Custom Stripes Installed on Mach 1

[astronaut45]

So after getting a few quotes from some local shops, I decided that I had the talent to install my new stripes myself. I wanted a one of a kind Mach 1 and I definitely have it now.

I now know why some might let a pro do it though, tons of work to get everything lined up, and even still it's not perfect. I also crimped the vinyl slightly in 3 places, but you can only see it from certain angles

Anyway here's how it came out.

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[Ballistica]

Very nice, definitely one of a kind for sure! Liking the side strips as well!

 

[MCS]

Well done sir. Very unique and you ain’t gonna have trouble finding her in other Mach 1

 

[Prodigal]

Looks great and def 1 of a kind. Where did you source the stripes? How much? How long was the install? 1 man or did you have help? What kind of surface prep?

 

[astronaut45]

I bought the kit from AutoDesign, I worked with them for a week or two to get the design right, they do a lot of Martini stripes for Porsches and I wanted the same colors, and they were able to match it up with the OEM Mach 1 design while keeping some of the Martini design as well.

For prep I cleaned the car and then used a 70% Alcohol mix to prep the surface where the vinyl was going on. We'll see if I get good adhesion, seems like it right now, but time will tell.

Stripes were dry application 3M, pretty easy to work with and as I got the hang of it I minimized some of my early mistakes.

This was my first time doing auto vinyl, and my wife was my extra pair of hands when needed. It took about 4 hours total, with about 30-45 extra minutes for the sharkfin.

The hood stripe is the one that is the least perfect with some obvious flaws, if I'm still loving the kit in a year or so, I'll probably pull the hood and order a new one to try again with.

Surprising challenge was removing the stupid shark fin to lay the vinyl underneath. Just not a lot of room to work under the headliner to get a wrench in there to loosen up the antenna and remove it.

Main reason I did it myself was that I was getting quoted 500-600 dollars to have it installed, the kit itself was only $380.00, so I figured I could mess the whole thing up, but learn how to do it, order the set again, install it, and still be ahead.

 

[Oakley]

i have never had such mixed feelings. part of me thinks its dope as hell and the part of me that hates stickers wants to hate it.

 

[Gnatsum21]

Martini!

 

[astronaut45]

i have never had such mixed feelings. part of me thinks its dope as hell and the part of me that hates stickers wants to hate it.

I know some people are vehemently anti stickers/vinyl but for me it's an easy way to add some personality to the car.

If I get tired of them I can pull them off in about 30 minutes.

Glad that I can at least cause some mixed feelings for you!

 

[JustSomeGuy]

That is F’in rad. Very well done.

 

[Oakley]

reminded me of this

 

[Brisvegas]

I bought the kit from AutoDesign, I worked with them for a week or two to get the design right, they do a lot of Martini stripes for Porsches and I wanted the same colors, and they were able to match it up with the OEM Mach 1 design while keeping some of the Martini design as well.

For prep I cleaned the car and then used a 70% Alcohol mix to prep the surface where the vinyl was going on. We'll see if I get good adhesion, seems like it right now, but time will tell.

Stripes were dry application 3M, pretty easy to work with and as I got the hang of it I minimized some of my early mistakes.

This was my first time doing auto vinyl, and my wife was my extra pair of hands when needed. It took about 4 hours total, with about 30-45 extra minutes for the sharkfin.

The hood stripe is the one that is the least perfect with some obvious flaws, if I'm still loving the kit in a year or so, I'll probably pull the hood and order a new one to try again with.

Surprising challenge was removing the stupid shark fin to lay the vinyl underneath. Just not a lot of room to work under the headliner to get a wrench in there to loosen up the antenna and remove it.

Main reason I did it myself was that I was getting quoted 500-600 dollars to have it installed, the kit itself was only $380.00, so I figured I could mess the whole thing up, but learn how to do it, order the set again, install it, and still be ahead.

Run a heat gun over stripes and will help with adhesion and will also flow out any light scratches and swirl fwiw , just dont hold it on one spot , keep heat gun moving and dont over do it . Looks very cool imo .

 

[Crew4991]

Well done! Super neat. I love it!

 

[Bruce Jr]

It’s not bad, not bad at all; in fact you’ve given me some ideas about mine

 

[astronaut45]

Thanks all for the kind words, also thanks to Brisvegas on the tips on the vinyl, a little heat and I was able to fix most of the imperfections.

It's still not a perfect job, but definitely worth me saving the money to do it myself.

 

[astronaut45]

It’s not bad, not bad at all; in fact you’ve given me some ideas about mine

I'd love to see what you end up doing for the cyber orange Bruce. I hunted hard trying to find one in that color. If I could have found one, I was going to change the stripe color from black to gunmetal, and have the pinstripe be a turquoise blue color.

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