Longitudinal stripes ... re-using decals?

[_Russ_]

OK ... so I've had some rust repaired in both rear quarters just before Christmas.











Now that the body-shop has re-opened for the New Year, I'll be taking it back to get painted. When we we're talking about it, the guy mentioned that they'll take the quarter decals off - paint - then re-apply.

Can this be done? I wouldn't have thought the decal would re-stick properly!

Should I just buy a complete new stripe, have them remove the entire lot from the Car, clean/prepare the surface and apply the new stripe? I don't want to buy a new one and replace just the quarter, as there's a chance of a noticeable difference between the new & old stripe (age/finish/fading etc).

Last thing I want after a nice repair is have some dodgy sticker that isn't seated properly and starts pealing.

Anyone done it successfully before?


 

[beekppr]

It can not be reused. They are vinyl and as you remove them, they stretch big time.

[_Russ_]

That's what I was thinking. Thanks!

Any idea on who makes the better reproduction stripe decals?

[beekppr]

By the way, I did the set on my orange Superbee and there is definitely good methods and bad.

The first time, I was hesitant to try so I had my paint shop do them. They used the soap and water method and screwed them up badly. They had to buy me another set but refused to try a second time so I tried it myself. They left the circular bee emblems on for me and I decided to remove them and do the whole thing right. This is how I know about them stretching. It is amazing how much they stretch. Anyone who says they can reuse them has to be crazy or is using some type of different decal.

I decided to put them on dry using the "hinge method" and this worked out beautifully. You wouldn't know it but what you see in my pic is me doing it all alone, on my first try and without having ever done it before. I have seen the same stripe on other 70 bee's at shows done by paint shops and they are all uneven and don't match from side to side.

My point is, if you are patient, do it yourself and you will be very happy with the results.

If you decide to do it yourself, let me know and I can describe the hinge method I used versus what you find described by decal manufacturers. I varied it for my own stripe since it was so darn long and it worked out pretty good.

[beekppr]

When the paint shop bought me a new set, they got them from Year One and they seemed to be pretty good quality. I have since found other people who make and sell the sets at a huge discount but I do not know how their quality is. If price is a factor, let me know and I can post the links.

[beekppr]

Thats some major rust by the way. My Superbee looked like that when I got it 20 years ago in just about every area rust can form. Looking back, I should have found a better car to work with but It's nice now and that's all that matters.

By the way, you have the same stripe as my Challenger. That one should be cake to apply since you have a nice sharp body line to reference off of as you go. My question is...Is the whole car being repainted or just the lower portion and blended? Sounds like the latter. Is the current strip original? If so, I am not sure what material they used back then and how difficult it is to remove. Either way, I seriously doubt the new material will look the same as the old. I would do it all at the same time.

[_Russ_]

Cost fir the stripe kit isn't too much of a worry. They all seem to be within $50 of each other - so it's not a concern.

Only painting/blending the rear quarters - not the whole car.

Also considering not putting stripes back on at all, but that will depend on how the decals come off. Will wait until the body-shop takes them off, then see what they say. Will give the whole car & buff & polish, and see how it looks - so long as there's no damage from the decals.

Kind of liking the no-stripe look via a bit of Photo-shopping:







 

[beekppr]

Man, that's a good looking R/T. Hope mine comes out that nice. I found myself staring at yours for several minutes before I snapped out of it.

The larger pic makes it so much easier to see what you're talking about.

It looks as though the paint and stripes are not original so getting off the old stripes should be really easy. Once they lift the edge, it pulls right off. They are not adhered as strong as you might expect.

I personally like the stripe. I think it breaks up the large solid color really nice. If I was you though, I'd leave it off for a while and see if you like it. You will at first cause it's a new look but I suspect you will put it back on in a year. Technically, you should not apply the new stripe until the paint has cured a couple months (so I am told).

[_Russ_]

Yeah it's not original paint or decal - was repainted by a previous owner in '97 I believe.

That's a good idea you have.  The YearOne listing states they shouldn't be put on for at least 5 days after 2pak is cleared & finished, so it will give me a little time and see how I like it anyway.

I suppose it's not really a drama at all. I'll leave them off, and if I change my mind down the road, all I need to do is order the decals and put them on. Easy peasy!

Decision is made! hahaha