Vinyl Striping

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Strigon Two
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Vinyl Striping

Post by Strigon Two »

I thought now might be the time to broach the subject since I'm thinking through all my options at the moment.

I'd appreciate some opinion and advice as to applying vinyl stripes to the car. I've decided a paint job is a long way out of budget and so when I repair the bonnet, roof and tailgate rust specks, I figured it better to do this and improve the look of the car somewhat rather than risk rattle can mismatches.

I've mocked up some Photoshop designs, and I will upload the best two for you all to (hopefully) evaluate for me.

I'm thinking black is going to suit the car best, since its Rosso Red with black Mk2 bumpers, grille, headlamp surrounds and interior.

At work at the mo, so before I get them uploaded, does anyone have any advice? Where to source good stripes? Best technique for application? Cost involved?

Thanks for any help in advance.
~ jayseatonphotography.co.uk
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Strigon Two
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Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 5:50 pm
Car(s): MCC Smart Roadster Coupe
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Re: Vinyl Striping

Post by Strigon Two »

How the car looks now...

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The two designs I like the most....
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Thoughts?
~ jayseatonphotography.co.uk
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Ghia15
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Re: Vinyl Striping

Post by Ghia15 »

option two, but go from front valance to rear valance and it will look sweet.
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capri_sam
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Re: Vinyl Striping

Post by capri_sam »

Option 3 is my pick! Can't beat a bit of stripe action. The best way to apply is with a piece of string measured down the centreline of the car, and regular measured and cut pieces of masking tape laid accross it so you can keep the stripes even and level.

Measure each part of the car, and cut the vinyl to very slightly longer lengths than you need. Apply them very, very slowly, one edge at a time, using plenty of water on the bodywork and the stripes. As you go along, smooth the stripes down by hand, but only once you're sure the position is right. Finally trim the excess with a sharp stanley (and a bit of cereal box as an underlay) and smooth down the edge.

The roof and the tailgate are easy enough, although getting around the rear wiper mount can be tricky to do neatly. The big bugger is the power bulge. The vinyl just won't want to lie straight on it- as you can see from the pictures below. You can get around this by heating and stretching it with a hair dryer (tricky), or cutting tiny slits in the vinyl and marking over with a chalk pen if you're feeling ultra bodgy (easy).

Here's a couple of photos of my car when I first did my own... They lasted fine for three years although they were starting to discolour and buckle when I had the car restored.

Before:
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After:
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Aaaand then we got them properly painted on ;)

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Total number of friends who have so far managed to open the passenger door first time: 1.
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