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 Post subject: YIKES STRIPES. It's harder, (and easier) than you think.
PostPosted: Sat Nov 20, 2010 9:53 pm 
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Location: Truckin thru NEVADA
Did my first set of stripes this weekend, so I am
not an expert. But here's a few things I learned.

And I hope some of you guys that have done a
few sets will chime in here, and share what you know.

This is a Phoenix Graphics kit. Oddly it is for a 77-78
but included an extra set of the 79-80 style hood stripes.
It also includes stripes for the wheels, even though the
wheel pinstripes were originally painted.

Temperature: The instructions say 70-90' and NOT in sun.
This is their first Instruction and probably more critical than
you would think. Warm enough for the decals and not so
hot that the moisture evaporates too quickly.

Place decal in the proper location and secure with masking tape.
This takes some time with these long stripes and the compound
curves in the fenders. It helps a lot to have a helper. I then made
locator marks with more masking tape to guide placement after
taking off the backing paper. You must spray the surface with
water softened with a few drops of soap.

Don't press hard until the entire piece is where you want it.
I did this by Putting the stripe in place. Putting down more
masking as markers, then taking the backing off a one foot
portion. Securing it. Then taking the rest back up, exposing the
adhesive, and laying it back down following my markers.
When it all looked right, then pressing the bubbles and moisture
out with a squeegee and a rag.

It is also very important to let it dry for several hours before
pulling off the premask paper. Pull it close to the surface of the decal and at an
angle. Additional bubbles can still be removed with a soft cloth
and some pressure or by sticking a pin in them.

The hard parts. The front fenders are a compound curve and may require some trimming. It is also a little tricky to cut out the notches for the tail lights
and line up the yellow band that wraps around to the Tailgate.

Couple other pointers:

Make sure you clean the area for the wrap arounds. Like door and fender
edges, and the front of the bed. Originally they wrapped anywhere from
a 1/4 of an inch to a couple inches like the bed front.

Most of the original 77-78 hood stripes I've looked at
are about 5/8 to 11/16 from the edge of the hood.
Note that the cowl pieces are curved slightly, and are left and right.
Used correctly they will look straight on the truck when viewd from the
front. (they are hard to line up).

A while back I messed up one of the silver SE tailgate decals.
So I thought the Macho Tgate decal would be the hardest part.
I did the same type of locating and adhered about a foot of the lower right,
then exposed the rest of the decal and starting on the raised center,
adhered the rest of the bottom, them gently pushed the top flat.
It probably helped that I sprayed a bit more soapy water on the
surface. They recommend a teaspoon of liquid dishwashing detergent
to one gallon ratio. (DO NOT USE AUTOMATIC DISHWASHER LIQUID!) duh.

No problem. Easier than I thought.

In Summary,

Read and follow the instructions from Phoenix. Take your time.
And remember to enjoy the journey.


Attachments:
stripe6.jpg
stripe6.jpg [ 49.81 KiB | Viewed 7148 times ]
stripe5.jpg
stripe5.jpg [ 28.31 KiB | Viewed 7148 times ]
stripe4.jpg
stripe4.jpg [ 46.38 KiB | Viewed 7148 times ]
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 Post subject: Re: YIKES STRIPES. It's harder, (and easier) than you think.
PostPosted: Sat Nov 20, 2010 10:06 pm 
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Location: Truckin thru NEVADA
And the truck.

And if you have more tips please post em.


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 Post subject: Re: YIKES STRIPES. It's harder, (and easier) than you think.
PostPosted: Sat Nov 20, 2010 10:32 pm 
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Yikes is right! I know in the back of my mind I'm going to dread putting those stripes on! I'll be sure to read your tips over and over again! That sure does look sharp! You'll have to get a pic of the tailgate, it's a great touch!

_jim


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 Post subject: Re: YIKES STRIPES. It's harder, (and easier) than you think.
PostPosted: Sun Nov 21, 2010 12:00 am 
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Location: The "PALOMINO Ranch", Central California.
looks good...

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 Post subject: Re: YIKES STRIPES. It's harder, (and easier) than you think.
PostPosted: Sun Nov 21, 2010 2:08 am 
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Location: South Carolina
Looks very good and professional! I'm sure your experience with this will benefit others! Thanks for sharing LAST440! :)

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 Post subject: Re: YIKES STRIPES. It's harder, (and easier) than you think.
PostPosted: Sun Nov 21, 2010 12:52 pm 
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After having installed more than my share of cuda billboard and challenger hood stip sets I can add a couple of things to consider as well.

Just like with any job preparation is key, if you are applying the strip over anything that is in your paint it will show up and may even punch thru. So making sure the area is properly cleaned is very important. What I used to do was outline the exact area with the expensive masking tape that has a longer leave time than what you would normaly use on a paint job. Then I would use a high grade wet sand paper 1500-3000 grit to make sure that there were no imperfections in the paint. Then after I had it pretty smooth I would use a good wax and grease remover to ensure the decal had a chemically free area to stick to as well.

Use plenty of water while your sanding and if you drop the sand paper it is better to start again with a clean piece, some people use scuff pads but I don't reccomend them

It was also mentioned that you should not put these on in direct sunlight this is very improtant advise, the sun will flash dry the soapy water and the strip will seem to act like a magnet and stick to anything and everything. Dust is also an issue to consider, wind or a fan blowing to hard will cause grit to stick to your cleaned and prepped surface. I used to do mine at night in a warm garage with flood lights. Heat can be your friend if applied properly. I used a 1500 watt hair dryer at times to stretch the material around tricky areas.

after you have placed your strip in the right place and all the areas align doors to fender and cab ect. It is best to use the plactic applicator they supply with the kit and work from the center of the decal and work outward up and down. You will see the the water squeeze out as you go. I guess I could go on and and on but this should give you just a few more helpful hints to get it done right.
Classicironman


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 Post subject: Re: YIKES STRIPES. It's harder, (and easier) than you think.
PostPosted: Sun Nov 21, 2010 9:58 pm 
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Location: The "PALOMINO Ranch", Central California.
how did the gate come out???

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