Stripes are on!
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 2,705
Likes: 30
From: Chesapeake Beach Maryland
2015 C5 of Year Finalist
Stripes are on!
I bought these stripes for my car over a year ago before I had completed the engine work. The wheels, tires and stripes were to give it a new look to go along with the engine mods.
Anyhow, its been a long time coming, but I finally installed the stripes this weekend. I still have a little trimming here and there and a couple tiny bubbles here and there to massage out with the hair dryer, but all in all I'm very happy with the outcome.
Some folks just hate stripes, but I think it gives the car a different look and makes it stand out against all the others in my club.
Here is link to a bunch of photos I took tonight.
http://donhaller.jalbum.net/C4%20Stripes/
If you are interested, I bought the stripes from VetteStripes.com. Mike Ung is the proprietor there and he is pretty good to work with. I had him send me a color chip book and I picked out a metallic red garnet which is just awesome in the sun. A little darker than torch red. The photos don't pick it up, but the subtle metallic in the vinyl is really nice. The job is a little tedious to do, but if you can wrap a Christmas gift you should be able to do this. I learned a few tricks by the second large panel on the hood and the rest went pretty smooth.
I used an 8" squeegee I bought at West Marine. Nice rubber edge. Also I used a mix of Johnson's baby shampoo (12 drops) per quart of water in a spray bottle for lube.
This material smooths out VERY nicely. Actually the larger the area the nicer it goes on. The difficult part is not smoothing it out, but being patient enough to wait long enough to allow some of the moisture from the lube to dry so you can roll the edges over and get them to stick well enough. I found that if you wait an hour or so after the initial laying of the sheet, the edges will dry up and allow the tack to come back and it will roll around the edges nicely. Once again, I tried a hair dryer and that worked too.
Anyhow, its been a long time coming, but I finally installed the stripes this weekend. I still have a little trimming here and there and a couple tiny bubbles here and there to massage out with the hair dryer, but all in all I'm very happy with the outcome.
Some folks just hate stripes, but I think it gives the car a different look and makes it stand out against all the others in my club.
Here is link to a bunch of photos I took tonight.
http://donhaller.jalbum.net/C4%20Stripes/
If you are interested, I bought the stripes from VetteStripes.com. Mike Ung is the proprietor there and he is pretty good to work with. I had him send me a color chip book and I picked out a metallic red garnet which is just awesome in the sun. A little darker than torch red. The photos don't pick it up, but the subtle metallic in the vinyl is really nice. The job is a little tedious to do, but if you can wrap a Christmas gift you should be able to do this. I learned a few tricks by the second large panel on the hood and the rest went pretty smooth.
I used an 8" squeegee I bought at West Marine. Nice rubber edge. Also I used a mix of Johnson's baby shampoo (12 drops) per quart of water in a spray bottle for lube.
This material smooths out VERY nicely. Actually the larger the area the nicer it goes on. The difficult part is not smoothing it out, but being patient enough to wait long enough to allow some of the moisture from the lube to dry so you can roll the edges over and get them to stick well enough. I found that if you wait an hour or so after the initial laying of the sheet, the edges will dry up and allow the tack to come back and it will roll around the edges nicely. Once again, I tried a hair dryer and that worked too.
Last edited by biggrizzly; May 11, 2009 at 10:44 PM. Reason: Bad Link
Corvette Enthusiast
Joined: Oct 2007
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From: So. Cal.
2025 C7 of the Year Finalist- Unmodified
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vette
Your vette looks good
I like your wheels. What kind are they?
Corvette Mike
I like your wheels. What kind are they?
Corvette Mike
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 2,705
Likes: 30
From: Chesapeake Beach Maryland
2015 C5 of Year Finalist
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 2,705
Likes: 30
From: Chesapeake Beach Maryland
2015 C5 of Year Finalist
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Great job on the stipes!! The car looks really good! I have the same wheels on my car, I think they look awsome! I dont know why more people dont run them.
Safety Car
Joined: Mar 2006
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From: Antioch Ca
Finalist 2020 C4 of the Year - Unmodified
I have not seen those stripes before and I like the way they look. Personally I would not have the patience to do the work myself and I would probably mess it up anyhow.
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From: Montgomery NY