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Vinyl stripes vs. painted stripes?

7K views 6 replies 7 participants last post by  kenseth17 
#1 ·
I hear vinyl is easy to put on a car but how difficult is it to take it off? I was sold on having double-stripes painted on my 1968 Camaro until I saw the bumble bee stripe in person and liked the look. A thought popped into my head - what if I alternated between a vinyl bumble bee decal one year and a double-stripe vinyl decal the other to change things up a bit. What are the pitfalls? The car will be garaged 95% of the year so oxidation shouldn't be an issue. Thoughts??? And what's the average Hod Rodder's opinion of vinyl versus paint? The car's being prepped for paint right now.
 
#4 ·
I don't want glossy stripes unless they are under clearcoat. I have seen very rare occasions where they didn't have atleast some bubbles in them. You cannot wax around them without them really looking like crap, or spending hours cleaning around them. Have the stripes painted and cleared over. You'll be glad you did.

Aaron
 
#5 ·
I think it depends on the Vinyl and the actual width of the stripe you intend
to use.

Painting on a stripe if thats a option is a good move, but you better be sure
up front that you will be happy with the finished look as the only way to
remove the stripe is to paint over it !

On the other hand some vinyl looks pretty good. I like the black carbon fiber
looking stuff but only for a stripe in the 6" to 15" width range. Thin plain
vinyl is kind of cheesy so I would not use that type of vinyl.

Vinyl peels off pretty easy. Since your car is in the garage most of the time
using vinyl may be the best avenue for you to go especially if you are not really sure and are just toying with the idea.

><
 
#7 ·
I agree with others that painting them on would be the way to go, but that could also be done later if you decide you really want them painted on by clearing those panels after the stripes are painted.
To answer your question, I have removed a bit of vinyl at work since they install vinyl on semi trailers at the place I work. Some come of fairly easy with a good heat gun. Other times they pull off so far and break and its a real bare to remove. If the stripes are not real old and the car is often garaged, they probably wouldn't be overly hard to remove. I guess it would give you the opportunity to see if you really like that stripe on your car when you are driving it around everyday or you just thought you would. But check the pricing on the vinyl and installation if going that route. Shop around, seems like everyone does vinyl installation these days. It can be pricey too, but would be less permanent then having them painted which would mean you would need re painting to axe them. Although the vinyl when removed over enough time can mean the paint underneath won't match with the rest of the car since it doesn't have the exposure the rest of the car does.
 
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