Striping a Miata

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How to stripe a Miata

These instructions were provided by Dan Pedroza. I have no commercial affiliation with him, but he does sell stripe kits. He's a good guy to deal with, and drop him a note of thanks if you use these instructions.

Tools Needed:

bucket
scissors
sponge
dishwashing liquid or baby shampoo
masking tape
a hair-dryer
credit card
a neighbor/roommate/spouse/friend
a six-pack of your favorite frosty beverage
a couple of fully loaded pizzas
You've purchased one of the most eye-catching modifications you can do for a Miata. Prepare for every 5.0 on the road to want to race you. The following steps require lots of patience and time on a warm afternoon. Make sure that the process is done within the following conditions:

75 degree F temperature or warmer. Any cooler generally makes the vinyl less capable of stretching if/when necessary
Apply in a dry environment. Humidity adds to drying times.
No wind! If you're doing it outside make sure there is no wind in the forecast. If its windy you'll have a heck of a time keeping dust out from under the stripe and it will blow the stripe everywhere when you're trying to lay it down properly.
Wash your car! Make sure that you wash your car very well removing all dirt and residue from the paint. I also recommend waxing the car. A thin layer of wax, in my opinion, helps the removal of the vinyl in the future if you ever need to replace a piece or want to remove it altogether.
Patience is a virtue with this stripe kit. Be prepared to spend up to six hours applying the stripe to the entire car. Bribe your friends to help you apply the stripe. You'll need them to hold the stripe in place and also to keep the surfaces wet as you lay down the stripe.

There is plenty of material available to stripe the entire length of the car with double stripes including a hardtop. You will make mistakes. Please be patient and just cut another piece if you do!

Very important - practice!
Along with a few small drops of dishwashing liquid, fill your bucket with water. Do not make it too soapy! Too much dishwashing liquid will not allow the stripe to dry properly to the surface. Just a few small drops (2-3). Only a few soapy bubbles should accumulate. Apparantly baby shampoo works very well.

With your scissors, cut a small piece of vinyl a few inches in length. The general application process for the vinyl stripe material is to have the surface of the car extremely soaked as well as the vinyl. Take your sponge and soak a section of your Miata with the soapy solution. Some people use a spray bottle to put the mixture on both the car and the vinyl. Dip the piece of vinyl also into the bucket to set the surface. Remove the backing from the vinyl and apply the vinyl to the surface of the car. The vinyl should be able to slide around the surface easily. Once you are satisfied with the positioning, take a straight-edge surface such as your credit card and gently wipe the surface of the vinyl in an upward diagonal fashion removing the water from under the surface.

With your dryer on low-heat, begin to apply heat to the vinyl while simultaneously using your wet sponge or wet fingers to smooth out any water bubbles or air bubbles underneath the vinyl. If you find any dirt particles still underneath the vinyl Don't worry! You can still lift the vinyl carefully, wipe away the dirt with your wet sponge, re-apply the vinyl and apply heat with the dryer.

Now you're ready to get going with the stripe kit!

Hood application
STEP ONE:
With your friend's assistance, take a long piece of masking tape the length of the hood and apply it right down the middle of the hood. This will be the distance between the dual stripes. The tape will also act as a guide for the vinyl to sit up against when applying. Make sure it's straight!

STEP TWO:
Once the tape is laid down, measure the length of the car with the vinyl and cut the vinyl with a few inches hanging over the top and the bottom of the hood. The extra vinyl will be used to wrap around the edge of the hood.

STEP THREE:
Soak the hood of the car with the soapy solution with your sponge. Make sure it is soaked completely! Soak the section of stripe you just cut before removing the backing. With your friends assistance, remove the backing of the Controltac vinyl and place gently on the hood of the car. Be sure to avoid creases in the vinyl. It is very thin and susceptible to creases, but if you're patient with the removal of the backing, this can be avoided quite easily. The vinyl will apply with wrinkles, but don't confuse wrinkles with creases! The wrinkles will be smoothed out with the credit card.

Lay the soaking vinyl stripe on the left side of the tape matching the edge of the vinyl to the edge of the tape. This ensures a straight stripe and equal distance between the stripes all the way down. Once you are comfortable with the positioning of the stripe, while your friend holds down the stripe to keep it from moving, wipe away the excess water from under the stripe with your credit card or your sponge. When the excess of the water is removed, begin to apply heat with the blow dryer while continuing to work out the bubbles from underneath the vinyl.

Important! At this point, do not continue to use a squeegee or credit card!
Using the credit card or squeegee at this point will risk stretching and/or tearing the vinyl when heat is applied. The heat will soften the vinyl and soften the glue on the back of the vinyl. The absolute best way to work out the bubbles underneath the stripe is to use a soft wet surface such as your hand or sponge. It is very important that your fingers stay soaking wet. Your dry fingers will tend to pull on the heated vinyl and stretch and ruin the vinyl. Always be sure that your fingers are wet. Be constantly wiping the stripe material while applying heat from the blow dryer. Once the stripe is laid to your satisfaction, fold the excess stripe around the edge of the hood and apply heat to remove any water.

STEP FOUR:
Open a can or bottle of your favorite beverage and slam it along with a few slices of pizza while you admire your work. Be sure that you're happy with it before you begin the second stripe. Even with the stripe laid smooth on the surface of the car and you think its dry, you STILL actually have time to lift it and reposition the stripe if you are unsatisfied.

STEP FIVE:
Repeat STEP THREE for the other side of the masking tape! The car's starting to look cool, huh? Stop drooling.

STEP SIX:
Repeat STEP FOUR

Bumper application
STEP SEVEN:
The front bumper is perhaps the most difficult portion of the entire car, especially for the first generation Miatas that have that dimple that runs the length of the bumper. You'll know what I mean soon enough! Measure the length of the bumper with the vinyl and cut an appropriate piece. You don't want an inch of excess vinyl for the top of the bumper. You want it to match up perfectly with the line of the bumper so that it will sit just inside the rubber lining between the bumper and the hood.

Second generation Miatas (99+) will have no problem applying the stripe. M1 owners (90-97) now get to deal with that crease in the bumper. Many folks have their own methods of dealing with it, I have mine. Most people like to cut the vinyl into two sections to cover the front bumper. I don't like this method because eventually over time the edges inside that dimple will begin to lift and look very unprofessional. With time and patience I recommend just using one stripe and having a lot of patience when smoothing out the vinyl inside that dimple. Your fingers are your best tool for doing so. With the dryer and your wet fingers, continue to rub rub rub the vinyl in the dimple groove until its smooth against the surface of the bumper. It will want to lift but don't let it! Keep at it! I've spent up to 30 minutes alone on this section to make sure I get it right. Believe me, it's worth it! It maintains that "painted" look rather than risking having the stripe lift at that edge if done in two pieces. Your friend is very important to this process. Have your friend apply heat with the blow-dryer while you rub out the bubbles with your wet fingers.

Lastly, take your time also when applying the stripe to underportion of the bumper. It will want to wrinkle and crease because of the curves of the Miata, but don't let it! Be patient and continue to smooth out the wrinkles and bubbles with your hand and sponge. As you apply heat, this becomes easier as the stripe material will be able to stretch and apply itself underneath the bumper. If you do get creases and wrinkles, heck, don't worry about it! Nobody ever sees that portion of the car anyhow! **wink**

STEP EIGHT:
Cut and measure the proper size of vinyl for that little section of the nose bumper. By this time you should be comfortable with the application process. If not, go have another piece of pizza and re-read the above instructions.

Rear deck lid and rear bumper application
STEP NINE:
Using the same methods described above, use the masking tape as your guide down the middle of the rear decklid and rear bumper. Repeat the steps above to ensure proper application.

By this time, you should be a pro at this! If not, go finish the second pizza while you go back to the practice session above while your friend continues without you!

STEP TEN:
The dreaded rear bumper. We've discussed above how to deal with the dimple that runs the length of the bumper. But you're about to experience the wonderful curves of the Miata which can potentially make this final step of the stripe application an eternal nightmare. The curves at the bottom of the bumper will cause the stripe to want to bend inwards and want to meet each other at the very bottom of the bumper. There are generally two answers to this problem.

1. Do the bottom of the bumper with two pieces of vinyl instead of one

-or-

2. Apply enough heat to the vinyl allowing you to stretch the vinyl just enough that it maintains a straight line over the bumper. This is very difficult to master but can be done. Applying heat with a blow-dryer or heat gun is tricky. Too much heat will stretch and possibly tear the material. You'll need to become familiar with how the vinyl reacts to the amount of heat your blowdryer is giving. While you are still soaking the vinyl and bumper with the solution, have your friend hold the blowdryer at different distances from the vinyl. If you have properly applied the top of the bumper, it should be drying while you work on the bottom portion. Gently pull down the stripe material in the direction away from the masking tape just enough to keep it straight. With the right amount of heat the material will stretch into position without a hitch. You can now work out the air and water bubbles.


That's basically it! While it looks great, be assured that the stripe is not completely dried! Please allow at least 6 hours of sitting time for the stripe material to dry and allow its adhesive to stick to the surface properly.

Do NOT take it for a drive immediately. Especially if you've been drinking a particular frosty beverage during this process...

Like I said, you will screw up a few pieces. That's fine. The end result is worth the effort.

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