Putting stripes on my car - any tricks?

chrisp · 01-26-2008, 05:36 PM

I know that on some muscle cars they do funky things with the stripes to make them look really good...they don't just apply them straight front to back.

I am adding two narrow stripes to my SC race car. They go from the front bumper back to the rear bumper.

Are there any tricks? Should I slightly curve them to somewhat follow the added girth through the middle of the body. When I say slightly I'm talking about a 1/4" to 1/2" offset, not a major bend.

Joe Bob · Joe Bob's Garage

How thick is the stripe? Thick stripes don't bend well.....

chrisp · 01-26-2008, 06:15 PM

5" and 2". They'll be 1" to 1.5" apart. They're offset, not down the middle.

Joe Bob · Joe Bob's Garage

Hope you have a lot of maerial...%^B.....

Two ways....you can cut a curve in the vinyl and apply wet. OR you can do a dry install with a heat gun and a bit of stretching....both methods require the paint to be squeeky clean and an assistant.....

chrisp · 01-26-2008, 06:33 PM

I don't have an exorbitant amount of material. Each piece is 3-4" longer than the finished length of the place it's going. The stripes are pre-cut but are not masked. They'll need to go down individually.

Sounds like I should just lay 'em down wet/straight.

chrisp · 01-26-2008, 06:35 PM

this is what I am going for:

Joe Bob · Joe Bob's Garage

That's shouldn't be so hard....you can do cuts to relieve the inside of the curve....an exaxto knife will be your friend.

petrolblue83911 · 01-26-2008, 07:20 PM

Chris,

I was just going to say what mike said,- at the bends a slight cut will relieve any tension. I did this on an earlier track car and it came out well. I like the look on the pic you posted, good luck with it!- I tried it a bunch of times with a some extra tape and after playing with it a while you'll get the feel for it.

-Hey-How did those BBS rims work out on that track car?

-Adam

chrisp · 01-27-2008, 03:21 AM

thanks Adam! good idea to practice with some tape. i think the hardest part is going to be keeping the gap between the stripes consistent. i might lay down a stripe of 1" blue tape (dry) and then float (wet) the vinyl up against that.

those wheels ended up cleaning up pretty well. they're for my brother. he took them in december and i'm not sure if he's put them on yet.

will we see you at the track this year?

jaldeguer · 01-27-2008, 04:30 AM

hi, the degree of difficulty depends on the design of the striping and the location on the car it will be applied on.. I just installed my stripes last week on my '78 SC and had no problems putting them on. Getting someone from a sign maker could help as well..

David 23 · 01-27-2008, 05:07 AM

Make them straight, unless you make a more dramatic curve (which would require curved material). A slight offset or curve of such a small amount will look more like you just couldn't get it straight rather than an intended effect.

JGalt · 01-27-2008, 05:56 AM

put a mixture of water and a little dish washing liquid in a sprayer, spray the surface, put down the decal, align, squeegee out the bubbles, wait to air dry.

jaldeguer · 01-27-2008, 06:23 AM

Yes both suggestions above are very useful.. First, using a guide maybe with masking tape so that stripe alignment is precise and second the use of dish washing liquid or shampoo so you can move and adjust the stickers if necessary..

B Goode · 01-28-2008, 07:09 AM

I don't know much about decals, but this sounds like a great place to try one of those laser line projectors - the kind that some others have been using to do their own wheel alignments. If you could mount it directly above the car and keep it stable while applying the stripes, that could be a really cool solution for getting the stripe alignment perfect.