I just finished putting the 72 Vinyl Grabber Stripe on the Grabber hood on my yellow car .... Here is a tip ... If you have a 72 Maverick Grabber show car .... have them painted on ... I did everything slow and careful ... thought it was perfect ... and when I removed the backing paper I couldn't believe the amount of bubbles! If it was on a show car I would have cried. Granted .. it says most will come out after a few days ... and I pin pricked the larger ones already ...
Got them from Pheonix Graphics ... what was strange about them is the the center gap at the front of the stripe was larger than the back ... doesn't make sense ... I tried to adjust to make the gap even but was impossible to do .... Perhaps I should have went with Graphics Express ... according to their site they used an NOS stripe kit as a pattern .. who knows ... they may all have the same pattern ... It looks great from 5 feet or more .... Here is a straight on shot where you can see the gap changes ...
After going over the installation technique in my head I think I figured out a way to do it with no bubbles .. too late for me but hopefully it will help you guys out ... I used lots of Windex on both the hood and back of decal. This is a good thing. What I did was position the stripe on the hood and then worked out from the center with the included scraper. This left lots of bubbles which are impossible to see with the backing paper attached. Here is how I think it would go down with no bubbles. 1) Get a second person 2) Position stripe exactly where you want it on the hood. 3) Use scraper to affix about 3 inches of the center of the stripe. 4) Have your helper completely lift one side of the decal back off the hood and hold it up in the air ... the center will still be firmly attached. 5) Go up and down the stripe about 1 inch at a time. The pressure of the scraper should cause the vinyl to contact the hood ... not the helper laying it down. Do this until the entire side of the stripe is attached. 6) Have the helper lift the opposite side of the decal and use the same method. I am pretty sure this method will result in no bubbles ...
Dan, when I put on my decal it had the same larger gap in the front. I cut the backing paper up high enough to where it was to the point where it evened out and when I layed it down on the hood I pushed the gap together to match the back. It turned out good. I also thought mine was perfect until I pulled off the paper. I did not use windex, I used the dishwater solution the directions said to use. The bubbles will work their way out as the hood gets hot. It helps if you work it out with a wet rag when the hood is hot. My car is not a show car either but I still cried after I put it on. It has flattened out real nice (though not perfect) so I can live with it. If you have a show car I would definetly buy the stencil and have the stripes painted on and burried in clear.
Yeah I remember you telling me the story about installing your hood stripe and all the bubbles .. The gap threw me off ... I should have trimmed it like yours and pulled them together ...
even though there is a small gap, it still looks good. isn't there a ridge running down the middle of the hood? I think it looks good like that (JMO) it gives it a FAST look.
I think thats the hard part, were never satisfied with our own cause we know every little hidden flaw. Looks great IMO
Instead of windex I use a mix of baby shampoo and water in a spray bottle,then start in the center and squeegie the bubbles out. I then let it set a hour or 2 in the sun or under a heatlamp on low temp.
Looks great, Dan. I can tell you from experiance that it's not unusual to get bubbles under a decal that large. We use a product that Pheonix Graphix sells called Slide-on Application Gel when ever we apply large decals on a car. This stuff is a very slippery, water based gel that works 10 times better than soapy water or Windex. The more you use, the more time you have to position the decal where you want it and it does not set up until you squeegee the stuff out. We highly recommend the stuff. Nearly all of the bubbles will disappear as the gel evaporates.
Dan, It does look great, and believe me, most (if not all) of those bubble will work themselves out. Best thing is to park the car out in the sun ASAP. Your car is really coming along, it's been really cool to watch! Art
Car is looking great Dan, nice to see all the stuff you are doing to it. I think I would rather paint one on though, seems like it would be easier.
Looks great Dan! Are you even considering Grabber stripes down the side? I think it'd look really nice with those too. -Corbin
If I were Dan, I would leave the exterior just the way it is. Looks great that way. Black Grabber hood stripe, Black pin stripe on the sides, and black vinyl top.
