Decals and pin stripes

I decided to post this project here even though we hired it out rather than it being a DIY. Maybe braver souls will find it instructive and tackle the task themselves.

Our dealer had a showroom RL that was all tricked out. One thing that caught our eye was a decal that said "Ridgeline Extreme." We finally asked about it and we were put in touch with Sam, the roving customizer for several local dealers.

On the showroom, the decal just looked silver and glittery. In the sun you see all these different colors and more.

We put one on the back of each fender near where it meets the front door. We put a larger one on the tailgate. While talking to Sam about other things we might like to do, he showed us some pin striping that we just had to have.

Sam had made the Ridgeline Extreme decal for the manager of the dealership we bought our Ridge from. He made up a whole sheet of the decals and had them with him the day we met him.

We loved the sparkling, rainbow glitter. He cut the tape a bit wider than he usually does because we wanted the colors to glow. We put a glittering black stripe on the bottom to make it pop out even more. I liked the narrow black just below too. We like the other black accessories we've added. They frame the truck and in my eye the black stripe frames the colorful stripe.

We chose to run it around that top crease on the body to accentuate the way the light plays off the paint on the RL. It does that very nicely. More than ever before, depending on the lighting conditions, it looks like we have a two tone paint job. I don't know if the other RL colors have that effect, the the Steel Blue Metallic often does.

I'd never seen anyone apply pin stripes, so it was very interesting for me to watch Sam work. You can see he wrapped right over the gas cap door. He trimmed very carefully over it, the tailgate and on the door edges.

Sam cut out a shadow line over the mountain peak of the Ridgeline on the tailgate. He made a nice finish by the headlight. The finishing touch was a three dimensional "H" jewel we put on each of the back quarter panels.

It was not until we got the Ridge into the sunlight that the full impact of the rainbow glitter tape showed up. I hope these photos give you an idea. Sometimes the blue matches the paint and it's very subtle. When it flashes gold it really stands out. I like to see it make a turn in front of me and watch the colors change.

Wow! I really like that. Wish I could get some for my Blue RL. I think it looks great.

Just a few more pice to show off the glitter in the sunshine. We like how closely the sparkle matches that in the paint.

WOW! That is GORGEOUS!

Great pics--Nice pin stripes and decal designs! Out of curiosity, how long did it take Sam to complete the project? And if you don't mind...what were the fees?

-SixOpRidge

Great pics--Nice pin stripes and decal designs! Out of curiosity, how long did it take Sam to complete the project? And if you don't mind...what were the fees?

-SixOpRidge

Thanks. We actually had him do the work on two different days. We paid $25 for all three decals and he put them on for us. That took him about half an hour. We paid him $60 for the pin stripes. He took about an hour on that job. He's got lots of experience and could definitely work much faster if he were not stuck answering all my questions. He will replace the stripes or the decals if they ever come loose.

They look GREAT truckin'. Nicely done and good choices. :p

I got a photo in bright sunlight that shows the color spectrum better, so I'm adding one more photo.

I got a photo in bright sunlight that shows the color spectrum better, so I'm adding one more photo.

Awesome!

Sam is the man! He has turned your Ridgeline into a one-of-a-kind standout. Now be sure the “Big Guy” puts a good coat of wax over the new additions. Those shiny little “H” thingies are cool as well! I haven’t seen them before. Nice job Truckin! :p

I really like those too, Truckin'..... and BigGuy! I've been wanting to stripe my white RT, but can't quite decide on a color... Any suggestions? :rolleyes:

I think a charcoal sparkle with a thin black line on the bottom would look great. The black line would tie in with your door handles and mirrors without being too much.

Of course you could be really flamboyant and sissify that Taffeta White truck up right by getting some wild, rainbow sparkle stripe to put on it. Or maybe chrome. . .

Stripe pics from my 07 Dark Cherry RTX. These were done by Coachman for the other dealer; my dealer traded a white RTX for this one, and I got the stripe gratis ;):

That looks nice. Does it stop at the tailgate or wrap around the back?

That looks nice. Does it stop at the tailgate or wrap around the back?No stripe on the gate, just the little Coachman logo (about the size of a nickel).

After a few weeks of watching for him, we finally ran into Sam again. I've had a few queries about our pinstripe so I'm just going to post the information since I can't seem to remember for long.

The supplier is Sharpline. Ours is called Pearl Flash Metallic, #558, I believe. Here's the link to their website:

http://www.sharpline.com/catalog.html

I am not a pinstripe fan myself but after seeing these i really like them. Nice job bro.:D

After a few weeks of watching for him, we finally ran into Sam again. I've had a few queries about our pinstripe so I'm just going to post the information since I can't seem to remember for long.

The supplier is Sharpline. Ours is called Pearl Flash Metallic, #558, I believe. Here's the link to their website:

http://www.sharpline.com/catalog.html

I hear LadyRidge at CDC Graphics is the way to go !!! (just my 2 cents) :)
(ROC Sponser) :cool:

I hear LadyRidge at CDC Graphics is the way to go !!! (just my 2 cents) :)
(ROC Sponser) :cool:
She is, but not everyone is willing to try this install themselves. I am sure she faults no one for finding a good pinstriper or vinyl installer, but if you are in her area or are a DIY then by all means support ladyridge our sponsor I did and I love my graphic.

I'm a big fan of pinstriping if it's done right.

After I do some research, I'll be looking for someone in the San Diego area in the next couple of months to take care of Big Blue and make her look great!

Returning here and looking at these again somehow takes the doldrums out of the winter scenes around these parts. :)

Really nice!

Thanks, Pug. :D

I like looking at them again. Good memories. The photo of Harold polishing down the length of the truck was at a great B&B in Montana on our way to the Canadian Rockies.

My son-in-law put a set of chrome pin stripes on my Nighthawk Black RL and I like them a lot. IMHO, they not only look sharp, but help break up the sea of black when looking at the vehicle from the side. If anyone wants me to post a couple of pics, I will gladly accomodate. :)

OF COURSE we want pics!!!

Here is my latest graphic I added, but dwarfs my ROC decal on the driver's side. I need to order a larger 12" ROC decal.

My son-in-law put a set of chrome pin stripes on my Nighthawk Black RL and I like them a lot. IMHO, they not only look sharp, but help break up the sea of black when looking at the vehicle from the side. If anyone wants me to post a couple of pics, I will gladly accomodate. :)

I put chrome pin stripes on my Silver truck. You can barely tell they're chrome until you look at the right angle. They go with the rest of the chrome. Ya, ya, I'll post photos later

I like the metallic look to the stripes, but I'm not into advertising names on my truck, unless the manufacturer pays me for it.
My truck is completely devoid of all badging, and chrome.
To each his own...

Vinnie:D

My son-in-law put a set of chrome pin stripes on my Nighthawk Black RL and I like them a lot. IMHO, they not only look sharp, but help break up the sea of black when looking at the vehicle from the side. If anyone wants me to post a couple of pics, I will gladly accomodate. :)

Here's a pinstripe job that I did earlier this afternoon on my Formal Black. This is my second pinstripe job (first time was my old Rav 4 - remember those?).

The task itself is easy, but i'm very anal about keeping things done properly. I wanted to get the straightest line as I could possibly get. See for yourself. Oh, and chrome stripes on a black RL? Looks awesome! I wanted the continuity of chrome on my truck (my theme), not just on the front and rear, but around as well.

**Bull emblem has been removed**

Looks great supersnout. So what is this "easy" method of application you speak of. I find putting even simple decals on straight to be a chore.

The Roc decal was very tricky to have the white backing removed without leaving a few of the smaller sticker pieces left behind. It was alot of "stick and unstick" until I finally got the pieces to stick to the transparent film.

Pin-striping is easy so long as you take your time. And don't settle for a crooked line! I do point by point type of sticking - stick one end, run the stripe on the body and push another point in. If not straight, lift up and try again. It took me an hour to accomplish both ends.

When I purchased the RTL in April 2005 the pin stripes were put on by an artist free hand from Port Arthur, TX. It is two tone gray with the word Ridgeline spelled out on the back panel. The stripes go the lenth of the RTL.

When you see the whole truck from a distance, it is a little hard to see. But then you can see the new Boss 318's on the OEM 17" tires.:D :D

Here are my pinstripes. I think they are fairly unique (I haven't seen another like this). My Ridge is Sterling Gray Metallic and pinstripes are white. They are four staggered line and it has a Ridgeline logo at the very end of the pinstripe near the tail light.

-Kyle

Nice truck, wheels and stripes! It all goes together.

Nice truck, wheels and stripes! It all goes together.

The wheels are just the stock 18" alloys that come on 2009 RTLs. I like them a lot too and haven't wanted to replace them yet.

-Kyle