So how can I make sure me viper stripes are straight?
Discussion
I've worked out the top tips so far:
1) Sobriety does help!
2) Measuring will only help if you can (temporarily
) mark the body up.
3) Wet the body work to allow correction of screw-ups.
4) God doesn't care about stickers, so don't waste time praying.
5) It's the one time admitting to using a hairdryer won't bring down the weight of the PH massive on you.
So what have I missed?
1) Sobriety does help!
2) Measuring will only help if you can (temporarily
) mark the body up. 3) Wet the body work to allow correction of screw-ups.
4) God doesn't care about stickers, so don't waste time praying.
5) It's the one time admitting to using a hairdryer won't bring down the weight of the PH massive on you.
So what have I missed?
You will need two stout support posts at about bonnet height, placed on the road about 2 metres apart, with a pole across the two of them threaded through the rolls with the stripes on them. Unroll about 600mmm of each stripe and affix the end to the tarmac. Drive your car at the two strips of stripe, making sure to keep your car centred. As your front bumper hits the unrolled stripes, they stick to the car and the remainder unrolls over the top of the car as you go through.
Easy....just buy a car where they come as standard! .............Sorry......that wasn`t very helpful was it?
I would put a fine mist of water spray on the area(using one of them things your mum uses for watering her house plants) to be striped and slide them around until they line up with the marks on the body work , and for difficult curves use a hairdrier.Don`t attempt while pissed or the results in the morning maynot be quite as hoped!
.............Sorry......that wasn`t very helpful was it? I would put a fine mist of water spray on the area(using one of them things your mum uses for watering her house plants) to be striped and slide them around until they line up with the marks on the body work , and for difficult curves use a hairdrier.Don`t attempt while pissed or the results in the morning maynot be quite as hoped!
If the stripes are on a Dodge Viper then they are "Viper Stripes" all other cars they are "slug trails"......
Best way to get them straight is:
1. Park car on some grass.
2. 4 bits of 2"x1" wood about 4ft long and hammer them into the ground vertically in front of the car, making sure that they are equally spaced in relation to the centre line of the car and also are the required width of your stripes.
3. Repeat step 2 at the back of the car.
4. Get some garden string or strong cotton and tie a length of string from stick one in front to stick one at the rear.
5. Repeat step 4 for each of the other 3 sticks.
6. Now get 4 small bits of wood 2" x 1" and cut then to the width of your stripes and put a notch in either end.
7. Place these pieces of wood one per stripe on the front windscreen and rear windscreen with the string resting in the notches. This will help to ensure your stripes don't bulge or shrink in width.
8. Spray the area of your car where you intend to apply your stripes with a water and washing up liquid solution. This allows adjustments!
9. Place your first stripe within the lines on your bonnet and starting from the windscreen end lay the stripe down the bonnet.
10. Repeat the process for each of the other stripes that you want to apply. Use an old credit card, or better still a water blade or other flexible soft plastic object to help squeeze out your air bubbles.
11. Stand well back from the car to ensure that all of the stripes are parrallel and once you are happy, remove the sticks and string.
12. Leave the car for at least 12 hours to allow the stripes to stick before driving.
13. Walk to the pub for a well earned beer :cheers:
Alternatively, get a professional to do it!
Best way to get them straight is:
1. Park car on some grass.
2. 4 bits of 2"x1" wood about 4ft long and hammer them into the ground vertically in front of the car, making sure that they are equally spaced in relation to the centre line of the car and also are the required width of your stripes.
3. Repeat step 2 at the back of the car.
4. Get some garden string or strong cotton and tie a length of string from stick one in front to stick one at the rear.
5. Repeat step 4 for each of the other 3 sticks.
6. Now get 4 small bits of wood 2" x 1" and cut then to the width of your stripes and put a notch in either end.
7. Place these pieces of wood one per stripe on the front windscreen and rear windscreen with the string resting in the notches. This will help to ensure your stripes don't bulge or shrink in width.
8. Spray the area of your car where you intend to apply your stripes with a water and washing up liquid solution. This allows adjustments!
9. Place your first stripe within the lines on your bonnet and starting from the windscreen end lay the stripe down the bonnet.
10. Repeat the process for each of the other stripes that you want to apply. Use an old credit card, or better still a water blade or other flexible soft plastic object to help squeeze out your air bubbles.
11. Stand well back from the car to ensure that all of the stripes are parrallel and once you are happy, remove the sticks and string.
12. Leave the car for at least 12 hours to allow the stripes to stick before driving.
13. Walk to the pub for a well earned beer :cheers:
Alternatively, get a professional to do it!
Use a grease pen like they use on Overhead Projectors find your centre line and mark out from the centre every 8-10 inches (the pen will not harm your paint and is a fine line) dont use the edge of your bonnet or the roof as it could be shaped inwards. Use a plant sprayer to keep the area wet as you apply the stripe one at a time take your time stand away from your car to look at the line then repeat on the other stripe. Good luck it can be tricky keeping it all wet. Once your happy use a squeegee to remove the excess water and allow to dry for about 6 hours dont put them on and then go around to show everyone what a grand job youve done as when you get there you might only have one!! Hope this helps
I used masking tape for my old 'slug trails...'
Put a full length down the bonnet and moved it about until it looked 'right'. Then added another line of tape down each side of the first, which gives a 3-strip wide marker to line up the stripes against. IMHO, they are then the right distance appart and perfectly parallel (see profile pic of the old ones)
Put a full length down the bonnet and moved it about until it looked 'right'. Then added another line of tape down each side of the first, which gives a 3-strip wide marker to line up the stripes against. IMHO, they are then the right distance appart and perfectly parallel (see profile pic of the old ones)
It's dead easy to put them on straight. Just don't do it at 2am in a motorway services carpark somewhere on the M1. The bootlid required several pieces to be aligned, hence they came out in a kinda "v". Lots of bubbles, and it even started peeling off the windscreen. So top tip from me is daylight 
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