Musichatesyouall
New member
So, I decided instead of getting vinyl hash marks/ LeMans tripes/ rookie stripes/ w/eTF you want to call them, that I would try my hand at plasti-dipping some. Went with matte black on black because it looks cool. Might do red stripes later - ah, how wonderful plasti-dip is!
Firstly, I laid my center line with some .94" blue painter's tape. I just measured from where the quarter panel met the door panel by the hood to where the quarter panel makes a point above the headlight and split the difference for the top point of the line. For the bottom point, I measured the wheel well (30" at it's widest point, IIRC) and split the difference for the bottom point. Makes a relatively close angle to some of the vinyl ones I've seen here.
Then, for the width of the actual stripes, I took some 1.41" painter's tape and put two strips on either side of my center line. These strips don't need to line up against the center line perfectly, as we'll be removing them before we paint.
I then put one more strip of 1.41" tape on either side of my spacer strips for the outside edges of the stripes. Make sure that the inside edge of these strips are as straight and neat as possible. Don't stretch the tape too tight or, because of the body curvature, the tape will pop up and cause a fuzzy line on the outside of your stripes.
Remove the four strips of "spacer tape". Save these for reuse on the next step.
Optional: Tape or paper off your body from overspray. I also papered my engine bay, which you can't see here. I had a roll of blank newspaper from when we moved and used it for packing. I bought it from my local newspaper that prints their own papers. Use whatever method you like here. Some people just wipe the overspray off with a microfiber cloth. I would definitely suggest papering your engine bay at least. I left my hood open so the stripes would curve into the engine bay.
Remove the tape before your last coat of plasti-dip drys. Voila!
A bit of a history lesson for those interested: These stripes are used to indicate a rookie driver in racing where there are drivers from both sides of the pond. They are/were usually on one side of the vehicle - the side that the driver is on for rescue purposes. (This also applies to the offset stripe you see down the hood and roof of the car). Many early racing teams used them to differentiate between the number 1, 2, and 3 car, with the rookie drivers usually being on the lower-numbered car, hence the so-called 'rookie' designation. The number 1 car would have no stripes, the number 2 car one stripe, and the number 3 car two stripes, for example. Different teams did it differently.
In NASCAR, Rookie stripes appear as yellow lines on the rear bumper on either side of the manufacturer's logo. This is just some information I picked up over the last few days - you may already know this! I didn't, so I'm sharing for those laymen like myself.
Firstly, I laid my center line with some .94" blue painter's tape. I just measured from where the quarter panel met the door panel by the hood to where the quarter panel makes a point above the headlight and split the difference for the top point of the line. For the bottom point, I measured the wheel well (30" at it's widest point, IIRC) and split the difference for the bottom point. Makes a relatively close angle to some of the vinyl ones I've seen here.
Then, for the width of the actual stripes, I took some 1.41" painter's tape and put two strips on either side of my center line. These strips don't need to line up against the center line perfectly, as we'll be removing them before we paint.
I then put one more strip of 1.41" tape on either side of my spacer strips for the outside edges of the stripes. Make sure that the inside edge of these strips are as straight and neat as possible. Don't stretch the tape too tight or, because of the body curvature, the tape will pop up and cause a fuzzy line on the outside of your stripes.
Remove the four strips of "spacer tape". Save these for reuse on the next step.
Optional: Tape or paper off your body from overspray. I also papered my engine bay, which you can't see here. I had a roll of blank newspaper from when we moved and used it for packing. I bought it from my local newspaper that prints their own papers. Use whatever method you like here. Some people just wipe the overspray off with a microfiber cloth. I would definitely suggest papering your engine bay at least. I left my hood open so the stripes would curve into the engine bay.
Remove the tape before your last coat of plasti-dip drys. Voila!
A bit of a history lesson for those interested: These stripes are used to indicate a rookie driver in racing where there are drivers from both sides of the pond. They are/were usually on one side of the vehicle - the side that the driver is on for rescue purposes. (This also applies to the offset stripe you see down the hood and roof of the car). Many early racing teams used them to differentiate between the number 1, 2, and 3 car, with the rookie drivers usually being on the lower-numbered car, hence the so-called 'rookie' designation. The number 1 car would have no stripes, the number 2 car one stripe, and the number 3 car two stripes, for example. Different teams did it differently.
In NASCAR, Rookie stripes appear as yellow lines on the rear bumper on either side of the manufacturer's logo. This is just some information I picked up over the last few days - you may already know this! I didn't, so I'm sharing for those laymen like myself.
