72 Mach 1 - Side stripe removal and replacement

[bdennis]

At some point my July 72 Gold Glow Mach 1 received a doors closed blow over acrylic paint job. (fortunately the same colour as factory).
The car is a California car that then spent time in Texas somewhere between the mid 80's and 2003. As such, most likely had seen a lot of sun.
Naturally, the stripes were replaced as part of the paint job and not put back in the exact same place and in places had perished. (as can be seen in the door jams)
I set about removing the old stripes to be left with old over headed and very hard glue residue.
This is the stripe before removal.



This is the side of the car post stripe removal with the old glue residue.


After many, many hours of trial and error (fortunately with not to much damage to the paint) I managed to remove the old glue residue using a few different products.
In talking to a car painter friend, we think the stripes were installed after the blow over paint job before the new paint had time to properly set and sucked some of the glue into the paint.

I have now removed all the residue and will now gently cut back the paint to remove some of the rub marks created by removing the old stripes.
Also after a number of years in the sun, the paint under the old stripe has not faded like the rest. The fade is not much but is there. Hopefully the new stripes will mask this.



In certain parts of the door jam I can see where the old stripes were as they did not remove the parts of the old stripes.
However, I would like to know where exactly the stripes should go from a height / location point of view.

I have found some info on the 429Mustangcougarinfo site here > http://429mustangcougarinfo.50megs.com/paint_info.htm
But the info is limited.

To my question:
Is there anywhere else on the web that has more detail? I have searched and cant find much info.
The new stripe kit I have does not have any location instructions included.

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[bdennis]

Now that the stripe is removed and the side of the car has been cut and polished.
I have been looking at a number of pictures in the galary of the 429 Mustangs web page (http://429mustangcougarinfo.50megs.com/gallery_1.htm)

On a few of the cars the stripe in front of the front wheel (the hockey stick part) seems to be not parallel or straight with the rest of the stripe.
It seems like it follows the seem or protruding lip of the front fender and appears to have a "dip".
Like this one.


I dont mean to offend the owner of this car or the application of the stripe.

However, is this right? Shouldnt the stripe run along the entire length of the car in 1 continuous straight line?
Or is the picture above a optical illusion?

This one appears to be striaght..

And this one.



Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Sheriff41]

From the Body Assembly Manual, it references Kit Drawing (27742). Maybe someone has a source for that drawing.

 

[Stanglover]

When I did my stripes, I set the car on level ground, then using a level on the door sill, making sure the car was as level as possible, I then used a laser to set the top of the stripe straight all along the body length. This of course was after I had set the position where the stripe should be. I used the stripe kit from Graphics Express (Florida). I focused on setting the front and rear pieces first by positioning the lower edge 5mm above the marker lights. The curve part of the stripe ought to blend into the flair of the wheel arch. Once the front was positioned, I then picked the top point and set the laser on that point. (the laser MUST be spot on level of course) l swung it to the rear and made sure that top point was also blending into the rear wheel arch and also at the back end. Once done, I then picked several point along the body and marked with masking tape and applied the rest of the stripe pieces. paying attention to the joins on the door and mid pieces. Once done, following the instructions from G/E, the job looked good. Time consuming, yes, but worth it.

 

[kcmash]

This is an interesting area for discussion. I put NOS stripes on my car when I restored. I found that the Ford parts had the backing sheets cut to aid in installation. For instance, the "Mach 1" badges on the front fenders had the backing paper cut to align with the trailing edge of the fender. So It was very intuitive how high, and how far forward the decal should go. Each and every other stripe had similar cuts to the backing paper. This is a detail lost by the aftermarket stripe companies to save cost. Notice in my image below how the backing paper was cut to align with the bodyline for stripe positioning.

Having said that, there were plenty of slight variations in the factory stripe application process. The height at the tail end of the stripe run is critical due to the marker light in the rear 1/4 and the slight cut in the stripe to clear the rear bumper indentation. The front of the run is dictated by the rise of the front stripe section from the marker light to the horizontal run. At the factory, they used the backing paper cuts as a guide. Now people either use a laser level, guide tape, or both.

I contracted my stripe install out to the people recommended by local body shops in Kansas City. They came out, used guide tape, wet application, squeegees, and needles to put mine on. That was well worth the $300 to watch them do it. Sometimes I look too long at mine, and they look crooked. But I am happy with the result.

 

[Stanglover]

This is an interesting area for discussion. I put NOS stripes on my car when I restored. I found that the Ford parts had the backing sheets cut to aid in installation. For instance, the "Mach 1" badges on the front fenders had the backing paper cut to align with the trailing edge of the fender. So It was very intuitive how high, and how far forward the decal should go. Each and every other stripe had similar cuts to the backing paper. This is a detail lost by the aftermarket stripe companies to save cost.

Having said that, there were plenty of slight variations in the factory stripe application process. The height at the tail end of the stripe run is critical due to the marker light in the rear 1/4 and the slight cut in the stripe to clear the rear bumper indentation. The front of the run is dictated by the rise of the front stripe section from the marker light to the horizontal run. At the factory, they used the backing paper cuts as a guide. Now people either use a laser level, guide tape, or both.

I contracted my stripe install out to the people recommended by local body shops in Kansas City. They came out, used guide tape, wet application, squeegees, and needles to put mine on. That was well worth the $300 to watch them do it. Sometimes I look too long at mine, and they look crooked. But I am happy with the result.

View attachment 82166

Aftermarket stripes do leave a lot to be desired, none of them are perfect.
In my case, the first set of stripes I bought from NPD. Not only were they too glossy, but had spot of missing glue. At that time, my painter was going to put them on, but when he found the glue issue, he called me and I stopped him. That's when I bought from Graphics Express.

 

[bdennis]

Thanks for the info guys I will have a go and will keep you posted.

 

[Horsin' Around]

Also, a good time to check hinge/latch wear and gaps on doors and trunk lid before new stripes.

 

[bdennis]

Yep, have already replaced the drivers door top hinge pin. Passenger side all good. Not doing the trunk lid stripe.

 

[Stanglover]

Not doing the trunk lid stripe.

Why?

In my post, I forgot to mention that I placed the laser level about 6 to 8 feet from the side and about center to the car. That way you get an even spread of the spots.

 

[bdennis]

New stripes finally installed.


Thanks for everyones help!

 

[Sheriff41]

Looking good! No matter how many times I see cars with or without stripes, its always surprising how much difference the stripes make.