Installing Decals

[Mr. Stacy]

Do any of you guys install your own rally stripes or other decals? Or do you go to a professional. The rally stripes in particular look difficult to install considering the hood contours etc.

Anybody care to share their work? Thanks.

[Welker2]

I had mine done professionally; installs cost me $125 for the Camaro (stripes on hood & trunk) and $150 for my Corvette (stripes on hood, top & rear deck). Having never done it, it was well worth the money to me to let someone else deal with all the curves/body lines & not risk screwing up the graphics.

[Mr. Stacy]

Originally Posted by Welker2

I had mine done professionally; installs cost me $125 for the Camaro (stripes on hood & trunk) and $150 for my Corvette (stripes on hood, top & rear deck). Having never done it, it was well worth the money to me to let someone else deal with all the curves/body lines & not risk screwing up the graphics.

That sounds like a reasonable price. Thanks!

Some of them look fairly easy to apply, but those hood ones look like a nightmare.

[Cenafan85]

You will want them professionally done. Me and my buddy tried doing the stripes on his, and every time we would get little crinkles in the stripes. He had to reorder the stripes and was out 2 something LOL

[trcsr]

I also had mine done by a professional, but at a much higher price than the previous poster. As I recall it was about $300. But, it was a lot more involved than I thought it would be and would have never been able to do a decent job on my own. I had two wide and two narrow black stripes on the hood and rear. It took them about 3 hours to do the job. They cleaned the area really well, applied a detail-like spray to (I guess) enhance the adhesion, applied the stripes and then heated everything up with a hand held electric dryer and a propane torch. I was a little nervous when they brought out the torch, but everything appears to be fine. Of course, I don't know what the paint under the decals may look like now, but they are professionals so I assume that everything is OK. They also did a careful survey of the surfaces to make sure that the stripes went on straight.

Unless you are really good at stuff like this, I would recommend that you have a professional do it. Good luck.

[Mr. Stacy]

Originally Posted by Cenafan85

You will want them professionally done. Me and my buddy tried doing the stripes on his, and every time we would get little crinkles in the stripes. He had to reorder the stripes and was out 2 something LOL

Lol, sorry! Exactly what I want to avoid. Thanks. I know a good shop, but they are spendy. Probably less than doing it twice though...

[Mr. Stacy]

Originally Posted by trcsr

I also had mine done by a professional, but at a much higher price than the previous poster. As I recall it was about $300. But, it was a lot more involved than I thought it would be and would have never been able to do a decent job on my own. I had two wide and two narrow black stripes on the hood and rear. It took them about 3 hours to do the job. They cleaned the area really well, applied a detail-like spray to (I guess) enhance the adhesion, applied the stripes and then heated everything up with a hand held electric dryer and a propane torch. I was a little nervous when they brought out the torch, but everything appears to be fine. Of course, I don't know what the paint under the decals may look like now, but they are professionals so I assume that everything is OK. They also did a careful survey of the surfaces to make sure that the stripes went on straight.

Unless you are really good at stuff like this, I would recommend that you have a professional do it. Good luck.

Yes, probably a little over my head.

I know a good shop, but they probably will not like the cheap Amazon or Ebay 3M stripes. I'll see what they say...

[ritchet]

I did the hood spears and gill slits myself but I concur with the others when it comes to the Rallye Stripes that a professional is the way to go.

[OHIOSS]

I bought the hockey stripes and tried to put them on myself. I even used water so I could move them around in an attempt to put them on right. I screwed around for like 2 hours just on one side and I finally gave up. I bought another set of decals from a different supplier that I liked better and I hired a guy that does this kind of work at the dealer I bought my Camaro from. He did it in my garage, took him about 30mins, and they were perfect. He asked for $50 but I was so impressed that I gave him $100.

Unless you have some experience putting on decals I would recommend having a pro do it.

Russ

[bluebonn]

Originally Posted by Mr. Stacy

That sounds like a reasonable price. Thanks!

Some of them look fairly easy to apply, but those hood ones look like a nightmare.

It's actually not that hard at all if you just take your time. When I had my V6 I did them myself with a spray bottle squeegee and blow dryer. V8 I haven't found anything to do yet because of the strip down the side middle of car will throw everything off

[Mr. Stacy]

Originally Posted by OHIOSS

I bought the hockey stripes and tried to put them on myself. I even used water so I could move them around in an attempt to put them on right. I screwed around for like 2 hours just on one side and I finally gave up. I bought another set of decals from a different supplier that I liked better and I hired a guy that does this kind of work at the dealer I bought my Camaro from. He did it in my garage, took him about 30mins, and they were perfect. He asked for $50 but I was so impressed that I gave him $100.

Unless you have some experience putting on decals I would recommend having a pro do it.

Russ

Nice. That's a good idea to check with the dealerships. The shops around here that do vehicle graphics exclusively, are very expensive. Thanks for the information.

[Mr. Stacy]

Originally Posted by bluebonn

It's actually not that hard at all if you just take your time. When I had my V6 I did them myself with a spray bottle squeegee and blow dryer. V8 I haven't found anything to do yet because of the strip down the side middle of car will throw everything off

Thanks, some people have a knack for stuff like this, and I am NOT one of them. I'd probably end up pissed off with graphics stuck to me.

[Arogg]

Ive installed stripes on 2 of my buddys mustangs, my old 01 SS on the hood scoop (which they claim is the hardest decal to do) and a couple things here and there on my current SS. Its not that hard. Patience and a garage or shop to do it in and your golden. Just take your time and an extra set of hands is always nice to have.