The Grand Wagoneer’s woody panel look is one of the most recognizable designs in American truck history. When this lifted example came in, the owner wanted to bring that look back without touching the original painted body. The patina on the gray upper panels stays. The wood panels come back. We used a custom wood print with 3M wood texture laminate, cut in cleanly with 3M knifeless tape, and the result looks like it left the factory this way.

The Brief: Restore the Look, Preserve the Character

This Wagoneer is a lifted, off-road-ready build. Big tires, aftermarket wheels, roof rack. The paint has age on it, and that is part of the character. The owner did not want a repaint. He did not want to lose the weathered gray on the upper body. What he wanted was the wood paneling that made the Grand Wagoneer iconic, done properly, without disturbing anything else on the truck.

That is a specific ask, and it required a specific approach. The goal was not to make this look new. It was to make it look right.

The Material: Custom Wood Print with 3M Wood Texture Laminate

The wood panels were produced as a custom print and finished with 3M’s wood texture laminate. The laminate does two things: it adds a tactile texture that reads as wood grain under your hand, and it protects the print underneath from UV, abrasion, and moisture. From a few feet away, it reads as wood. Up close, it holds that impression.

Getting the grain scale and tone right for a vehicle this size takes attention. The panels are large, and if the grain pattern tiles or repeats visibly, it breaks the illusion immediately. On this Wagoneer, the grain runs consistently across each panel and transitions correctly at the seams. That is a print production and installation discipline issue, not just a material one.

The Execution: Paneling with 3M Knifeless Tape

The original Grand Wagoneer woody panels have defined boundaries. There are lines where the wood stops and the painted body begins, and those lines have to be exact. Cutting vinyl freehand on a finished vehicle risks damaging the paint underneath. 3M knifeless tape eliminates that risk.

Knifeless tape is laid along the panel boundary before the film goes down. Once the film is applied and smoothed, a thin filament in the tape cuts through the vinyl cleanly when pulled, leaving a precise edge with no blade contact on the vehicle surface. On a truck with original paint worth preserving, this is not optional. It is how the job gets done correctly.

The result on this Wagoneer is clean, consistent panel lines that match the original woody layout. Every boundary is sharp. Nothing is ragged or uneven.

This kind of precision paneling work is similar in approach to what we did on a 1942 Willys gasser for Late Night Speed Shop — a different job entirely, but the same principle applies: when a classic vehicle has original surfaces worth keeping, the installation method has to protect them.

The Result

Lifted on off-road tires and wearing its original patina on the upper body, this Grand Wagoneer looks like a proper restomod. The wood panels are warm, the grain is convincing, and the clean panel lines tie it all together. Nothing about this looks like an afterthought.

If you are interested in what a custom vehicle wrap can do for a classic or collector vehicle, this job is a good example of what is possible when the approach is built around the vehicle rather than applied to it.

Why AZ Rag

Custom work on classic and collector vehicles requires installers who understand the material, the method, and what is at stake. We are certified installers with experience across modern, classic, and purpose-built vehicles. If the vehicle matters to you, it will be treated accordingly.