I'm giving up on trying to find a local (Corona, CA) shop to do this for a reasonable price, and am contemplating doing it myself. Has anyone else done this, and if so, could they throw together an "idiots guide"? I've never put any kind of decal/vinyl on a car, so don't be afraid to put in too much detail (starting with "Take stripe-kit out of box" will not cause offense ). BTW, I've got the Roush kit, so if anyone has done this one in particular, that'd be especially helpful.
tip #1 go to a graphics shop (they guys you called) and get a bunch of their solution to apply the decals. soapy water works too, but its hard for an unexperienced guy to know how much soap to add and if wrong, the stripes wont stick. the solution could be expensive (like $30/gallon), but thats much better than ruining the stripes or paying someone else to do it. tip #2 spray the solution on the car and the sticky side of the stripes. postition the stripe, then use a squeegee or body filler spreader to smooth out the air bubbles. if you start in the middle fo the stripe and work your way out, you wont get much air. you can also use a heat gun (hair dryer for last resort) to remove small imperfections. if you have air bubbles you just cant get out, use a pin and poke a small hole in the middle of bubble, then smooth out. tip #3 take your time!!!!! it may take many hours to perfect for a noob, so dont rush it.
Tip 4. I've tried applying vinyl myself. I would never do it again. I worked with it for hours and still had many wrinkles. After a day or so, I ripped it off. If you are a perfectionist, keep your sanity and have someone else do it.
Yes, I'm real particular. If I botched it, all I'd be able to see, when I looked at the car, would be the flaws...
I done my own, spent well over 3 days and my own pace. I have maybe $25 in the vinyl and end result was one minor flaw and never looked better, the dealer has me stripe their cars for buyers now versus dealer trim shops asking $350 and up.
Does anyone had a bad stripe job on their hood? cause mine is rather aweful, it is starting to bubble and you can see where the decal was folded...the dealership tried to tell me it was cause I go throught the car wash alot. But that is not the case,I only go throught the wash once or twice a season just in dire emergencies. Now i am trying to get the dealership to remove the decal and paint it on, has anyone had any success with this option?
I did and found it fairly easy although that was anniversary stripes on my '98 Z28 which finished on the nose-cone. I also had truncated stripes on the rear hatch. Basically you get an alcohol like isopropanol, mix it 50% with water and put in a tiny drop of dishwashing liquid. You then mark out the position of the stripes and mark the position with mmasking tape and then spray, spray, spray, keeping the surface wet and floating the strip into position before using a squeegee to gently push the air and water out from the middle. If you have a quality vinyl, it breathes, so you get a good stripe with a few bubbles that will disappear over the next day or so as the alcohol evaporates and the vinyl contracts. I found the whole process fairly easy using the instructions from 3rd Gen decals. Some stripes are less durable than others however. I had silver stripes which is one of the worst colors and after 2 years, mine developed white spots on the rear spoiler. I think the life expectancy of vinyl is 3-5 years.
Stripes I asked my local Ford dealer and they wanted over $200 just for the hood vinyl. "They do not install." I'm sending mine for paint next week. Body shop will sand, paint and clear coat: the center of my hood black, attach CDC chin spoiler and paint red, black out rear between tail lights and paint spoiler black $1,100.00. My problem with the stickers and flat black is that I'd need to take special care. This way I can wax and buff the whole dam thing! I'll post pictures E.O.M.
It depends on how good you are. I did a LOT of striping in the past so I have already been up on the learning curve. If its new to you practice on your friends car 1st (especially if you owe him money). He wont call you again.
My stripes from Baltimore Street Mods will be here this week and I plan on putting them on Friday. I think the key is taking your time, and not rushing any part of it.
Graphic Express is a Mustang Forum sponsor and they were very professional. They are a Ford Licensed dealer and have a wide variety. The real key to installing them is correct temperature, no sun, clean surfaces Lots of spray and patience.
