Two stripes or not to stripe that is the question

[poorpeet]

There seem to be a lot of cars around these days with broad stripes. It may be a symptom of mid life crisis but, having seen a dark blue Griff with white stripes, I quite fancy seeing what mine would look like with them.
Anyone know if can buy the stuff to do them? I'm assuming most are 6" wide vinyl transfers rather than paint. I want to be able to change back if I decide that they look to Max Power.

[mgaut]

see this post

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

(E2DJH post)

they came from here

http://www.viperstripesdirect.co.uk

[poorpeet]

Spot on! Cheers

[E2DJH]

poorpeet said:

Spot on! Cheers

Poorpeet
PM me if you would like some more and i'll e mail them to you

[poorpeet]

Hmmm? Now I can't decide between white or silver over Starmist Chrimson

[E2DJH]

Poorpeet.
YHM

[Al 450]

I've taken them off now as they were a Le Mans special, but liked them so much I left them on the whole summer. Slightly tricky to get the curves right at the end of the bonnet and boot but worth the effort. They come off very easily as well with a hair dryer.

[mgaut]

Al 450 said:

I've taken them off now as they were a Le Mans special...

likewise

[WazzaL]

Stripes definately look good.. If you get sprint, look at Chimfest and you'll see a gorgeous green car with silver stripes.. - Hello, 'tis me!

Was meant to be a Le Mans special, but I've kept them on and they are staying on.



Also, whats this about mid-life crisis... If this is the sign of a midlife crisis there really is no hope for me. Also means I'll be a gonner by the age of 52!

Edited by WazzaL on Friday 26th October 13:25

[poorpeet]

Thanks all, I've ordered a set. Mind you my wife just thinks I'm sad!

[DavidLScott]

Don't they all think we're all sad.

[im]

DavidLScott said:

Don't they all think we're all sad.

[poorpeet]

Thanks for the pics Dave. Interesting to see the car with & without. I think the white against the dark blue really lifts the car. Just hope it works as well against the deep red of mine.

Pete

[Robwhite]

I've been away for a while and just seen this thread. My Chim is very dark blue and I've fancied a couple of white stripes for a while and the photo looks better than I imagined. I'm convinced that I want it but on a practical level how difficult was it to get the stripes just right?

Rob

[E2DJH]

Robwhite said:

I've been away for a while and just seen this thread. My Chim is very dark blue and I've fancied a couple of white stripes for a while and the photo looks better than I imagined. I'm convinced that I want it but on a practical level how difficult was it to get the stripes just right?

Rob

It wasn't too bad, but allow yourself a couple of hours, as you don't want to rush it, and preferably have a mate to help.

The guidelines say to wet the car and the back, i.e. sticky side, of the stripe with soapy water. We actually used Maguires Quick Detailer, which worked well (once we got the hang of it!) Place a strip of wide masking tape down the centre of the bonnet as a guide, and then using the detailer, it was easy to slide the strip in to place alongside the masking tape. The natural curves at the bottom of the bonnet draw the stripes together a bit, and on the boot we had to make a vertical cut in the stripe, and over lap each side slightly.

eta
there are a few more pics here:
http://s224.photobucket.com/albums/dd166/e2djh/

Edited by E2DJH on Wednesday 31st October 17:35

[The Surveyor]

I did the viper stripe thing on my old Chimaera, including white on grey for Le Mans 2005, silver on grey (which looked great IMHO), and wide orange for Le Mans 2006.







Word of caution though, make sure your paintwork is in good condition, and you've got plenty of polish on it before applying the stripes. Good freind of mine has just needed a respray on his Tuscan when the paint came off whilst he removed his Le Mans stripes.

They do look good on a Chim though..

Cheers

Paul

Edited by The Surveyor on Wednesday 31st October 18:45

Edited by The Surveyor on Wednesday 31st October 18:46

[Al 450]

It's fine so long as you heat the stripes well with a hairdryer to soften them before you peel them off. The tricky bits when applying are the convex curves at the front of the bonnet and the rear of the boot.

[Barreti]

If you've got any paint which isn't brilliant, put a blob of your favourite wax polish there and don't clean it off before you put the stripes on. This ensures the stripes don't stick to the area and come off without lifting the paint.

Check the paint on the other end of your bootlid too - the bit by the hoop, or leave the stripes just short of the edge. I didn't realise mine was iffy there despite polishing the hell out of the car on a regular basis, and removing my stripes after Le Mans this year took a bit of paint off.