'68 GT/CS stripe kits available on ebay

I'm sure some of you have seen this but if not and you're in the market for a replacement stripe kit for your '68 GT/CS at more than half of what others are selling them for, this seller has 3 available for a Buy It Now price of $38.50 each plus shipping. I'm not sure if they're 3m brand or not but I went ahead and purchased one set in black that I'll have installed once car is painted this summer. He states to have them in "Black, Red, White, Blue and Gold" and are complete kits. I haven't opened mine as I did't want to expose it until I'm close to paint. Gee, I hope it's complete.:embarass:

Anywho, here's the link to the current auction if anyone's interested:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Mustang-GT-CS-Stripe-Kit-Complete-California-Special_W0QQitemZ120138649233QQihZ002QQcategoryZ140708QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

obwan93001 said:

I'm sure some of you have seen this but if not and you're in the market for a replacement stripe kit for your '68 GT/CS at more than half of what others are selling them for, this seller has 3 available for a Buy It Now price of $38.50 each plus shipping. I'm not sure if they're 3m brand or not but I went ahead and purchased one set in black that I'll have installed once car is painted this summer. He states to have them in "Black, Red, White, Blue and Gold" and are complete kits. I haven't opened mine as I did't want to expose it until I'm close to paint. Gee, I hope it's complete.:embarass:

Anywho, here's the link to the current auction if anyone's interested:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Mustang-GT-CS-Stripe-Kit-Complete-California-Special_W0QQitemZ120138649233QQihZ002QQcategoryZ140708QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Click to expand...

Little chancy when seller hasn't opened the box and you haven't opened the box either. What'd going to do if it's incomplete or damaged when you're ready for installation, huh? Also, is the tape fresh or has it been setting on the shelf for whatever long. Somewhat risky to me!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bob here.

...So true. Many things will rot in a box same as they'll rot on a car that never gets exercised. Old decals and vinyl or tape graphics especially can become "dust" when unrolled after too many years of curing. Good luck with yours, truly!...

Thanks guys, I'll check them out this week. They don't appear too old as the backing paper hasn't turned yellow or cracked. They have the seller's label on them w/PN, J and K Mustang and sealed in shrink wrapped roll but not air tight however.

Does anyone know what the shelf life of these types of stripes are? This is the first Mustang I'm restoring and obviously don't have experience with decals, graphics, and such. Also, can stripes like these be "integrated" into the paint job? IE stripes applied then a clear coat applied over the paint, stripes included. My thoughts are that it can but shouldn't be done seeing the material the tape is made of can shrink a bit or flex thus cracking the coating. Again, no experience here and curious. I was thinking of having the stripes actually painted on instead that way they would be part of the paint but my plan all along has been to restore her to original specs so most of me says no to that. Has anyone here ever had the GT/CS stripes painted on their's?

I'll be learning as I go along and of course will be asking more questions of you all when I begin rust work and prep for paint in the coming months. I hope to learn enough to someday help out instead of having to ask for it. It's a give and take, two way street, you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours way of thinking I believe in.

Thanks for the replies and please excuse my amateur musings.

..Shelf life depends upon method of storage and whether or not there were many seasons of temperature changes that could "normalize" them in the rolled up position. I too would be suspect of such a reduced price on something like that unless your satisfaction was guaranteed...

As for clear coating over the stripes - I can only show you how not to do it ;-) One car I bought had a poor clear coat application that peeled off like Serran Wrap at the car wash. There were also places of "yellowing" and cracking over the stripes themselves. Very hard to repair without looking "repaired", so a whole new paint job is in order.

If I were to do a genuine restoration without prior painting experience - I would $ave up & defer that to an expert rather that pay twice as much to fix it IMO...

No matter what - Make it the car You will enjoy. Most everyone else here does ;-)

We're all amateurs at something and all "experts" had lots of help along their way...

Midnight Special said:

..Shelf life depends upon method of storage and whether or not there were many seasons of temperature changes that could "normalize" them in the rolled up position. I too would be suspect of such a reduced price on something like that unless your satisfaction was guaranteed...

As for clear coating over the stripes - I can only show you how not to do it ;-) One car I bought had a poor clear coat application that peeled off like Serran Wrap at the car wash. There were also places of "yellowing" and cracking over the stripes themselves. Very hard to repair without looking "repaired", so a whole new paint job is in order.

If I were to do a genuine restoration without prior painting experience - I would $ave up & defer that to an expert rather that pay twice as much to fix it IMO...

No matter what - Make it the car You will enjoy. Most everyone else here does ;-)

We're all amateurs at something and all "experts" had lots of help along their way...

Click to expand...

Right on and AMEN to that, Tim. Bob here.

Any paint needs a "textured" or rough surface it can bond to, which is one of the reasons you sand between coats. Applying clear over tape (i.e. stripes) will produce what Tim described, where the paint peels off in sheets. I had a car once that the whole car did that because the painter let the color coat cure completely, didn't sand, and then shot the clear. Unfortunately it took a couple of months and by then the guy was out of business and had skipped town.

Steve