Dodge Nitro Forum banner

PinStriping Paint vs. Vinyl

8439 Views 10 Replies 7 Participants Last post by  MamaLoca
I want to pinstripe my Nitro and I want to get the biggest bang for the buck.

I love old school hand painted pinstripes with the scroll work and all that, but after talking with my cousin, who restores old cars for a living, he said for a street car like mine I should look into vinyl. He said the vinyl will be way more durable. I like that aspect but I don't want cheesy either.

What say you My Nirto friends which way would you lean?
1 - 11 of 11 Posts
Vinyl, its easy and you can do it yourself, and if you don't like it when you get though, just peel it off.
I'd love to see pics of some nice pinstriping jobs!
Any one that has done this to their ride, Please make some time to show them off here!
Thanks,
frank
I think that either way would be great, , the one advantage to vinyl is if you ever get tired of it peel it off & do something different.but a top notch pinstripe job can be a one off that can't be beat. Tough choice might try some vinyl first & then go from there.:pepper:
I want to pinstripe my Nitro and I want to get the biggest bang for the buck.

I love old school hand painted pinstripes with the scroll work and all that, but after talking with my cousin, who restores old cars for a living, he said for a street car like mine I should look into vinyl. He said the vinyl will be way more durable. I like that aspect but I don't want cheesy either.

What say you My Nirto friends which way would you lean?
I'm having mine pinstripped today and I can tell you first hand...It's the only way to go! If you put on anything other..It will Peel! and lift..Besides, you are probably going to polish your new car from time to time...The polish will hang around the vinyl and accumulate. Go for the painted version and look for a reputable pinstripper..Good luck and keep us informed no matter which way you decide to go..Joe
Looks good Wedge775, very subtle but effective.:4-jump2:
I'm having mine pinstripped today and I can tell you first hand...It's the only way to go! If you put on anything other..It will Peel! and lift..Besides, you are probably going to polish your new car from time to time...The polish will hang around the vinyl and accumulate. Go for the painted version and look for a reputable pinstripper..Good luck and keep us informed no matter which way you decide to go..Joe
As an old body shop guy I can see all sides. Here's what I think...

Tape is OK and if you play around with it you can do some slightly tricky things. Like on the ends use more of the small line and do a crossover loop and back to point. Also if you want to play around with different colors or sizes you can peel it off and go with something you like better. It really will last pretty darn well and most waxes today won't be too tough to get off the edges. Important to note though: The longer you leave the tape stripe on the more the adhesive eats into your paint job. I've seen a lot of people try to take off old pin stripe and then have a dull line in the paint where it was. This can be a little bit of a job to buff back up.

On the other hand painted is better. That's why it costs more. It will look better close up... you can get way more tricky with it... and done correctly it'll last for a long time. Just keep it waxed like you would any good paint job and don't do a lot of polishing over it, ESPECIALLY a buffer wheel... it can burn it right off!

If money is no object paint is probably the way to go.

If you just want an easy way to add some flair or you're not positive if you even like stripe or what color would be best... tape it.

Gentalmen choose your weapon... LoL!:beerchug:
See less See more
My pinstriping is posted in the members gallery. Dealer installled, Vinyl. Easy to change if you don't happen to like how it turned out or to change the color. An easy do it yourself project.
I want to pinstripe my Nitro and I want to get the biggest bang for the buck.
vinyl, vinyl, vinyl, vinyl
You fellas are giving me a lot to think about. On the one hand the pinstriper I found wants between $250 and $450 for the job.

On the other hand I have a graphics designer friend who will do the design for free and I can have the local sign shop make up custom vinyl stripes.

And in a stranger universe than this on the third hand I could just go down to the local auto store and get genaric strips.

Hmmmm, so many things to think about.
1 - 11 of 11 Posts
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top