applying vinyl rally stripes? can i do this myself?
09-09-2008, 02:43 PM
#1
2nd Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: CA
Posts: 288
applying vinyl rally stripes? can i do this myself?
ok so i have been putting this off for 2 years and it is the mod i've been wanting to add most to my car ever since i've bought it. i was wondering how hard this would be to do myself because i can't seem to find a body shop locally that'll do it for a reasonable amount. has anyone tried it themselves? California Concepts in Redwood City quoted me at $1500 for VINYL and double that for painted which seems way over the top to me. Anybody in the bay area know of any good shops that'll do this for me? And has anyone applied them themselves? Thank you!!!!
09-09-2008, 03:22 PM
#2
3rd Gear Member
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: California
Posts: 563
Are you f***ing kidding me? $1,500 to apply YOUR vinyl?! But this is definitely do-able by yourself. I've seen a bunch of people do this on the forums by themselves and it came out great. Just be patient and most importantly take your time. Tape off your center line first, and remember use a lot of water + soap or some other lubricant as you apply.
09-09-2008, 08:27 PM
#3
1st Gear Member
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: FL
Posts: 123
My brother did his on his black mustang and he helped me do mines and it took us 2 days working in the morning and afternoon after the sun went away. It is doable just need to patient and take your time.. If you are going to do it yourself, do it when there is no sun or inside garage... the only pain in the neck is the front bumper...
09-09-2008, 08:34 PM
#4
2nd Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: CA
Posts: 288
yeah i hung up the phone after they quoted me that price. the only problem that's in my way right now is my hood scoop. i don't know how i'm going to deal with that portion of it which is why i'm trying to find a local shop in the bay area that is within a reasonable price range. what would you rate the difficulty of the project from 1-10?
09-09-2008, 08:54 PM
#5
1st Gear Member
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: FL
Posts: 123
In my opinion you are going to need a friend to help you.. and expect to spend at least two days working on it.. in my opinion in a sale 1-10, i give it a 7 or 8.... and the hood scoop i don't know how hard it may be..
09-09-2008, 10:01 PM
#6
6th Gear Member
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Acworth, GA
Posts: 12,260
My brother did his on his black mustang and he helped me do mines and it took us 2 days working in the morning and afternoon after the sun went away. It is doable just need to patient and take your time.. If you are going to do it yourself, do it when there is no sun or inside garage... the only pain in the neck is the front bumper...
09-09-2008, 10:02 PM
#7
1st Gear Member
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Oakland Michigan
Posts: 143
Can you take the hood scoop off, lay the vinyl, then put the scoop back over top of it?
My front bumper just had the stripes replaced because they bubbled after they were installed, the installer used straight up rubbing alcohol as his liquid. prob more expensive to use that but i can tell you that it's smooth now. when he first installed it, there were TINy little bubbles that disapeared the next day after the sun had a chance to shrink the material.
P.S. MR305, did you photochop the antenna off that car or is it really 2 inches tall?
My front bumper just had the stripes replaced because they bubbled after they were installed, the installer used straight up rubbing alcohol as his liquid. prob more expensive to use that but i can tell you that it's smooth now. when he first installed it, there were TINy little bubbles that disapeared the next day after the sun had a chance to shrink the material.
P.S. MR305, did you photochop the antenna off that car or is it really 2 inches tall?
Last edited by Foreu2env; 09-09-2008 at 10:04 PM.
09-09-2008, 10:08 PM
#8
6th Gear Member
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Acworth, GA
Posts: 12,260
Can you take the hood scoop off, lay the vinyl, then put the scoop back over top of it?
My front bumper just had the stripes replaced because they bubbled after they were installed, the installer used straight up rubbing alcohol as his liquid. prob more expensive to use that but i can tell you that it's smooth now. when he first installed it, there were TINy little bubbles that disapeared the next day after the sun had a chance to shrink the material.
P.S. MR305, did you photochop the antenna off that car or is it really 2 inches tall?
My front bumper just had the stripes replaced because they bubbled after they were installed, the installer used straight up rubbing alcohol as his liquid. prob more expensive to use that but i can tell you that it's smooth now. when he first installed it, there were TINy little bubbles that disapeared the next day after the sun had a chance to shrink the material.
P.S. MR305, did you photochop the antenna off that car or is it really 2 inches tall?
09-09-2008, 10:14 PM
#9
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: lubbock/houston tx
Posts: 32
I did my side boss stripes by myself. I had never had any experience with decal before the project. It took about 1 whole day to complete (lots of drying time). The hardest part is to not get bubbles. I had some bubbles that was easily removed with a pin *****. Make sure you clean the area with soap and then remove the wax with isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) before you put on the vinyl. I used "slide on" to apply the vinyl http://www.phoenixgraphix.com/detail.htm , but most people use a water/soap mixture. Make sure you use a plastic card (credit card) to apply pressure on the vinyl to get rid of the application fluid and bubbles before it dries.
http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/2218/img0263dd5.jpg
http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/2218/img0263dd5.jpg
09-09-2008, 10:48 PM
#10
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Illinois
Posts: 354
IMO, pay someone to do it. $1500 is crackhead prices, but this is a major undertaking, especially if you've never done this kind of thing before. I had my friend (owner) of a body shop do all my vinyl. I think it cost me $100 for the Parnelli Jones kit and he charged me $120 to put everything on...not one air bubble and everything is straight as an arrow.
Check body shops that do striping, most of these guys do a little bit of everything!
Detail shops that do upgrades (even Ziebart superstores have specialty guys that do vinyl.)
Even graphics places like Fastsigns have vinyl installers, in fact when I had my Tiburon, Fastsigns installed my graphics DRY and did a phenominal job.
The bottom line is jump into the yellow pages and call everybody. Places that don't do it almost always know someone that does. What about a mustang club in your area?
Any vinyl that is not on a flat, linear surface is a bitch to get right. Just my 2 cents.
Check body shops that do striping, most of these guys do a little bit of everything!
Detail shops that do upgrades (even Ziebart superstores have specialty guys that do vinyl.)
Even graphics places like Fastsigns have vinyl installers, in fact when I had my Tiburon, Fastsigns installed my graphics DRY and did a phenominal job.
The bottom line is jump into the yellow pages and call everybody. Places that don't do it almost always know someone that does. What about a mustang club in your area?
Any vinyl that is not on a flat, linear surface is a bitch to get right. Just my 2 cents.