Not all stripe packages are created equal

[mrfarmdog]

Some of you know Pattycake who is registered on this site. Pat asked me to help him out with some stripes for his new 45th Anniversary 2009 GT. I thought I would take the time to highlight some things I have learned about stripes and how we addressed them in this project. Once you start looking at stripes it becomes easy to pick out a good stripe job from a poorly executed one. This is by no means an exhaustive commentary but I thought some of you would be interested none the less.

Here is what his car looked like before...



And here are some pics of work in progress...

The color is satin silver metallic. The same color stripes that comes on the Shelby GTs. This vista blue / silver metallic combo is one of my favorites! I love the look of the metallic vinyls and they are relatively easy to work with given the right technique. They are also not very forgiving if you mess up because they are so thin. Often once the stripes set, you will not be able to lift them and reposition them without stretching and ruining them. Technique is the key.

Other non metallic vinyls are thicker which means that you can sometimes lift them and reposition them without ruining the stripe, but they are also harder to form over compound curves. Some of the easiest vinyl I have worked with to date is matte black. I have several projects in mind using this vinyl and I will post more on that later.


As I said before all stripe packages were not created equal.

Typical stripe packages take two and sometimes three pieces per side to cover the deck lid. This is done on purpose to make installation easier, it does however leave overlapped areas that often do not match up exactly, drawing attention to the "imperfection" in the applied stripes. This one is done in one piece.


All corners were rounded and each piece shaped to match the body pieces. Most stripes terminate on the face of the body panels as well, which is the way most factory stripes are done. I think it gives a much more factory look than just folded over into the body seems.

The rounded corners also serve the purpose of helping prevent peeling of the stripes. Sharp corners on stripes are easy to roll while washing, etc. The round corners prevent this from happening.


The rear bumper is all one piece as well. In other stripe packages this is often done as two to three pieces with overlaps visible.


The front bumper was by far the hardest to do but I was determined to do it in one piece. One piece was cut to fit the best it could but due to the compound angles each piece took considerable work to stretch the vinyl so that it fit correctly. The end result is a nice smooth stripe with no overlaps.

The portion below the lower grill has a painted section that is about 8 inches underneath the car. Sometimes on the right inclines this area is visible. Most stripes only stretch a couple of inches under the car. I ran these stripes back at least 6 inches so the end of the stripes could not be seen.



Finally, one of the biggest no-nos with stripes is to apply them so they are not evenly spaced around things like the faux gas cap, washer nozzles, or other body lines of the car. I took special care to ensure uniform spacing for a symmetrical look.


I was really pleased with how this project turned out! I have several more stripe projects planned so stay tuned!!!

MrFarmdog out! :mrgreen:

[JTB]

Looks Great!

Farmdog hits another Home-run!

[GP500SM]

Very nice work

[mrfarmdog]

Next up... Flat black GT500 project!

[JTB]

Originally Posted by mrfarmdog

Next up... Flat black GT500 project!

Are you doing DS's car?

[mrfarmdog]

Originally Posted by JTB Consulting

Are you doing DS's car?

Nope. Doing my own. I have had a couple of others ask for it as well.

[gr8snkbite]

awesome work...home run...

[SLGT750]

Originally Posted by mrfarmdog

Next up... Flat black GT500 project!

[BADBOY500]

Very nice work John !!
Ford should take a lesson from you.

[Shlbylvr]

Gorgeous work John.

[Ebonee Princess]

Very nice photos

[Rags]

Really nice work. I would love to do flat black on my Vapor coupe I think it would look awesome. How long did the stripes on that GT take you to complete?

[iceman]

If I did stripes I think flat black would be my choice too. I'd have to redo the sides too I expect but I am eager to see what you do with this. Top notch work!

[HSURB]

Nice write-up FarmDog.

HSURB®

[mrfarmdog]

Originally Posted by Rags

Really nice work. I would love to do flat black on my Vapor coupe I think it would look awesome. How long did the stripes on that GT take you to complete?

Coming up with the template is the hard part. If I had the stripes cut and all I had to do is put them on the car then it would take about 4-5 hours. I could probably get that time down but I take my time to do it right the first time. It also takes longer to install the stripes in one piece instead of piecing them together.

[mrfarmdog]

I have a question for everyone about stripes on the GT500s. I am torn between replicating the stripes exactly as-is or making them using the same concepts in the design I discussed here. Some GT500 purists may say I want my stripes exactly like the factory ones but others would appreciate less overlaps, rounded edges, etc.

I would appreciate your feedback.

[frydguy79]

Originally Posted by mrfarmdog

Coming up with the template is the hard part. If I had the stripes cut and all I had to do is put them on the car then it would take about 4-5 hours. I could probably get that time down but I take my time to do it right the first time. It also takes longer to install the stripes in one piece instead of piecing them together.

so what your saying John is if i get my car suprsnakd i can get WHITE SS stripes put on it? instead of them fugly black ones

[Darkside]

Originally Posted by JTB Consulting

Are you doing DS's car?

While I would be proud to have MrFarmdog contibute to the work on the Darkmobile, my stripes are being painted on in a glossy black.

[The Bone]

John
That car looks outstanding!!! I really like the color combo. It looks like it was difficult to do Nice spacing around the faux cap. I dont like the seams on the stock stripes looks hokey. I prefer the one piece design. looks very smooth
Art

[Rags]

Originally Posted by mrfarmdog

I have a question for everyone about stripes on the GT500s. I am torn between replicating the stripes exactly as-is or making them using the same concepts in the design I discussed here. Some GT500 purists may say I want my stripes exactly like the factory ones but others would appreciate less overlaps, rounded edges, etc.

I would appreciate your feedback.

I think you should do it the way you describe, the square corners look like crap. I've had my roof stripe on the passenger side replaced twice, re: chipped corners. If they had a rounded edge it would not have happened.