Just like two fat burnout marks say a gearhead has been here, two fat stripes across the hood and decklid says a car means business. Back in the '60s and early-'70s Chevrolet was king of the muscle car mountain with multiple platforms stuffed full of tire-shredding power. As the '70s wore on, the power output slumped and Chevrolet's street presence kind of slipped.
Chevrolet is aiming to regain its muscle car clout with the '10 Camaro. The SS version is one of the fastest F-bodies ever offered from the factory so it should wear the stripes its earlier brethren had. You can get a Camaro with a stripe kit from the dealer, but its not going to be paint like the old days. Thanks to the modern need to be cost-effective, Chevy decided to tack on a set of vinyl decals. While the decals are simple and cost-effective to apply, they are still just glorified stickers and because they are sitting on top of the paint the edges are going to hold dirt and dried wax. To give the car the stripes it's worthy of, we decided to find a car and have a set painted on by a professional.
Here is Mark Going's Cyber...
Here is Mark Going's Cyber Grey Metallic SS right before it was pulled in the shop. By the end of the story it will...
We talked Mark Going into taking his factory-fresh Cyber Grey Metallic SS over to Clean Cut Creations in St. Louis to have John Meyer and his crew (Richard Kuehl and Tim Genz) stripe it up. John is well-versed in muscle car painting and agrees that the new Camaro should have painted stripes buried under the clear.
John had an idea to make these stripes a little different than most by changing the outline color to a high contrast orange instead of the matching black. If you're not into the orange then you can glaze over a few steps, but as you can see the orange adds a little modern flash to a classic design.
... have a killer set of stripes...
... have a killer set of stripes that will be buried under the clear instead of stuck on top like GM does with its vinyl decals.
If the depths of your painting skills end at a rattle can (spray paint), then this story will show you the amount of work something like this takes and why paint shops charge what they do. Now, if you fancy yourself a painter, then there are a few killer tips in here to keep them symmetrical and help reduce the bump under the clear to keep the finish nice and slick.
Also, John at Clean Cut Creations is now offering a stencil kit of these stripes to simplify the masking process and allow you to focus on shooting the slickest coat of paint you can.
 The rear taillight panel of...  The rear taillight panel of the car is going to be blacked out to complement the stripes. For clean, professional results, the Bow Tie emblem is removed. It's held on with two-sided tape and is easily removed with some wire form the MIG welder. The line will cut through the tape without damaging the finish or the emblem, but it will leave behind some tape residue that can be rubbed off with your thumb. This is a great way to remove late-model emblems if you are looking to de-badge your ride. |  The areas that will be receiving...  The areas that will be receiving the stripes (hood, front fascia, deck lid, wing, and rear taillight panel) were lightly wet sanded with a red scuff pad. Scuffing the surface will provide the correct finish so the new paint adheres properly. John warns that you don't have to go crazy sanding here because factory clear is pretty thin. Just knock down the clear until the shine is flattened out. |  With the initial sanding complete,...  With the initial sanding complete, any areas that are not going to be painted are masked off with 3/4-inch American masking tape and Finish Pro masking paper. |
 To start laying out the stripes,...  To start laying out the stripes, John will need a centerline. He first finds the center on the back of the hood by measuring from each edge of the cowl. The front is a bit easier as the hood comes to a point. This is also where John tries a few strip sizes and spacing combinations. The final version that looked the best with the lines of the Camaro was 15 1/4-inch-wide stripes with 53/8-inches separating the two. |  After finding center and his...  After finding center and his sizing, John laid out the inside of each stripe with 3M's 1/4-inch Fineline tape. These initial tape lines will actually become the painted portion of the stripe. John does it this way so he can see the true size of the stripe as he goes. The best procedure to lay a long straight line across a curved panel is to stick the rear and then unroll enough tape to get down and sight the tape as you stick it down. The tape will want to drift over to the low side as you stick it down and this will be the best way to see it. |  It's a good idea to have a...  It's a good idea to have a tape measure handy when laying out stripes, but don't solely rely on it. Even if it measures out to be the same doesn't always mean it looks the same, so a combination of measurements and a keen eye will produce the best results. Also, fight the urge to pull the tape super tight as you do this, there is a point where the tape will actually thin out and leave you with uneven lines. |