364048661
  • Mar 23, 2013
    sp4rk
    Mine is black so I'll give that a try ... feel scared :scared: applying permanent ink to her!
  • Mar 23, 2013
    Babylonfive
    For those of you a little scared, what about cutting out some vinyl sticker material instead?
  • Mar 23, 2013
    carrerascott
    It's oil based paint, can be removed with the right paint remover.
  • Mar 23, 2013
    mknox
    I think it looks fantastic, but will it be "permanent"? I worry that it might start to flake or peel and start to look crummy.
  • Mar 23, 2013
    carrerascott
    It seems permanent, but if not, it could easily be redone or removed. Oil- based paint should stick. But again it wouldn't be hard to remove, then maybe sand it and repaint it for a better grip, if necessary.
  • Mar 23, 2013
    JRP3
    The only problem is people might think "Serenity" is a Tesla model since individual car naming is unusual. "I just saw a Tesla Serenity" :confused:
  • Mar 23, 2013
    aaron.s
    JRP3 -

    Hahaha you're right - and even more so now - take a look. Got the White (larger) Serenity decal - here it is taped to the car with the backing still on:

    IMG_0746.jpg IMG_0747.jpg

    Opinions everyone?

    Aaron
  • Mar 23, 2013
    Merrill
    Like the painted Tesla, but would think twice about the Serenity decal. Keep it clean and uncluttered.
  • Mar 23, 2013
    carrerascott
    Agreed on the Serenity decal but it's your car not ours!
  • Mar 23, 2013
    gg_got_a_tesla
    Agree. The decal's a little too much and a touch tacky IMO, Aaron. But, tastes vary (I got a tacky-in-someone's-opinion CF vinyl wrap for my nose cone) :)
  • Mar 23, 2013
    sp4rk
    My two cents on the confusion aspect is ...

    I would put "SERENITY" in quotes ... and put it on your licence plate frame ... car models never go there.
  • Mar 23, 2013
    brianman
    I wonder who will do the rainbow colored TESLA chrome first.

    Maybe VFX will paint the "TES" letters only.
  • Mar 24, 2013
    Soflason
    I really like the initial embossed "TESLA" text on the rear chrome bar painted best, that treatment is very cool indeed :biggrin:
  • Mar 24, 2013
    Liz G
    @aaron.s

    I think the name badge on the chrome strip looks better than under the Model S badge,
  • Mar 24, 2013
    jerry33
    Agreed. Anything that reduces the amount of chrome, even by a tiny amount, is an improvement.
  • Mar 24, 2013
    JakeP
    Agreed also...Serenity looked great on the chrome, but is way too busy and asymmetrical under Model S.
  • Mar 24, 2013
    DrTaras
    Don't I know it. I'm no wallflower when it comes to controversy and eXtreming my car and this week will be posting pictures of the unveil including a small TESLA badging initiative! :cool:

    I like it and like the placement! Nice choice of a 'name', of course a departure from the genre of my car's name. But then again, I'm a departure, in an of itself! :scared:

    I 'vote' for the original picture post and not this latter, but then again, beauty is in the eye of the beholder! :redface:

    What about a vanity plate? :confused:

    Love it! Also love the personalized plate!
  • Mar 24, 2013
    teslasguy
    Aaron, love the painted text. Hope you don't mind if I copy?


    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
  • Mar 24, 2013
    olanmills
    The painted TESLA text looks cool! I am contemplating getting that chrome bar wrapped in a different color along with wrapping the emblems, but maybe I'll just do something similar to what you did. I wonder how the paint stand up to wear though...
  • Mar 24, 2013
    carrerascott
    I'll definitely post updates on how it holds up.
  • Mar 24, 2013
    ModelS1079
    Aaron you are insane. Brilliant, inspired, but insane. I quiver when just washing the car, nevermind redoing it. Looks great. Bravo! Be sure to recommend the same to John Broder when he breaks down and buys himself a Tesla.
  • Mar 25, 2013
    aaron.s
    All -

    Thanks for your comments and suggestions! I think I agree with all of you that the white decal under the Model S badging is too much... For the time being, I am leaving the black decal affixed to the right side of the chrome bar. Of course, I am still loving the painted TESLA text. I'm so pleased I've inspired so many of you to do the same!

    I may go and see the detailer who painted the TESLA lettering and see if he can paint "Serenity" more permanently on the chrome bar in the same place. I want the typeface to be the same as the decal (same font used for the TV Show/Movie), so I don't know how hard it would be for him to do it... I did look into getting the name on the bottom part of a license plate frame, but found no nice pre-made frames and the sites that allow you to customize, don't offer the same font as I would like...

    Aaron
  • Mar 25, 2013
    Iz
    Good move Aaron. See you on the highway :cool:
  • Mar 25, 2013
    vfx
    Or all of our club members can do it!

    - - - Updated - - -

    As for Serenity, I would get a vanity plate or do the plate frame with that name.
  • Mar 25, 2013
    tdelta1000
    Great mod! Very simple.
  • Mar 26, 2013
    AMPd
    Will the oil/ink wash off the chrome when going through a car wash?
  • Mar 26, 2013
    carrerascott
    I have hand washed it and it hasn't come off. Haven't been through a car wash.
  • Mar 26, 2013
    AMPd
    That's a good sign that it won't come off easily
    thank you!
  • Apr 5, 2013
    aaron.s
    Well.... Who new the "Serenity" decal I put on the back of the car was actually a vinyl TRANSFER decal?!

    After getting wet, it looked horrible, so I peeled it off and lo and behold, the lettering remained on the chrome!
    It looks MUCH nicer now!

    Aaron

    IMG_0777.jpg
  • Apr 5, 2013
    gg_got_a_tesla
    Nice, Aaron! Serendipity with Serenity :)
  • Apr 5, 2013
    ggr
    Inspired by you, I bought the medium sharpie set, and one of the colors is pretty much exactly Tesla's red. I'm thinking it will look great on the Big Gay Car. I'll probably do it this weekend, after I convince Pat and myself that it isn't a big mistake, and post pics.
  • Apr 5, 2013
    cdabel
    Aaron, do you have a link to where you got the decal?
  • Apr 6, 2013
    metafor
    Awesome. You can't take the sky from me...

    /I'm naming mine "Kaylee"
  • Apr 6, 2013
    deonb
    "Goin' on a year now I ain't had nothin' twixt my nethers weren't run on batteries!"
  • Apr 6, 2013
    Chas F
    LOL! and I don't LOL that often.
  • Apr 6, 2013
    aaron.s
  • Apr 6, 2013
    cdabel
    Thanks. Now I just need to figure out if I save this under my Tesla bookmarks or my Firefly bookmarks.
  • Apr 6, 2013
    Liz G
    Lithie has her name badge now. Check it out.

    Lithie.png
  • Apr 6, 2013
    aaron.s
    Nice Liz!!!

    Aaron
  • Apr 6, 2013
    ModelX
    I think both Serenity and Lithie are looking good!
  • Apr 6, 2013
    ggr
    Well, first we tried all the colors that we thought might look good. I did this by covering the letters with sticky tape, then roughly painting the tape. We tried black, pink, purple, red, and magenta.

    IMAG0119.jpg

    We decided that the red clashed too much, and actually liked the purple best. So here's the result. Sorry I'm not a very good photographer.

    IMAG0121.jpg

    Aaron: thanks for the idea!
  • Apr 6, 2013
    sp4rk
    Liz G

    That's is classy, very nicely done.
    I have to ask ... how did you do that? Worth the price of admission!
    I would still make the TESLA on the rim black.
    As is "I've seen the future and it's parked in my drive way."
  • Apr 6, 2013
    Liz G
    Uppercase Living. You can custom design the applique. Really easy to put on. They have a design studio so you can see what it will look like and how big it will be. Have to be careful on the font and font size you pick.

    I will br coloring in the letters as soon as I can get my hands on some touch up paint. Also waiting on my new licence plate holder. Then she will be all decked out.
  • Apr 6, 2013
    sp4rk
    Ok, went to their site. Confusing navigation. Finally found it. What surface did you use?
  • Apr 6, 2013
    brianman
    @ggr - Have you considered coloring the "Signature" as well?

    Something like this?

    GGRRearChrome2.jpg

    Random observation: That was pretty fast. I must be getting the hang of this picture voodoo thing. :)
  • Apr 6, 2013
    Liz G
    I just used the regular surface as it's seemed to work well with mirrors in the past and the chrome has the same smooth surface. It was only $15 shipped so I figured if the regular surface doesn't hold up I'll just replace with the other one.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Purple was an excellent choice.
  • Apr 7, 2013
    ggr
    I thought about it, but I'm not sure I have a good enough hand to do it. The raised letters were easy to "stay within the lines", but with the etched "Signature" I was afraid I'd go outside, and then not be able to undo it if it sucked, because the paint would be in the rough bit.
  • Apr 7, 2013
    aaron.s
    ggr

    Looks GREAT!

    Aaron
  • Apr 7, 2013
    gg_got_a_tesla
    Very nice, ggr! The BGC has become even more unique now if I can put it that way.

    Aaron, you should consider copyrighting this and collecting loyalties ;)
  • Apr 7, 2013
    Liz G
    I think everyone should name badge their S.
  • Jun 15, 2013
    metafor
    Naive question but how does one get text embossed? Are there shops that do it? Kits?
  • Jun 15, 2013
    Clint Eastwood
    Nice idea. Is there a dark blue sharpie that matches the blue model s? Also, since I haven't taken possession yet, does the care come with he tesla license plate holder, or did you buy them?
  • Jun 15, 2013
    BobHodgen
    Shiny!
  • Jun 15, 2013
    B-Chicago
    Let me know if you find dark blue. I think it would look great but worried the blue will be hard to match as dark/metallic.
  • Jun 16, 2013
    brianman
    In case it helps:
    Amazon.com: Sharpie Fine-Tip Permanent Marker, 24-Pack Assorted Colors: Office Products

    Update: Free shipping is dangerous. I ordered one. If I remember I'll try to take a picture with a blue S or with the sample from the store sometime.

    81IcbXCXTHL._SL1300_.jpg
  • Jun 16, 2013
    Lloyd
    You want the oil based sharpies. Those are not.
  • Jun 16, 2013
    brianman
  • Jun 17, 2013
    maxjamie
    quote_icon.png Originally Posted by Clint Eastwood viewpost-right.png
    Nice idea. Is there a dark blue sharpie that matches the blue model s? Also, since I haven't taken possession yet, does the care come with he tesla license plate holder, or did you buy them?


    I have tried the oil based sharpie blue (bought at office depot - same as what's available from Amazon) and the blue is too light compared to the blue exterior color on my car. So I did it over with a black one.

    I also tried to color in the S letter on the model S emblem on the left with a red color ( to match the red P on my P85 badge) but did not turn out that good. The red color is a little off.
  • Aug 28, 2013
    ohaq
    I used black plastidip to cover the letters. Looks great with matte finish. The thing that worries me is car wash.
  • Aug 30, 2013
    ohaq
    IMAG0329.jpg

    Still there after car wash.
  • Jul 18, 2016
    Modelxancaster
    Aaron. I saw your posting with the "Serenity" lettering. Do you have the measurements for the height and width for the characters/word. I am getting the lettering " Pegasus" for my white Model X and need proper measurements. In particular, Amazon says the word SERENITY is 6 inches long but I'm wondering what the height of the chrome is in the area of the word. Any measurements on " Lillie" would be helpful as well
  • Jul 18, 2016
    Mango
    I personalty like the subtly of the txt on the car and plate holder.
  • Jul 18, 2016
    buckerine
    OK, definitely doing this once I get my white S. Looks fantastic. Any other places on the car that could do with similar treatment?

    Also, for the guy who used the oil-based Sharpie pens, is that stuff removable?
  • Jul 18, 2016
    scottm
    I bought the oil paint Sharpie at noon... Got black, closest to my grey car, but probably most universal color for the lettering that would look good on any car.

    I gotta admit, I like this nice touch... it's happening tonight!

    These pens come in ultra-fine, fine, medium, and large tip sizes.. at Michael's crafts $6. I got the "fine" tip.
  • Jul 18, 2016
    Ron2andia
    Looks great!
  • Jul 19, 2016
    aaron.s
    The Decal I got was 6" long and the letters are 1" high.

    Aaron
  • Jul 20, 2016
    Modelxancaster
    Thanks Aaron. I'll post a pic once I get my X and install the lettering.
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