Stradale stripe application

Thought you guys might be able to help. I have a strad wout stripe that has a 3m clear bra a quarter of the way up the hood. I was thinking of putting a f360 performance aftermarket stripe on it and not sure how hard it is to remove the clear bra and apply the stripe myself? Or should I have the dealer do it? I don't care about value impact of putting it on the car. Anyone do this yourself? I'm not trying to save the money of a shop doing it it's more the inconvenience of taking car there etc and if it's not too hard I would like to give it a shot myself. There was also a place in canada making the stripes for awhile but dont know who that is and heard f360 stripes were good quality in another thread. Thanks.

 

I have removed clear bra myself and it wasn't too hard but I would think installing the stripes might be bit difficult, unless you have great eye hand coordination. Just let your dealer do it. I know it's a hassle to take your car there and what not, but you at least have peace of mind that it will be done right. Those stripes, if you attach it in a wrong position, it's all over, you can't pull off and reattach.

 

Applying large decals straight and without bubbles relies a LOT on experience. Go to a decal shop and have them apply it for you. Someone honest will not charge a lot and the results will be perfect. This is not the place to be learning about decal application.

 

1+
I did it myself but it took a hell of work and a full cage of beer ;-).
Take it to a decal shop and no to the dealer.
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thanks guys, done, ingpr, your car looks sweet.

 

Is your car actually a CS, or did you just add the badge?

 

I have the same situation as you. I've applied the rear deck and engine lid segments of the F360 Performance decals myself and, yes, it is a methodical process requiring lots of patience. My 2004 Red 360 Spider also has the 3M film on the hood and I talked to the installer yesterday. We think that it is best NOT to put the stripe either over or beneath the film but to lift and cut around it. We'll see how that goes in a few days. Good luck and I love the look on my car so far.

 

Looks like some professional advice is needed.

Firstly, cutting it in, won't work, you'll always finish up with a dirty gap between the materials. You are correct about putting the Stripe on top of the clear bra.

Conversely this is what happens if you apply a clear bra over the top of the Stripe;
Although the Stripe is only a few microns thick, when you put the clear over the top, the clear won't adhere perfectly over the edge of the Stripe and because it's clear you will see the ridge and the very small air gap through the clear material.

However, when you put the Stripe on top of the clear, even if you only do half the hood, there is only a small transition point where the Stripe goes from the bra to the paint and because the Stripe is not transparent its very hard to see. If you do all of the hood in clear you wont see it at all. Because of the high gloss clear coat you can't tell it's a decal until you run your fingers over the edge.

If you are going to drive the car, the bra and the Stripe will get damaged in time. The clear coat on the Stripe is fairly tough like the bra, but it's not bullet proof.
You'll probably find, that if the Stripe is put on professionally, it will be very difficult to get it off without damaging the bra anyway.
At some point you may have to replace both, that's why we supply the spare hood segment.

We still caution everyone about fitting the Stripe, even though we still supply all the DIY gear with the Stripes, we strongly advise our customers, not to tackle this themself, you only get one chance at getting it right. Unless you have had a lot of experience doing this, this job is strictly for the professionals. We usually recommend the people that put clear bras on prestige vehicles or signage people who do a lot of commercial vehicle signage.
Good luck with the rest of the installation.
Ciao
Brenden

 

Im almost positive its real. I have seen the engine bay of his car in another picture and its the real deal. Or an amazing copy

 

Good advice. I think I'll reconsider doing it myself, even though the other two sections that I did are absolutely bubble free - the hood stripe is much longer. I'll try to find a sign wrap pro to do it. Thanks again for stepping in to comment Brenden and I really like your product! Take care.

Chip

 

Not a CS by the looks of the seats.

 

Now that you mention that I have never actually seen the interior.

Edit: Saw his profile. Says 99 360.

ingpr--great job with the conversion. It passed my eye from those pictures.

 

Thanks,
The car actually came with the badge when I bought and it looks ok. Anyway if I take it out I will have to deal with the holes from the plate.

The only difference between it and a real CS is the interior and of course the title of the car ;-). Anyone who ask me I respond it is a Modena.
I'm working with Rob from vivid on my interior and you will love it and I can say it may look better than CS!

I have see many cars with donors parts and have the badge. I always think that if I leave that badge on it needs to looks same or better. Trev car is also a 360 and looks amazing.

On the other hand, any real one is welcome to have speed test even with my actual heavy seats ;-)

You mention that you saw my engine bay, can anyone tell me the difference?
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Sweet ride. Very tastefully upgraded.

 

Looks good to me. So you must have the CS challenge grill which has the larger holes vs the Modena challenge grill.

 

One additional thought: What about the stripe over the 3M film surrounding the removed Ferrari hood badge that has four edges. Any problem there with lifting or air bubbles? Thanks!

 

No Problem, as long as you take the nose badge off, don't try to cut around it.
You can use a hairdryer to make sure the Stripe material is stuck down in the badge recess before you put the nose badge back. A bit of heat from a hairdryer helps to stretch and contour the material.
Ciao
Brenden

 

Thats the exact picture I was talking about. I saw it in the thread about the barrier between the exhaust. Looks amazing. The carbon is stunning.