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But seriously, I did blackout my beltline with electrical tape. I guess I'm desperate to be rid of the chrome.

Any pics with your ride black out? Seems cool!!

It'll be off before summer ends. This type of tape tends to shrink and curl very quickly in the sun.

outmotoring has one for 12.99 plus ship. i guess that is a little more than what you payed for but i assume its good quality "3m scotchal automotive grade" and hope that it doesnt shrink!

The 3M Scotchcal tape is great stuff. I didn't know how hard it was going to be to install, or how long it would last, so I went ahead and got a full 150-foot roll from my body shop. (The correct 3M tape is the 1/2" Low-Gloss Black, #72793)

Of course, the one time I think ahead and have plenty of extra material, I don't need it. The install was very easy, so I think I only used about 20 feet of tape. Plus, it hasn't shrunk or lifted at all, even in the California summer.

you gotta love how the label starts with: "Lead-Free" and ends with: "Made in China"

but in all seriousness, be sure to check the tape often at the edges so you can see what effect the adhesive has to your chrome or if it's shrinking. electrical tape typically isnt designed to be in the sun nor is it meant to be removed without harm to the surface of adhesion

I was thinking the same thing when I read the label. Was lead ever an ingredient in electrical tape? Why would you even bother to advertise it as "lead-free"?

It's kind of like the food companies that jumped on the "cholesterol free" bandwagon and started labeling things "cholesterol free" that would never have been a candidate for containing cholesterol in the first place. (Like a bag of fresh fruit - by their very nature, fruits can't have cholesterol. Fat, yes, but not cholesterol.)

Lead free...shoot I bought the wrong stuff

I had this tape lying around along with some 3M stuff, so I thought I would I give it a go. I tried both and so far the 3M tape seems to have better adhesion qualities, but at the very least I know how much I prefer this look over the chrome beltline. I will in the near future be purchasing some satin vinyl wrap parts (gas cap, side repeaters) so maybe while I'm at it I think I'll get the beltline kit from vinylstyles as well.

I think you need to figure in the cost of goo remover with the price of electrical tape. Then add the cost of doing it right.

IIRC the beltline on the OP's R56 is wider than the one on the R50, R52 and R53.

anyone ever PAINTED the beltline pieces? how hard would it be to pull the chrome and scuff and paint them low gloss black?

i had the outmotoring "kit" and the tape literally sort of melted on me on certain areas when i was trying to apply it to the HOT chrome beltline this weekend. it was 96 here saturday. out of frustration i threw the little that remained of it away and ordered the 150' 3m scotchcal roll from the place i linked above. 150' should be enough i would think to eventually get it right for a few more $. with plenty to spare in case it starts to get ugly.

but, while i was doing it- i kept thinking how much more i would prefer to just pull and paint them. over time maybe the paint would chip but, if it's easy enough i might prefer it.

I highly doubt that the 1/2" tape would be wide enough for the R56, my 3/4" electrical tape only left a little overhang, I think 5/8" is about what you need.

A couple of pics.

A close up of the trim near the hood.

This is electrical tape? I don't think I'd use electrical tape but I like the "satin" quality of the black. I have the 5/8" tape from outmotoring and it is too glossy for my tastes. Is the 3M tape = outmotoring tape, or is it less glossy?

yeah- electrical tape IMO would start to peel and leave gunk. but i have to admit it does look good.

as far as the outmotoring tape not sure what brand it is. didn't find it too glossy though. did you remove the clear top layer?

can't answer the 3M question yet as i just ordered it and will not know until next week after i apply it. i may be the same thing outmotoring sells but, you get much more for less $$. comparatively speaking for the amount you get vs. the outmotoring "kit".

I did remove the clear layer from the outmotoring tape so that's not what's causing it to look a bit glossy. I still have some left over and on the backing paper it says High Performance Film, Automotive Grade, (no 3m logos).

Report back as to what you think of the 3m tape compared to the outmotoring stuff. You ordered 1/2" or 5/8" ?

yeah i didn't notice any 3m logos either on the kit.

i have a 2003 R50 so my beltline is "slimmer" 1/2" is what i need. but, yes will report back once it is on. hopefully at the latest next saturday. hopefully not too hot again but 150' should allow me to make a few mistakes this time .

the above link i posted has it in 5/8 as well. for the price and the amount you get- you can become the beltline master.

just measured it. for the R56, the 3M automotive grade scotchcal bought from outmotoring is 5/8inches or 1.6cm.

I just called Hillas, the link that was referenced above and the 3m low gloss black does not come in 5/8". I comfirmed this with a call to 3m. The only black tape that 3m has in black and 5/8" is gloss and the product code is 73402.

Check this out: http://www.lylesvinylstyles.net/R56/belt_line.html
People have used his vinyl a lot here on NAM. The satin I hear is more like the Scotchcal used on the R53s etc. Lyle says it comes close to the look of the rubber.

But they do have the low gloss black in a 3/4, you could always trim it.

http://3m.hillas.com/pc-24305-3172-3...s-black-3.aspx

ah that blows. i must've seen the gloss or the wrong size then at hillas. sorry.

actually 3/4" may work well or even better. it's only what... 1/8" bigger? this way you would not have to worry at all if it ever shrunk back or if in one spot it was not perfectly straight. the extra 1/8" would probably cover the chrome extra good on each side.

$25 for the blackout kit is a lot of money if you screw it up. it isn't rocket science but, then again isn't too hard to screw up if you're not careful.

When I did the 3/4 electrical tape I really only had a few spots that I had to trim up, aside from the ends. It really depends on how you want it to look. I found it could be trimmed all the way around and then tucked under, or just leave it alone and let it adhere to the bottom rubber stripping. So I think Whitney might be right. The 3/4 could be even better.