Hey, it’s Tony with another live stream. Thanks for joining me today. Our topic for this show is Vinyl Pinstripe Application on New Truck – And Your Auto Body Questions Answered.
I made a video a few days ago about pinstriping hacks. But, today you’ll see me live do this on my truck. Pinstriping by hand painting is another art in itself. You need years of practice and I don’t have that experience. I have experience in auto body.
However, the pinstripe that I will be using is Prostripe. This is easy DIY pinstripe. I’ve been using this for quite a while. If you make a mistake, you can peel it off and start over again.
There are different color variants for this brand. They also come in varying thickness. The most popular is 5/16, and are about 150 feet. This is what I use. You can do a couple of cars with this. I buy mine on eBay.
The first thing you need to have is the proper length. When you’re starting your pinstripe, you have thick and thin end. Your goal is to figure out what side you want on top and at the bottom.
I like the thicker vinyl on the top. Check out as I show you on video.
The next thing is to make sure your car is washed clean. If you have wax on it, you need to wash it off with glass cleaner and a soft towel. You could use Bounty Paper Towels. I wouldn’t use cheap ones because they might scratch your paint. Clean where you’re going to stripe.
You want all these stripe following a body line. If you go in some weird design, it might not look nice.
Peel off the backing sticker. You’ll have a clear plastic along the front of it as a protector. I pinstripe a lot of cars that I buy and sell for profit, to make it look nicer.
You need to peel it back to around a 1 ½ foot and lay it below the body line. I will let it over hang a little bit and push on the corner. I always like to push at the body line seam then start the same process over.
Don’t pull too hard because you’re going to stretch it and fit it out in some areas. Make sure you’re where you want to be in the body line. Always keep it even.
There’s an area on the truck where it gets tricky because it goes up. Continue watching the video as I demo how to lay it on. The main idea is to keep the same distance all the way down.
Once you’ve laid it on, make sure you push it on firmly. You can even use a cloth if you want to. Then, peel the clear off the pinstripe. (Check out my great assistant helping me out! Lol! J)
I want to keep my main black line the same on top. What I’m going to do is make a small arrow. Check out how I do it on the video.
You’ll then need a razor blade to cut it. You’ll need to do this gently so it won’t cut through the clear coat. Be very careful with it.
This entire project will be uploaded in the LearnAutoBodyAndPaint VIP Program. So go check out what’s in store in VIP.
Question: How do you prep your garage when you’re getting ready for paint? How do you keep dust low? [38:12]
I usually blow out the shop really well the day before I paint or on the day itself. Hose it down with water. Blow off your walls and floors. I keep the garage door around 20 inches, enough for a box fan to fit and have the air venting out while painting.
Question: Should large sections of missing clear coat be covered with primer first and then sand it with 400-grit? [40:18]
I would sand everything down and feather it. Maybe give it a light coat of primer if it’s a large area. Then, watersand it with 400-grit to get it all smooth out and then, base coat and clear it.
Question: Can you get good paint jobs outside? [40:46]
Absolutely. Make sure you’re not in a season where you’re getting a lot of pollen dust. Don’t do it under a tree. Do it on a clear day.
Question: Can you clear coat over large vinyl decals? Fast and furious style of cars? [41:10]
Yes, definitely. Make sure you clean it very well.
Question: What is the best base and clear for beginners? [41:22]
Any base and clear will do. It doesn’t matter. It all depends on your budget. What budget are you starting with?
It’s Tony from LearnAutoBodyAndPaint. Thanks for joining me today. I hope you enjoyed and learned something from this show.
For those of you who would like to start working on your own car projects, grab your FREE 85-Page Auto Body And Paint Manual. Please Like, Share and Subscribe to my videos.
Talk soon! Cheers!
Tony
Other Helpful Links:
Learn More From My Projects in LearnAutoBodyAndPaint VIP Program!
How To Pinstripe – Learn To Pinstripe Your Car – Simple Vinyl Pin Striping Techniques
Live Dent Repair Demo Using Grinder and Stud Welder Gun Plus Q&A
How To Pinstripe Your Car With Vinyl Striping