69 GT500 STRIPES

[kasearch@ix.netcom.com]

I am in the final stages of having 3098 back on the road after a 30 year absence. I should be ready in the next few weeks to put the side stripes on the car.  I have been reviewing a lot of web pictures  and have noticed that some of the vehicles have one, or both of the end stripes not properly aligned visually. Some have a slight smile. Some have a slight frown. And some have had a stroke. Is there a trick or technique that best insures that these align properly the full length of the car?

[427hunter]

Yes, many were put on poorly.

The trick is to make sure the rear marker light is square in the center of the stripe. Also make sure you do not angle the strip up towards the front as you apply it - common mistake. There is no way to measure it for height, so get some pin stripe and once you get the back of the stripe on and square with the marker light - run the pin stripe as a guide to get a top line that looks straight - then apply the stripe. you will need lots of soapy water in a spray bottle and do not apply it in direct sunlight.   

[Coralsnake]

Laser beams

[Bob Gaines]

Laser beams

+1 . You can rent them . The rental store,home depot etc. rent them to people wanting to mark a line on walls for drop ceilings etc.

[shelbydoug]

Laser beams

+1 . You can rent them . The rental store,home depot etc. rent them to people wanting to mark a line on walls for drop ceilings etc.

Dropped ceilings sounds painful?

[TLea]

Honestly not expensive to buy one to do the trick. I still have professional one from construction days (2K+) but you can get an inexpensive one for under $100. Plus you can be a hero hanging curtains for your wife

[shelbymann1970]

I am in the final stages of having 3098 back on the road after a 30 year absence. I should be ready in the next few weeks to put the side stripes on the car.  I have been reviewing a lot of web pictures  and have noticed that some of the vehicles have one, or both of the end stripes not properly aligned visually. Some have a slight smile. Some have a slight frown. And some have had a stroke. Is there a trick or technique that best insures that these align properly the full length of the car?

I still have an original pair of doors with the factory stripes on them. I can measure the door stripes for position and align everything else from that. That is what I did when I restriped my vert(a hair high on the rear to side marker with a straight line). I'm sure the workers were not perfect on every car front to back in a line. 

[tesgt350]

The side Stripe is 5/6 Pieces per side.  Which piece would you start with?  Me, I think I would start with the very front Piece where the front Fender Scoop is.  It that piece is centered, the rest should line off that piece and go on straight.

[Coralsnake]

I believe I saw some reference recently to a tool or guide the factory used.

If you use a laser and layout tape where you start is not critical

[TOBKOB]

The side Stripe is 5/6 Pieces per side.  Which piece would you start with?  Me, I think I would start with the very front Piece where the front Fender Scoop is.  It that piece is centered, the rest should line off that piece and go on straight.

Unless you are off a just a tad then by the time you get to the rear the front has already dried too much to reposition and the stripes barely touch the marker lights. I think that is why so many miss the mark on the rear marker lights and look so bad.

TOB

[shelbymann1970]

The side Stripe is 5/6 Pieces per side.  Which piece would you start with?  Me, I think I would start with the very front Piece where the front Fender Scoop is.  It that piece is centered, the rest should line off that piece and go on straight.

Unless you are off a just a tad then by the time you get to the rear the front has already dried too much to reposition and the stripes barely touch the marker lights. I think that is why so many miss the mark on the rear marker lights and look so bad.

TOB

I started with the door stripes location as per my original doors with the stripes still on them(in the jambs). We created a straight line front and back so the  lower stripe "hits" the pin stripe for exact location. I've done 2 70s this way and a few Mach1s. All seemed to come out good using a pinstripe tape for location. .

[Bob Gaines]

Which would you rather have straight or crooked stripes? Crooked meaning not lined up as they were engineered to be. There was a typical range of stripe application at AO Smith. There are some horribly crooked stripes on survivor cars. There also some that are perfect as it pertains to the engineered way they were meant to be installed. I for one do not deduct for crooked stripes when judging because of the range they came from the factory although on the crooked ones I will note what is off the ideal mark for the owner's information. There are other application areas besides straightness on which to judge correct factory stripe application stripes on. Most restorers and owners strive for the ideal.   

[shelbymann1970]

Which would you rather have straight or crooked stripes? Crooked meaning not lined up as they were engineered to be. There was a typical range of stripe application at AO Smith. There are some horribly crooked stripes on survivor cars. There also some that are perfect as it pertains to the engineered way they were meant to be installed. I for one do not deduct for crooked stripes when judging because of the range they came from the factory although on the crooked ones I will note what is off the ideal mark for the owner's information. There are other application areas besides straightness on which to judge correct factory stripe application stripes on. Most restorers and owners strive for the ideal.

Over the years I have seen variances from side to side by as much as 3/8s of an inch on 69 Mach1 doors(I got dimensions put away somewhere).  My 70 Shelby vert I think side to side varied a little but would have to measure them again to verify. I used those dimensions on my vert which made the job much easier not that striping a 69-70 is easy-it is not. Much harder than a Mach1 and especially on a vert because of the scoops being striped.

[Coralsnake]

I would love to see the AO Smith "fixture". This tool was original billed out at over a $1000 to locate the side stripes.

It would would also be interesting to know how much they used it...

[shelbymann1970]

I would love to see the AO Smith "fixture". This tool was original billed out at over a $1000 to locate the side stripes.

It would would also be interesting to know how much they used it...

There are talented people out there who can perfectly freehand stripes. Back in my early days of doing 69 Mach1s I had a guy named "Mark the striper" do my car. He used to do race cars and such and I picked his brain when he did one Mach1 for me. He put them on "dry". I took some pointers from him and started striping my own cars. I always put them on wet and have a lower tape line for my location. I also get personal satisfaction when I do a car and can say I did most if not all of it. I know the car inside and out. Some things I farm out (usually engine /trans machining rebuild and paint now) but try and do most everything my experience allows me to do. I don't want to be "that guy" as in a guy who won a local car show with a white 68.5 fastback and I asked him if his starter delay was a Scott Fuller unit and he said "what is a starter delay?".