NOS Stripes

[Rbob]

I have all the decals for 340 six-pak T/A that I purchased around 1985. Having installed some nos ford stripes on my f-350 I found that the adhesive is not as good as it once was.  I used a heat gun when installing but after a couple years some have failed..

Has anyone have trouble with nos stripes not sticking or tried re-activating the adhesive with something?

[Floyd]

I put NOS stripes on my T/A about 15 years ago with no issues (yet).  Granted, the car has been inside since and still isn't done🙁.

A couple months ago I applied the NOS squares that go on the top of the rear 1/4s under the spoiler.  One of the stickers was in pretty poor shape to start with.  It had probably been moist at one point and wouldn't separate from the paper backing.  I was able to remove the stuck paper using a ton of water and a flat plastic scraper.  I was sure that it wouldn't stick after all that abuse, but the heat gun activated whatever adhesive was left and it went on well.  No way I'd try that on a big decal though.

The NOS decal for the other side was part of a different set and went on without any issues.

[JH27N0B]

The resto shop that did my T/A gave me a big song and dance about how my late 80s datecoded set may or may not work when they tried to install them.  They finally installed them but charged me some crazy amount of hours to do it.  I think their song and dance routine was mostly a set up to run up my bill without me questioning it.
With me and my projects being "cursed", the painted and driveline installed body had a mishap when we were unloading the car from a trailer, winch tension failed and fender scraped ramp cable.
The trailer owners body shop owner and Mopar fan brother was able to repaint the lower part of the fender without losing my stripe, and a friend gave me an NOS 340 6 PAK decal, which installed easily.
Then after reassembling the car, and getting it started for the first time just weeks before MCACN, I debuted it there, and after moving it to its display spot, I noticed the driver door stripe had a big gouge in it!
I was able to buy a partial NOS stripe kit, quarter and door, and had a different shop fix that and other stuff the first shop screwed up.  Which he had no problem with, however in the light at that MCACN I noticed the texture or sheen didn't match on the new old door stripe.
So now I am seeking another NOS drivers side stripe set.
Yes the car is cursed!

[Floyd]

That's a bummer Brad.  I have heard about texture variations in the NOS stripe kits produced over the years.  Dealing with this kind of trouble is definitely a labor of love.  Good luck in your quest for a LH door stripe.  They're still out there.  A member here recently contributed a missing piece to complete a NOS 71 Challenger stripe kit I have.  There's even an extra LH door piece... wrong year, sorry.

[anlauto]

Are NOS stripes that much better or different than what's currently available in the aftermarket ?

[Cuda_mark]

Are NOS stripes that much better or different than what's currently available in the aftermarket ?

I was wondering that too. I have an NOS set of HEMI hockey sticks for my car but I have doubts that they will looks that great after so many years of storage in who knows where/how.

If they dont work or look like garbage, I'll do Pheonix.

[JH27N0B]

I had planned to contact Performance Graphics last summer as I'd been told they would send samples of their different textures of black stripe material to see if they had one that matches my door/quarter so I could just replace the fender. Or match the fender and have them make up just a door stripe. Then I heard Dave had terminal cancer so didn't want to bother them. 
Repro is never 100% accurate and it meant a lot to me to restore my car I've owned 40 years with as many original parts as possible.
Alan, I remember mentioning my NOS April 70 dated 171 master cylinder in a thread some years back, and you contacted me trying to buy it, everything has a price!  I replied, if you have a better home for it than going on my car I've owned since I was 16, I'll sell it.    Sometimes sentimental value leads to going above and beyond!

[Rbob]

Are NOS stripes that much better or different than what's currently available in the aftermarket ?

I wish I had some I could compare, I may have to just take my chances or experiment with some old nos.  Maybe spraying them with some type of solvent would reactivate / restore the adhesive and not damage the stripe.

[Floyd]

Are NOS stripes that much better or different than what's currently available in the aftermarket ?

I haven't really compared the latest repros but I could see the difference years ago when I first set out on this journey.  The NOS definitely had a texture that was missing/different than repros.  And NOS weren't as hard to find back then.

[anlauto]

Interesting that they had texture 

[jimynick]

Are NOS stripes that much better or different than what's currently available in the aftermarket ?

I wish I had some I could compare, I may have to just take my chances or experiment with some old nos.  Maybe spraying them with some type of solvent would reactivate / restore the adhesive and not damage the stripe.

DON'T do that! The vinyl won't like it and it may either start to dissolve or change shape/shrink due to that solvent eating into it. If you've convinced yourself that 50 year old stripes are what you've just got to have, and they aren't sticking well, you could try a 3M spray-on trim adhesive, but do a wee test first before you spray it all over, to make sure that it, too, doesn't cause a problem. 

[Rbob]

I will report my findings, trying it on an old Ford Stripe...

[Shoooter]

Have any other members had good or back luck installing old decals? I'm interested in a set of billboards a member has but there around 15 yes old. With shipping it's creeping up closer to what a new set is worth. Would the issue be the adhesive or more to do with the decals harding up?

[Ricomondo]

Are NOS stripes that much better or different than what's currently available in the aftermarket ?

Yes, the sheen appears to be duller than what is reproduced today.

My T/A has NOS stripes on it.