I'm looking at getting a set of vinyl stripes for my car, but the local body shop said they can't install them for me, and I think it would be too expensive anyways. Are these difficult to install yourself? I really don't want to screw it up, so if it is, I'll just find some other place to do it for me.

Also, how durable are vinyl stripes? My car has no garage spot, so if I put them on, they will see sun, rain, snow, ice, and extreme heat and cold. How long will they last in these conditions? Would it help to wax over them when I wax my car?

Thanks for any help!

 

Vinyl stripes can be difficult for somebody who has never done it before but not impossible I even made an install page for this.

http://www.bfranker.badz28.com/fbody/stripes.htm

All vinyl is rated for life when applied to a VERTICAL surface. No manufacturer will rate or warranty vinyl when applied to a horizontal surface. I have noticed that vinyl type, care, where you park the car, etc. will vary the lifetime of the stripe greatly! The stripes I had on my car in the above picture were made of vinyl one grade below the best stuff I can now get and were on the car about 1.5 years before I took them off for a different style. They still looked good when I took them off though. The car was also parked outside but was not in the dead sun all the time... I have trees around my house so when I wasn't at work (in a large parking lot with no trees!) there was a lot of the time when the car was not exposed to direct sunlight. This makes a big difference.

With the best quality vinyl I think you could get at least 2 years out of it under the worst conditions. You could probably get 20 years if you garaged your car most of the time I have on my 94Z right now a decal that has been on there since 1997 and it is made from some of the lowest quality vinyl you can get!!! But, that car is a garage queen so that's why it has lasted so long

IMO, vinyl stripes are nice and a good choice because they give you an idea that doesn't have to be permanent. Say for example you spend $150 or so on a stripe kit and have your car in the worst conditions and they start looking kinda bad after 2 years. If at that time you still really like the stripes then you can remove them and have them painted on knowing that you will like what you are about to do. If you install stripes and after a month you decide that it was a bad idea, you simply peel them off... you are out just $150 and not $4000 for a new paint job

 

i have some ZL1 stripes for my car from thirdgen decals....i will hopefully be havein them put on soon...havent had time since my car is my daily right now...hopefully not when winter comes though. Anyway i heard that the vinal is rated for atleast 5-7 years. That being said 120 dollar investment and a 300 dollar install cost is well worth it. Just tell them to do a wet application and to use pleanty of fluid. I have had a hard time with people too, not many know how to do graphics or want to, but i think i found a place locally that will do it, since they do body kits and all that stuff

 

just have some soapy water handy and set aside a few hours. i took 4 hours on my hockey stripe install...

 

Cool, thanks for the info everyone. Anyone have pics of stripes that have been on your car for a while?

 

http://community.webshots.com/photo/...70123072GdENoV

 

Cool, thank you! Those look great!

 

I've got vinyl stripes. They've been on the car for a little over a year (unfortunately, starting to show some wear, due to daily driving and winters) but they still look good from a short distance, and the price was right for me ($350 CDN, installed, and they were custom ). I wouldn't want to do them myself though!

 

Thats what i was quoted, remeber it is the zl1 stripe kit, which is VERY hard to put on since the hood scoop likes to cause the vinyl to bubble and push up, so it takes a while. I could just have it painted but that alone would cost 500 bucks

 

I put the 35th anniversary stripes on my car one Sunday and it took about 7 hours. I had never done anything like that before so I took my sweet time with it. If you do it your self just TAKE YOUR TIME or something will be messed up. As long as you take your time lining them up straight and getting the bubbles out, you will be fine. Probably a monkey could do it. When people say "Who put your stripes on... they are awesome!?!" That makes me feel like I did them right and saved a lot of dough in the meantime. Good luck.

 

will it ruin the paint?

 

dag i paid 125 for the stripes AND installation pics in the sig. let me know if you guys need the # of the place if your ever in north tex

 

I've used mine for about 5 years now with now major problems at all. yes the weather conditions had turn my white strip into a lite yellow over time, but then I've used rubbing compound to clean it up and they come out white again. Then, I'll lay a coat of wax to help it a bit. 3M vinyl seems to be the best on the market.

 

My stripes have been on my car for a couple years now. If installed right, they'll last you awhile. Mine look brand new except one spot where a rock hit it and its peeling (going to be replaced soon). I get nothing but compliments on them, and in my opinion it really adds style to your car. Pics in sig.