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Stripes Are In Style - TechHow To Install Stripes On Your Mopar From the March, 2008 issue of Mopar Muscle By Dave Young Photography by Dave Young
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Stripes are a great, inexpensive... Stripes are a great, inexpensive way to dress up your Mopar. Follow along and we'll show you how easy they are to install. Before musclecars were officially deemed musclecars, Mopar was certainly building automobiles with performance worthy of the title. In fact, with the debut of the street Hemi in '66 B-body models, Mopar had cars that could take on anything Detroit had to offer. The problem was, these cars just didn't sell very well. It seemed the consumer public wanted a car that not only performed well, but also looked sporty. In 1967, Mopar finally took the hint and offered dressed-up versions of the Belvedere and Coronet dubbed the GTX and R/T, respectively. These cars not only offered 440 wedge or 426 Hemi performance, but also had special emblems, scoops, and stripes to attract attention. For the remainder of the '60s and into the early '70s, Chrysler performance cars were adorned with some of the most ostentatious stripe, scoop, and color combinations of the era. Even if your Mopar wasn't equipped with stripes from the factory, chances are it will look better with a stripe of some kind installed. Stripes are a great way to add contrast to a single color car. if you're project is a clone, chances are you'll either need or want to add a factory stripe to make the car look correct. Regardless of the reason, adding a stripe to your Mopar is one of the least expensive ways to aesthetically dress up your car, and installing stripes is easier than you think. There are several concerns people have when they are considering adding stripes to their car. The first concern is whether the stripe will look correct once it's on the car. Fortunately, companies like YearOne are reproducing the factory decals in the exact dimensions and colors of the originals, and in better quality vinyl. as long as you get your stripe kit from a respectable vendor, it should look just like the factory stripe when properly installed. The next concern most people have about adding stripes is whether they can install it without the stripe bubbling. Well, we've never been able to install a stripe without at least a couple of small air bubbles under the vinyl, but if you follow our procedure, the stripe should go on with minimal bubbling. And if there are a couple of air bubbles under the vinyl, parking the car in the sun for a day should remove them. As a last resort, air bubbles can be popped with a needle and smoothed flat so they're nearly unnoticeable. Remember though, if the paint isn't smooth where the stripe will be applied, the imperfections in the paint will show through the stripe. Speaking of paint, another concern with vinyl stripes is whether they'll lift the paint if and when they are removed. The answer to this question really depends more on the paint than the vinyl stripe itself. If the paint is not properly bonded to the primer, or the primer to the bodywork and metal underneath, then there's a chance that removing the vinyl stripe could pull paint from the car. If the paint job is high quality, there is really no concern about lifting the paint if the decal is removed properly. Also, since these stripes are high quality and made of ultraviolet resistant vinyl, they'll likely last as long as the paint job. Mopars came with many stripe configurations, but the basic installation techniques are the same for most. For the purposes of this article, we'll be installing a longitudinal stripe down the upper body line of our '67 Barracuda bracket car using the dry installation technique. We will also install a vertical rump stripe on the project Timber wolf Super Bee to show you the soapy water technique. Installing the decal dry demands proper placement the first time, but usually results in fewer bubbles and works well for long stripes. The soapy water technique allows the vinyl stripe to be moved around for alignment and works well for multiple part stripes, but sometimes it's hard to get all the air and water bubbles from under the vinyl.  After removing our stripe...  After removing our stripe kit from the box, the first step is to measure for proper placement. Using masking tape on the stripe's protective covering, the vinyl can be temporarily installed to check placement. On a three-piece stripe like this one, we always start with the center piece and work outboard.  Using the door handle cutout...  Using the door handle cutout as a reference, a measurement is taken between the upper body line and the top of the stripe. The stripe is then aligned using this measurement down the length of the door.  With the center section temporarily...  With the center section temporarily installed, it's a good idea to use masking tape to also hang the forward and rear sections of the stripe to ensure proper placement down the entire side of the car. Though available from many sources, we got our stripes from YearOne. We're confident that the YearOne products are of the highest quality, and since we needed vinyl stripes for two distinctly different cars, we wanted to order from a vendor who would have both stripe kits in stock. YearOne quickly verified our stripes were on the shelf and shipped them the same day. When our stripe kits arrived, we headed to J.D.'s Paint and Body for some help with the installation. It wasn't so much that we were afraid to do this job ourselves, but it always helps to have the advice of a professional, or at least someone who's done the job before.  Once confident the forward...  Once confident the forward and aft sections of the stripe will line up properly with the center section, they can be removed while the center section is installed. Before the stripe is installed permanently, the area should be wiped down with body shop precleaner to remove any dirt or waxy buildup.  After precleaning, a tack...  After precleaning, a tack cloth is used to remove any remaining dust so it doesn't get trapped under the stripe. Remember, get the surface as clean as possible because once the stripe is on, whatever is underneath is permanently trapped.  Keep the stripe taped to the...  Keep the stripe taped to the car when cleaning with a tack cloth, this will ensure proper alignment when the stripe is permanently applied.  In this shot you can see we've...  In this shot you can see we've held the aft end of the stripe with masking tape applied vertically. This will keep the stripe in place as we lift it from the front to remove the backing and permanently apply the decal.  With the aft section of stripe...  With the aft section of stripe held to the back of the door with masking tape, we can lift the stripe off and carefully remove the protective backing, exposing the adhesive.  Holding the stripe and backing...  Holding the stripe and backing in one hand, a squeegee is used to slowly work the stripe onto the paint from the rear toward the front. Only pull enough backing from the stripe to allow it to be applied, slowly pulling the backing from the stripe as you work forward. All told, installing the stripes on each car took about 2-3 hours per car. There are really no special tools involved other than a squeegee, masking tape, and a tape measure to ensure proper placement. It also helps to have some body shop precleaner (NAPTHA) available to clean the surface the stripe will adhere to, and soapy water if using that technique. The end result of each installation was dramatic. Of course, a Super Bee just isn't a Super Bee without the stripe, and we think the project B3 Barracuda really looks better with a stripe to contrast the '05 Go-Mango paint.  At the front of the door,...  At the front of the door, the stripe should overhang slightly and will need to be wrapped around the door. Opening the door slightly can help with this step.  With the section of stripe...  With the section of stripe installed, the masking tape can be removed.  Use the squeegee to go over...  Use the squeegee to go over the entire stripe again before removing the outer protective layer.  As the outer protective layer...  As the outer protective layer is removed, look for any small air bubbles under the stripe. If you find one, lay the protective paper back over the stripe and work the bubble to the edge with a squeegee. If you don't get all the air bubbles out, don't worry, a day in the sun should remove small pockets of air from under the decal.  Using the same technique,...  Using the same technique, the front stripe is held in place with masking tape, and placement is checked by measuring from the body line.  Again, once the stripe is...  Again, once the stripe is lined up properly, masking tape is used to hold the aft end to the car so we can remove the backing and apply the decal with the squeegee.  Now the rear section of stripe...  Now the rear section of stripe is installed in the same manner, again lining the forward end up with the door stripe, and measuring from the body line to ensure proper placement. The stripe on the other side is installed the same way.  On the driver side of our...  On the driver side of our 'Cuda, the stripe passes through the fuel filler cap. We found the easiest way to apply the stripe here was to cut it down the center and work it into the fuel filler recess from the front and rear.  Once applied, the hole for...  Once applied, the hole for the fuel filler is cut out of the decal with a razor blade.  After all the stripes were...  After all the stripes were installed, we parked the car in the sun to heat the vinyl up and remove any air bubbles we didn't get out with the squeegee. While the 'Cuda is baking, we'll move on to installing the rump stripe on our Super Bee.  We once again begin by cleaning...  We once again begin by cleaning the area where the stripe will be applied. If the car has been waxed, it's a good idea to use grease and wax remover to ensure the glue will adhere properly.  Our side reflectors had to...  Our side reflectors had to be removed for this installation, They'll be reinstalled after the stripe is in place.  For the rump stripe on the...  For the rump stripe on the Super Bee, we'll line up and apply each side decal first, then install the trunk decal using the sides to line it up.  To ease in placement of this...  To ease in placement of this stripe, we'll use a mixture of soap and water on the paint surface. This will allow the stripe to be moved around for proper alignment, then the soapy water is removed by using the squeegee over the stripe.  With our stripe taped in place,...  With our stripe taped in place, we spray the area with our soapy water mixture prior to removing the backing from the stripe.  With soapy water on the panel,...  With soapy water on the panel, we remove the backing from the stripe and lay it on the car. Since the stripe will move around on the soapy water, placement is not as critical as it would be if we were installing the stripe using the dry method.  Once in place, the soapy water...  Once in place, the soapy water and air under the stripe are worked to the bottom and outer edges with a squeegee.  With both side stripes installed,...  With both side stripes installed, we use the top edges of the side stripes to orient the decklid stripe, using the same soapy water technique. Again, a squeegee is used to work the water and air from under the decal.  The stripe edges are rolled...  The stripe edges are rolled to the underside of the trunk lid after the stripe is applied to the top of the deck.  With the stripes installed,...  With the stripes installed, the protective cover can be carefully removed to reveal the decal underneath. The black stripe is striking against the yellow paint underneath.  The side reflector assembly...  The side reflector assembly can now be reinstalled, and the car moved to a sunlit area to help remove any remaining air bubbles.  Side by side you can certainly...  Side by side you can certainly see the difference in both our cars. Stripes not only make your Mopar sportier, but they also add contrast to bright colors. For the money and a few hours of labor, you won't find any modification that adds more aesthetic appeal to your ride.
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