[archrick]

The wife and I dropped by this weekend to take a look at the car in the body shop, here are a few pictures from today. There is still alot of work to be done but It is starting to look like a car again! I am humming nervously from the amount of money that I am spending. We just bought the 5.4L engine for the car but need a CPU, 6-speed Tranny and the intecooler. There is one other thing if anyone has a suggestion when it comes to the stripes. The body shop said they will either restripe the car with the typical vinyl stripes or they can paint them on so it's up to the wife and I to decide so, we asked a few friends and are getting mixed reponses. What would you guys suggest, or maybe you have gone thru this situation and painted them, either way your input is always appreciated!

thanks!

 

[amustangrocks]

looking good. painting the stripes would be about a bizzilion times better than stick on. would they bury them in clearcoat. i would imagine that would cost a couple bucks. but they would have the quality of your paint job and a glass finish. no comparison for sure. jmo

 

[dynobrat]

If you ever needed to get any (or all) parts of the car painted it would cost less the 2nd time around going with decals. And also, you're only talking a stripe kit, not a custom airbrush or anything fancy, so I would go with decals.

And if you do go decals, don't have them sprayed with clear, I'm sure if they're reputable they wouldn't even suggest it. You're closing doors on future decals, (maybe you want to change it up, somehow later, who knows?) Or if the sun and heat causes the decal to expand in any way, the clear/decal can crack. Been down this road before myself.

lf you ever got a small dent or chip you need to repair, decals over clear is the best and only choice. :bigthumbsup

I don't know why someone would think painting the stripes are any better than stick on. It's no big deal either way, really. If you are forward thinking, decals are better. If you never have any intention on changing the look of the car, and don't ever plan on painting it again, or you have money coming out the ying-yang and don't care go for painted.

 

[Chris's06GT]

Wow they look great on your car! I've always been a fan of racing stripes :bigthumbsup

 

[cgash11]

i would say go with painting them on because they will be a part of you paint and therefore will be a hell of a lot more durable :bigthumbsup

 

[dynobrat]

i would say go with painting them on because they will be a part of you paint and therefore will be a hell of a lot more durable :bigthumbsup

that's a whole lotta bologna. If you take care of your vehicle and paint, decals are just as good. And aren't that hard or expensive to replace. Getting it painted the same way a second time will cost more money in the long run.

 

[mustangdave2008]

that's a whole lotta bologna. If you take care of your vehicle and paint, decals are just as good. And aren't that hard or expensive to replace. Getting it painted the same way a second time will cost more money in the long run.

How could you replace decal? Ever tried peeling one off? I say paint it, clear it, and forgeddaboudit.

 

[dynobrat]

heat gun? I've seen guys buy a brand new vehicle and take them off without a mark. It's not hard if you know how. I wouldn't just take a fingernail or a butterknife and go at it aiming for excellence, but they aren't rocket science. The bigger concern is what you intend to do later, if you remove and replace, no big deal. If you just remove entirely you may be looking at a bigger task to match the color of the paint from sunfading/swirls.

:smartass:

:gringreen

 

[amustangrocks]

heat gun? I've seen guys buy a brand new vehicle and take them off without a mark. It's not hard if you know how. I wouldn't just take a fingernail or a butterknife and go at it aiming for excellence, but they aren't rocket science. The bigger concern is what you intend to do later, if you remove and replace, no big deal. If you just remove entirely you may be looking at a bigger task to match the color of the paint from sunfading/swirls.

:smartass:

:gringreen

theres no dought this would be a tough decision to make. there are benifits for going either way, and draw backs, and cost factors too as pointed out in some of these posts. the decals can and do look great, but no comparison to custom paint. thats a touch of class all its own. personally i dont care for stripes so i`m glad i dont have to decide. man, good luck with that choice, i`m sure either way would look great on that awesome car :hihi:

 

[00colburn]

looks really good man
and painting the stripes would give a cleaner look

 

[NCWildhorse]

Decals have come a long way. They are durable and last longer than they used to. Still, it is a personal preference. Both ways have their pros and cons. I would say painted if you were doing a custom design, but for a standard stripe(s) decal would be the way to go. Just my 2 cents worth. Car looks good, can't wait to see the "completed" pics :shigrin

 

[Flynn Ryder]

looks really good man
and painting the stripes would give a cleaner look

Having vinyl stripes now, I would love to make the switch to painted-on, because I'm a perfectionist and I know it would look better, especially after some good wax!

Does anyone has a very loose estimate of what racing stripes cost, black with clear, in total with paint and labor, just for reference?