Pinstripes and Vinyl Graphics

Pinstripes and fancy automotive graphics have origins that stretch back, really, to cave paintings. We humans like to make things our own, and automobiles are no exception. A plain paint job on a plain old car says simply, "I'm a plain old person." Add some pinstripes or otherwise differentiating accents and another picture emerges. A subtle stripe around a gas cap sends one signal, while a full-blown flame job sends another. Either way things are no longer plain.

Vinyl Exam
In the past, custom paint had to applied by skilled professionals and legends like Von Dutch, Gene Winfield, or Tommy the Greek. As time and technology marched, some custom paint was replaced by the miracle of plastics, namely vinyl. Whether installed at the factory, the dealership, or laid down out in the driveway, vinyl striping and graphics are relatively quick and easy to apply, compared to the skilled employ and time involved with a custom pinstriper or painter. Add to the miracle of plastic that of computer aided design, and vinyl graphics have become more prevalent than ever before.

Cracked Up, Checked Out
While vinyl is tough and can last for years, like anything exposed to the punishment of time and weather, it will wear out. Add to the mix swinging car doors, errant shopping carts, and pesky teenagers with a penchant for peeling things up and the vinyl can take a hit from which it cannot recover. Since the vinyl is essentially a very thin custom cut sticker, once things are cracked up and checked out, total replacement is the only option. If replacing the graphics, the first step is peeling up the old stuff.

Slow Hand
The key here is not to go crazy and peel everything up at once. Work one section at time in order to place the new vinyl in the same location as the old. If applying vinyl to an otherwise naked paint job, the old "measure it twice, cut it once" philosophy applies. You only get one shot at laying vinyl down. It will not survive being peeled up and re-applied. The other "trick" to applying vinyl is keeping things clean. Even the smallest speck of crud under thinner-than-paper vinyl will read to the eye as a bump. Prepare well, and follow along for more visual tips.