dtfastbear 0 Posted January 29, 2008 I am going to make a two-color strips that will run down the center of my race car. It'll be a 10" wide blue stripe with a 1" black border on either side of it. I've got a mockup of what the car will look like attached. A couple questions: 1) What's the balance between wasting vinyl and ease of installation/best results? I guess my specific question is, should I be cutting a 12" black stripe and then applying a 10" blue stripe on top of it (before applying to the car) or could I get away with cutting two separate 1-1/8" black stripes and trying to line them up with and overlap them along the edge of the middle blue stripe? The second technique would save black vinyl, but I'm afraid it would be a nightmare to apply straight. 2) Since the stripe will be in several sections on the car (front bumper, hood, roof, trunk, rear bumper) should I be creating several smaller sections or cutting one massively long stripe and then cutting it up into sections? I'm thinking cut smaller sections to start with, as they'll be easier to work with. 3) When applying the stripe on curves, is the idea to heat it a bit and stretch it so that you don't have extra material that bunches up at the edges? I'm thinking about the front bumper which is crowned in two dimensions (curves towards the back horizontally and vertically) I'm using Oracal 851 on advice that it's "better for applying to curves". Any help is appreciated! Cheers, Dean Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jay2703 704 Posted January 29, 2008 For the 1" stripes you should be able to but rolls of striping from your local auto supply rather than cutting them yourself. I used to work for a boat manufacturer and that is what we did. A lot less hassle because you can just feed it off the roll and peel the backing off as you go. Put the blue down then lay the balck down either next to it or overlap some. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
slopchops 1 Posted January 30, 2008 Go here and look at their catalog. They have free instructions for vehicle wrap. http://www.mumpowersignsupply.com Lots of good buys too. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
slopchops 1 Posted January 30, 2008 I am going to make a two-color strips that will run down the center of my race car. It'll be a 10" wide blue stripe with a 1" black border on either side of it. I've got a mockup of what the car will look like attached. A couple questions: 1) What's the balance between wasting vinyl and ease of installation/best results? I guess my specific question is, should I be cutting a 12" black stripe and then applying a 10" blue stripe on top of it (before applying to the car) or could I get away with cutting two separate 1-1/8" black stripes and trying to line them up with and overlap them along the edge of the middle blue stripe? The second technique would save black vinyl, but I'm afraid it would be a nightmare to apply straight. 2) Since the stripe will be in several sections on the car (front bumper, hood, roof, trunk, rear bumper) should I be creating several smaller sections or cutting one massively long stripe and then cutting it up into sections? I'm thinking cut smaller sections to start with, as they'll be easier to work with. 3) When applying the stripe on curves, is the idea to heat it a bit and stretch it so that you don't have extra material that bunches up at the edges? I'm thinking about the front bumper which is crowned in two dimensions (curves towards the back horizontally and vertically) I'm using Oracal 851 on advice that it's "better for applying to curves". Any help is appreciated! Cheers, Dean Why don't you buy 12" vinyl already cut that size. I just got a 30' roll today for a cent. $12.00 shipping. Still cheap though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
UpNorthPromo 3 Posted January 30, 2008 I've never had any luck with getting vinyl to curve to fit a stripe across a window. You gotta find the curve in the window by measuring the ends of the window and then the middle. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
firemalt 10 Posted January 30, 2008 I personally won't waste all that black vinyl under the blue material. I think the black strips would be just fine. Come on... Its a racecar, it'll be okay. If you're concerned about small gaps between the blue & black material, you could overlap the black strips on the blue material by maybe 1/4of an inch. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dtfastbear 0 Posted January 30, 2008 All good stuff, everyone. Thanks for the advice. Regarding buying 12" vinyl so I don't have to cut it... well, that's why I try to find friends smarter than me!! I never thought of that! I think I will experiment with just lining up the "side stripes" so I don't have to waste all the black vinyl. Cheers, Dean Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
firemalt 10 Posted January 30, 2008 Post up some pictures with the finished product! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dtfastbear 0 Posted March 3, 2008 The finished product!! I ended up cutting a 24" wide blue roll into 1/3rds to get 3 45" strips 8" wide, just using a scissors. Then, I cut the black side strips 1" wide using the cutter. I think the results are pretty good! Thanks for all your help and encouragement. Cheers, Dean Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest sciondrgn Posted March 3, 2008 Looks really good! Nice and clean install!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JoeCamaro 11 Posted March 3, 2008 GREAT JOB DEAN!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
firemalt 10 Posted March 3, 2008 Looks good... strong work. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
