Auto Body Tacoma

Most people don’t know that pinstriping predates the car. Pinstriping is another vestige of the horse and buggy era that has carried over to the car. Pinstriping was an ornamental design for horse and buggy carriages. Pinstriping on cars was commonly done at the factory up until the latter 1930′s. The final production auto to have pinstripes was made by General Motors in the late 1930′s. Custom pinstripes, added after the factory assembly line, started appearing on cars in the 1950′s.

For those individuals who owned muscle or sports cars, frequently referred to as “Hot Rodders,” changing the look of their ride was the final step to complete customization. When all the performance changes to your automobile such as, camshafts, valves, exhaust, intakes manifold, headers , wheels and tires, the only thing left is apply a unique paint finish to make your car really stand out.

The most common applications for pinstripes are to paint in two tones: one that accents the primary tone of the car or truck, and another, a thin line, in a color contrasted with the stripe to make it visible & stand out. For larger vehicles, such as trucks, station wagons, vans, mechanical pinstriping is the easiest way to get good looking pinstripes.

Mechanical pinstriping keeps a constant width, so that you can get the proper placement on the finished surface of your car. Magnetic pinstriping uses center grooves to hold paint templates for even more choices for stripe design. Two magnetic strips applied to your car hold the form in place while paint is applied & can also act as a guide for your hand. Obviously magnetic pinstriping is not an option for cars with a fiberglass body.

Stencil tape is another common option for applying pinstriping. Stencil tape comes in several different options that are usable for the myriad of designs for auto pinstriping. Stencil tape striping uses brushes, and a specialized pinstriping brush is an essential ingredient in a successful project. One of the main advantages to stencil stencil tape is that you can apply different tone stripes without waiting several hours the other stripes to dry.

For unrestricted creativity applying pinstripes freehand is the only choice. It is also the most difficult method to master & takes some practice to get right. If you have never done it before, you may want to attempt a couple practice stripes on some scrap metal or wood. For newbies, the simplest plan for a freehand striping is to lay a strip of masking tape down approximately a quarter inch from where you want the finished stripe to be, and then use this tape as visual guiding for your stripes. Ordinary masking tape will let paint to bleed through, whatever you do, don’t make the mistake of using household masking tape. Auto body masking tape can be purchased from any auto parts store.

Any method that you use will give your car a unique look that is uniquely yours. Practice makes perfect, just like anything else worth doing right. Patience is elementary when painting anything. Don’t hurry through or try & take shortcuts. Don’t attempt to pinstripe your vehicle without proper equipment and tools, painting mistakes are costly to fix & take time. Good results make pinstriping your car, truck, or van uniquely yours.