I'm waiting for stripes to arrive from Mightystripes and I think I will try to put them on myself - any suggestions/pointers before they arrive? Also, how long to get the stripes once ordered?

TIA,
Matt

 

When I ordered my stripes (from Cooper Flags) they came with very thorough instructions - with a big note at the top that said: FOR PROFESSIONAL INSTALLATION ONLY. That was all the convincing I needed to start looking for someone else to install them!

The steps themselves seemed straightforward enough, and stripe installers don't spend a lot of time in graduate programs or anything, but I'm sure having experience is a big help in the process.

If your stripes don't come with instructions, PM me and I'll scan mine and email them to you.

 

Kinda similar to tinting windows... soapy water, wet the backing, lay it down,
position, then squeegee the solution out. Use a thin cotton towel (like a
cheeze towel) over the stripe and squeegee over it to prevent scratches
on the stripe.

I then toast it under a heat lamp (hot but not super hot to the touch)
for a couple of hours.

 

It depends on where the stripes are installed. If they are just standard bonnet stripes--two stripes at an angle---they should be pretty easy to install. You can use application fluid to really make it easy---basically diluted soap water. You'll want a plastic squeegee as well to get rid of bubbles and creases. If you do it right, it'll look pretty good.

If on the other hand, you are being more adventurous and want a Unistripe that goes from the MINI Logo to the windshield, good luck!! Definitely get a professional installer. That bulge is very hard to deal with.

I tried to stripe a friends MINI yesterday and we failed--it was our 2nd attempt. I had mine done by a local pro and it took him 3 days of trying before he got it--he almost gave up because of the difficulty.

I like my stripe so much that I'm probably going to have it painted on when i repaint my bonnet to get rid of all the dings and chip marks in a few years.

Good luck!

Richard

 

Yeah, just standard stripes so I think I'll be okay. Any advice on the boot? I see you are in LA,too. What local pro did you use?

Matt

 

i used a local Signarama. You can find them from my website.

http://www.littlemini.us/profiles/signarama.asp

I was their first MINI, and maybe their last.
They had good pricing with me, but after the difficulty they encounted doing my stripe, I think they would rather not do it anymore---they charge a lot of money, even for simple stuff.

I haven't done anything with the boot--are you talking about doing vinyl on the boot hatch itself, or you mean wrapping around the bumpers as well? The boot should be easy since it's mostly flat.

I'm in the Culver City/Marina area of LA.

Richard

 

The basic bonnet stripes are really not that hard to install. My wife and I put them on my car. I have an instruction sheet that I found on the web somewhere. If I can find it again, I'll post it here.

The most important thing is to make sure that you get the vinyl and the bonnet very wet with the soapy water, so you can move the stripes around until they are just right. You have to take your time, but it's really cool to know that you did it yourself.

 

Boot stripes are the easiest to apply. A little Johnsons Baby Shampoo in a spray bottle with water, (about 5/1). Clean the boot well. spray the solution to wet the area well, wet the back of the stripe, (after you remove the backer paper). Place and position the stripe. Squegee the excess solution and allow to dry.

I used the blue painter's tape and a china marker to mark my placement.

 

The "pro" installers want you to think it's hard. It's not! It's EASY!! Two simple rules...follow the instructions and take your time. You'll be fine. Then when someone compliments the job, you can puff up your chest and say, "I did it".

ripley.

 

Yes, but watch out if someone asks "did YOU do it?" jk

 

I've put on both Mightystripes and Cooper Flags (just yesterday) and they apply the same way, without soapy water as they are just basic 3M products.

Try it! Hey, being a girl, this was easier than I thought ( I even removed the mightystripes beforehand ). Just use a haidryer on low heat when you get around the curve of the bonnet. Use the flat applicator enough, but thumbs can work out the wrinkles, too, when trying to get the stripes evened out on the curves themselves. Have a small stick pin avail when getting out bubbles afterwards. Word of advice, don;t let the sticker touch the car, then pull up, if you can help it, as it becomes too pliable and will form wrinkles when going on again.

I never said I was a professional at it, but I couldn't wait (either time) to get them on! However, they look pretty damn good! Sorry, no pic as of yet...

 

If you come to AMVIV this weekend, Aesthetic Creations will be installing stripes at the Boot and Bonnet Show, and will have boot stripes ready for installation.

 

I'd love to come but a new baby keeps me at home most days. At least the wife will let me in the garage to work on the cars - occasionally. Very occasionally

Matt

 

I did my vynals (sp??) on my current car and they are right it wasn't that hard it was my first time the cutting at the door seams when I was doing the sides of the car was kinda tricky... I'd imagine the roof would be, but you should be ok with the bonnet

 

Just got my stripes from Cooper Flags. They suggest two approaches, wet and dry. It looks like most people are using the wet approach to facilitate movement. How long do I have to wait after installation? Is overnight OK?

I have installed boat names on boats (of course) and used a wet mixture and did not have any problems. Sure there were bubbles, but with the wet solution, I just worked these out to the edge.

Any advice, before I tackle these stripes?

 

i just had some stripes put on last night. didn't look too hard, just lay down where you want the stripes and tape them down at the center.

once you have them where you want them, start at the top (closest to the windsheild) and peel the backing of the vinyl off of the top half (up to the tape).

lay the vinyl, folded backwards now without backing, over the portion of the stripe of that hasn't been stuck down (the bottom half).

the backing of the vinyl that you pulled away should still lay as if it were the actual stripe at the the top half of the hood. take some scissors and cut it away just aft of the tape line.

spray a good amount of water/alchohol/windex/whatever where the new stripe is going to be.

take the folded backward piece and bring it forward to the place you'd like it to lay and squeegee(sp?) out any bubble or ripples.

once that's all set you'll need to the bottom half. it's sort of a repeat of the top but a little bit trickier.

just fold backward the bottom part like the top and remove the tape that was holding it in place (the top part will hold it in place now) and completely remove the backing.

lay this bottom half of the stripe over the top half and spray down your solution. slowly pull down the stripe and squeegee out the imperfections again. the last little part where it meets the grill can be a little tricky but will workout if you take your time. my installer (mike@aesthethic creations) did both stripes in about five minutes.

I have a ton of pics, including a roof install (which would be much harder to create instructions for ) here:

http://dynamicminicollective.com/boa...pic.php?t=1513

 

I'm having my Boot stripes installed for me. I've seen me put on a bumper sticker when I have tried to be extra careful. No way I am putting on boot stripes. I've getting mine done from a company that does those invisable paint protecter things. They are giving me a MINI discount, so thats all cool. =)

 

forgot to add:

you can see the blue tape on the left stripe where it was taped in the middle in this pic: http://www.linuxgroupie.com/pictures...s/IMG_0182.JPG

That will be your folding point.

Also, I waited about 5 minutes before I was out driving again.

 

Thanks for the info. I have done this before and it doesn't look like rocket science. I think I'll do the boot first and if I screw up there take it to an installer.

 

my suggestion for anyone that thinks they may do tint and/or vinyl more than once in their lives (read most MINI owners) is to get some professional tools to do the job. they are really quite cheap (try www.tinttools.com). If you get one of the complex tools like the at224 and a high quality hard card like the at229 you will be much less likely to rip the film... and the various angled and curved sections on the at224 come in serious handy... especially the handle for people with big hands like myself. With that you are putting pressure down with your wrist and arm and not with your fingertips. I'm sure my fingers would be killing me after doing the roof with one of the disposable cards that come with a stripe kit!

Always lay everything out exactly (use a cloth measuring tape from the fabric section of wally world or a craft store) and mark both the stripe and hood with a few stripes using a white crayon so that you just have to line the lines up when it's wet... not lay the whole thing out. then when you're done, clean the crayon marks from the car and let it sit (not in the sun) for a while to let it dry slowly. putting it in the sun could cause it to shrink while sections are still wet enough to move... which would be bad (think shrinky-dink).

 

I did my own but I have been in the business for 20+ years. (Signs, graphics, trade shows, museums, etc) Local sign shop is a good idea if you have never done this before. Hang with them and offer to learn as well as let them use photos of yor MINI in their ads. But also make sure the installer has experience with auto / motorsports graphics. They may not know much more than you. Compund curves as mentioned already can be quite the adventure.

Use caution with what you spray under the vinyl to wet apply, make sure it has no glycerene in it. Also no wax under the vinyl is a plus.

I will look and see if I put the last shots in my gallery or try this link.

http://imageevent.com/tl4x40/mini

Tim

 

I have a couple questions. Given the choice, should I hold off Zainoing my bonnet until the stripes are applied? (Does it hurt to have Zaino under the stripes?). I know most decals like an extremely glossy surface for application, but I don't know if the Zaino would affect the bond.

Given the choice, would you put the stripes over or under the 3M protective clear shield? I am thinking stripes on top is better, because they'll have a more consistent appearance even if there is a slight ridge line.

 

from what I understand the best thing to do before the stripes would be to remove all wax, then clay bar the bonnet to get that perfect smooth finish... and as for putting the stripes below or on top of the clear bra... I'm thinking always put the stripes above because you may change out your stripes once every year or two... but the clear bra would be much more expensive to change out regularly.