Paint ,Stripes,Clearcoat OR What???

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wyoduster

wyoduster

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OK .. I'm getting close to putting on color(Hemi Orange) Still got some sanding but I'm seeing the tunnel light...Anyway its time to order stripe kit...
THE QUESTIONS: I've never put on stripe kit before of course I've never painted a car before so anyway how do they go on and do I or should I put them on after painting then clearcoat over or clearcoat then apply OR WHAT???
And where do I get a good strip kit? What makes them good?
I would really like to be in color by the end of next week but it all depends on how things go sanding wise... And I MUST order stripes soon.
HELP ME AGAIN GUYS!! THANKS!:read2:

duster 056 (Small).jpg
 
The stripes are on 3M tape, They dont get painted on. Paint the car, clear coat it then apply the stripes.
 
After my duster got painted citron yella, he put the clearcoat on then the stripes on the clearcoat. I ordered my stripes from ebay. just go to ebay, type in "duster stripe", there is a guy that sells them, I bought my stipe kit from him. They look great, and have held up just as well as any other company. They are cheaper than Padock, year one, pheonix graphix. He also does custom numbers if you have a stroker motor or watever you want.
 
You would put it on after the car is clear coated. NO clear coat on top of the strip. The only time I would clear over a pin stripe is if it were painted. But then again it depends on the painted stripe. I would say that the majority of the time stripes not matter what kind are not painted.
 
And wait a month to apply the stripes so that the paint has plenty of time to cure first. You don't want to deal with solvent pops under vinyl stripes.
 
I believe Phoenix and Performance Car Graphics make the type that are applied with soap and water - like a decal. These would be a little more forgiving in getting the placement right.
 
Use A Spray Bottle With A Cap Ful Of Dish Soap. Keep The Car Wet When Applying The Decal. Start At The Doors. Around The Handles Are The Hardest Spot To Put On. If Your Car Is Being Painted In A Downdraft Both And Baked For An Hour Then You Can Applie Your Decals The Very Next Day. This Is Coming From A Long Line Of Body Men. My Father Was One For His Whole Life. My Older Brother Has Been One For His Whole Life. He's 55 Years Old. He Did Mine Then We Had It Sent To His Work. Which Is Carstar AKA GM Autobody. They Painted At 9 AM And I Picked It Up At 1 PM. The Next Day I Applied My Decals. First Time Doing This. They Turned Out Good. Just Remember To Keep Them Wet. I Went To A Dollar Store And Picked Up A 6 Inch Squeege And A Sponge. Any Air Bubbles That You Can Not Get Out Pic Them With A Needle. Take Your Time.
 
Mine stripes were applied but heavy clear laid over the whole car and stripes, but I know that's not how the factory did it.
 
Check out March 2008 issue of Mopar Musclefor complete instructions and photos of strip install
 
The best formula's for applying your stripes and graphics use rubbing alcohol in the mix.......about 9 parts water, 1 part alky, and a few drops of dishwashing liquid is a good mix.......

The alcohol will make your application smooth and forgiving, and thoroughly "activate" the agressiveness of any adhesive after it dries.....and no matter the application, you will almost ALWAYS come out with a few little bubbles that annoy you.....

While they're still fresh, use a very sharp sewing needle to gently prick the EDGE of the bubble inward toward the largest part......use a FELT squeegee if you can get one (if you can't order one, try your local sign shop....they usually have one laying around)..........press the felt edge of the squeege firmly onto the bubble, pushing outward TOWARD the pin-prick, working the bubble flat.....you WILL have success.......and when they dry thoroughly, you'll spot nary a one if you've been patient at it......be careful to gently prick a hole, NOT to shove one in.........smaller the better.

I've been applying Mopar graphics for quite some time, and vintage snowmobiles too.......use LOTS of liquid mix......spray it on the surface of the car liberally before you place the vinyl...gently move your vinyl into place until it's exactly where ot goes, and work a smooth squeegee gently outward from the center toward the edges...........slowly and gently does it....if you get a little "stuck", don't panic.....just lift an edge carefully and spray more mix in behind it.....just don't stretch your vinyl when correcting the position.

By the way, on vintage sleds, I usually clearcoat directly over the vinyl graphics these days, because people are generally looking for more "bling" in their restorations...(depends on the exact make and model, but clears look great over the vinyl and hold extremely well)....BUT, on a Mopar, it's definitely incorrect. Use the correct color and shade of vinyl...........If you want the stripes to look like flat paint, use matte vinyl.....if you want that original "organasol" look, then you'll use "gloss" vinyl.......the gloss vinyl's look "semi-gloss" when applied, and give off a gentle glow of reflection in the light....much better I believe than the flat's.........

Have fun with it, but do it right........you CAN do it......and do it well. :toothy10:
 
cudaspaz said:
Mine stripes were applied but heavy clear laid over the whole car and stripes, but I know that's not how the factory did it.
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Sounds good to me....you don't have to worry about wax getting stuck around the edges, damage to the stripe material will be zero,and looks damn good I think so myself.

:wink:
 
They paint over decals on lots of stuff, but I don't think I would on stripes that big

Mine are painted on. A stencil kit cost the same as the stripe kit. If money is a factor then the stripe kit is the way to go. If a smooth look and a custom color is what you are after, paint it on

My white body color and pearl was applied then the stencil kit installed and the stripe color done. The clear was put on top of it all after the stencil was removed.

stripe.JPG
 
Pastor Tom had the best advice for installing stripes. As a matter of fact, he bought a couple of kits from me back when I was in South Florida and I am pretty sure he was 100% satisfied :)

As far as stripe kits go, I can make them for you. Cost for any standard Duster side stripe kit is $75.00 + $10.00 s/h. Also, if you want to be a little bit different, I have developed a Duster AAR style side stripe kit that runs $100.00.
 
challengergary said:
Pastor Tom had the best advice for installing stripes. As a matter of fact, he bought a couple of kits from me back when I was in South Florida and I am pretty sure he was 100% satisfied :)

As far as stripe kits go, I can make them for you. Cost for any standard Duster side stripe kit is $75.00 + $10.00 s/h. Also, if you want to be a little bit different, I have developed a Duster AAR style side stripe kit that runs $100.00.
Click to expand...
do you have any pics of the aar kit 4 a 73 duster?:snakeman:
 
FWIW, I did the stripe on my Barracuda and a Flame decal that almost covered the entire side of my wife's PT Cruiser.

The PT stripe said not to clear over it, the solvents would attack the vinyl in the decal. And they also recommended the pin prick trick mentioned above and even gave me a stick with a pin in the end.

The Barracuda stripe specifically said you could clear over it and gave instructions on how to go about doing it. It also said under no circumstances to prick the stripe to get the bubble out. The recomendation was to leave it parked in the sun for a couple of days and the bubbles would disappear on there own. I did resist and they did go away without pricking them.

Also, the PT stripe had a backing on the sticky side that looked like coated paper. If the stripe you get has this type of backing DO NOT GET IT WET. It will dissolve and fall apart making a mess of the stripe. I learned the hard way and fortunately the outfit I got it from replaced that side no charge. The Brracuda stripe had a heavy clear mylar backing.

Also, the adhesive on these stripes acted very differently. The PT stripe I was able to slide around easily after applying it and it took over an hour for it to dry enough to remove the top backing without the decal lifting. The Barracuda stripe once you squeeged the soapy water out from under the stripe it was staying where it was and you had no ability to adjust it's placement.

The PT flame decal has been on since been on the car since about a month after we purchased it in 03 and has survived New England winters just fine. The stripe on the Barracuda has been on since the summer of 06 and it too is holding up fine. The Barracuda stripe is a thicker vinyl than the PT stripe.

I got the Barracuda stripe from Performance Car graphics in FL. Great people to deal with and they even gave me a stripe with a custom engine call out for no extra charge.
 
I've had it both ways my previous duster,had the stripes applied then the whole car was clearcoated,my current duster is clearcoated then the stripes applied..so i guess it your choice..:-D
 
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