69 Super Bee Rebuild (my way)

[dadsbee]

The guy that cut and buffed my car with the paint shop owner told me he just "rubs the **** out of the decal, peels and sticks them" and I went "no thanks, I'll do it". I'd sure like to see that done dry and bubble/wrinkle free to learn that process. Sure would make sticking the wrap arounds and reflector indents easier. Run a video on the next install !

 

[Big D A12]

Anybody want a slightly used 69 Bee stripe from Phoenix Graphics? It's off and I am ordering a new one from Performance Car Graphics. Lesson learned. I have way to much time and money into this car to have the focal point be out of wack. It would have always bothered me anyway. My wife says I'm a bit to ****, and she is probably correct.

Good choice. You are correct, this is the focal point of the car, it needs to be spot on. Not **** at all through my eyes. If you are going to do something, do it right.

D

 

[HawkRod]

Thanks for the info, that's a good idea. My buddy who does the decal thing for a living absolutely hates putting them on wet. Always installs them dry. Hopefully the next one comes straight and I don't have worry about it.

So I am curious to learn why he feels dry is better. Mind you, I am not challenging someone who does it for a living - just trying to learn! For me, I have had great success "floating" mine on wet. It allows me to make small adjustments and move the decals until I get perfect placement, and then I slowly squeegee them down from the center to ensure no bubbles. I'm very happy with the way mine turned out. I am sure my way is slower, so maybe a pro doesn't need the extra time? (Come to think of it, I'm sure the guys on the assembly line back in the day did NOT float them on!!!)

Hawk

 

[hunt2elk]

The guy that cut and buffed my car with the paint shop owner told me he just "rubs the **** out of the decal, peels and sticks them" and I went "no thanks, I'll do it". I'd sure like to see that done dry and bubble/wrinkle free to learn that process. Sure would make sticking the wrap arounds and reflector indents easier. Run a video on the next install !

He makes it look really easy, but of course that is all he does day in and day out. Not only can the reflector recesses be done right away without having to let the solution dry, he is also able to manipulate the stripes a bit if need be. Haven't had to do that on a rump stripe, but he did on the horizontal stripes on my Duster. He says it is a lot harder to get bubbles out of wet applications. I don't argue with him, just tell him how it should be and then stand back to let him have at it. He does get me a bit nervous when the propane torch comes out however, lol. I don't have enough internet power to make a video here, but will try to remember to take some pics as we lay out the new one.

 

[hunt2elk]

So I am curious to learn why he feels dry is better. Mind you, I am not challenging someone who does it for a living - just trying to learn! For me, I have had great success "floating" mine on wet. It allows me to make small adjustments and move the decals until I get perfect placement, and then I slowly squeegee them down from the center to ensure no bubbles. I'm very happy with the way mine turned out. I am sure my way is slower, so maybe a pro doesn't need the extra time? (Come to think of it, I'm sure the guys on the assembly line back in the day did NOT float them on!!!)

Hawk

One reason is time of course. Like on these rump stripes, he would have to come back the next day after the solution dries to do the reflector areas and where they wrap around the decklid area. But I think the biggest reason is that he can bend and stretch the stripes if they are not conforming to the body lines perfectly. He will have part of it stuck down and then with heat he can bend the vinyl. He had to do this on my Duster for one of the rear quarters. Glad he did because it would have been off enough to bother me.

 

[moparsaver]

You made the right call in removing it Joel. It would have bugged you every minute of every day. Certainly, a refund is in order?
@PhoenixGraphix

 

[dadsbee]

The part where "responsible for the product only" really sucks...

 

[hunt2elk]

The part where "responsible for the product only" really sucks...

Yes, but if they are not made straight with the world that is more than "product only". I don't think there is any reason a guy should have to cut apart a decal like this to be able to rotate the Bee and 'Super Bee" to make it look correct. I also think they have the area with the circle layed out to low in the stripe and that is why it gets down into the reflector cutout. They are supposed to be Mopar authentic restoration approved. We can see from the pics of these compared to what PCG makes that there clearly is a difference. I am upset because not only am I out the $169. I paid for the stripe, buy also the money I paid to have it installed. We did the drivers side first and noticed the issues after the protective coating was removed. I was going to try to live with it until we did the passenger side. That one was just terrible. I'll post up what happens Monday after I call them. One thing I do know for certain is that if something like this happened with a product bought from Summit or Dr. Diff, I would have nothing to worry about. It would be resolved immediately.

 

[dadsbee]

That's exactly what I was getting at Joel.. "oh, we'll give you your money back". That's not the point, I don't know how long you guys spent on it, but the Wife and I spent a good 5+ hours putting mine on + the numerous hours of layout to mark key "touch points" before that.

 

[themechanic]

My wife says I'm a bit to ****, and she is probably correct.

View attachment 931457

There is a joke in there somewhere.

 

[oldbee]

Blame it on the wife lol. Usually her fault.

 

[69 GTX]

The price you pay for being a perfectionist........

 

[hunt2elk]

Blame it on the wife lol. Usually her fault.

Lol. Always her fault...

 

[hunt2elk]

Need to update on a brake issue I had and a shout out to a great vendor we have for these old cars. I had post earlier about a leak on the brake system proportioning valve that I got from Cass @ Dr. Diff. First one I installed had a defect in the main body where the top nut copper washer seals. Cass sent out another. Got that one and there was a ding in the same area but on the nut mating surface. He told me to make 1 out of 2. So I did and installed it. That cured the pesky leak, and I thought I was good to go. That was until I put a battery in the car and checked all the lights. Now the dash brake warning light was on all the time. Bled, bled, and bled some more, but couldn't get it to go out. Tried calling Cass, but got a recording saying that with this virus thing gong on he wasn't answering phone calls, but would respond to emails. So I sent him one that night and it wasn't long before he responded. We went back and forth for a couple of days with several messages. We finally pinned it down to the switch in the valve was probably faulty. He shipped a new one out priority mail and I had it in 2 days. This time he checked both the mating surface of the top nut as well as the switch before mailing. Got it installed yesterday and no more dash light stuck on. Checked the switch after removing it from the body and sure enough, it was shorted out.
So in conclusion, put an ohm meter on your switch and check the mating surface of the top nut before installing these new valves. AND in my opinion anyway, Cass is one of the absolute very best places to buy rear end, driveshaft, and brake parts/systems from. Great guy, knows the products he sells, and his customer service is second to none
Now to determine if my master cylinder is working as it should......

 

[hunt2elk]

Performance Car Graphics to the rescue. Ordered on Monday and installed on Friday. And the logos are even straight. How's that for service?

 

[hunt2elk]

Decals went on dry again. What he does is get it layed out exactly how it will go down and secures with tape. Picks up 1/2 of the stripe and removes the backing. Lays that down and repeats for the other 1/2. Took us about an hour.

 

[dadsbee]

DAT LOOKS BETTER!!! Can't beat David's turn around or your decal guys work!

 

[hunt2elk]

DAT LOOKS BETTER!!! Can't beat David's turn around or you decal guys work!

Yes, I am so glad I ripped of that Phoenix Graphics junk.

 

[hunt2elk]

And speaking of Phoenix Graphics. I will post this here as well as the other thread I started asking opinions on the 2 companies.
I left 2 voices messages and 1 email with Phoenix Graphics just asking if someone could contact me because I had some questions about a rump stripe I purchased from them. This was over a period of 3 days. No response. On the fourth day I ran across another phone # for them that wasn't listed on their site. Called that at like 7:00 pm expecting to leave another message. Was surprised when somebody answered the phone. The guy was nice, said they sell piles of those stripes and have never had anybody raising a concern with them. He asked me to send pics. I did, along with pictures of Wayne and Darrins cars showing how the Bee logo and lettering should set level as well as the correct spacing between the circle and the reflector opening. He said he would look at them right away the next morning. Never did hear back from him. Sent a follow up email asking if he wanted the stripe back that I tore off the car. Still no response. So the next morning I contacted my credit card company to file a dispute. They reversed the charges and if PG doesn't respond to Chase within the next 2 billing cycles it will be over and I will only be out what I paid to have the stripe installed.
So long story short, I really don't care if Phoenix Graphics is a sponsor here or not. I am stating the facts that they make an inferior rump stripe for 69 Bee's. Also their customer service flat out sucks. A guy shouldn't have to go through a credit card company to get a problem rectified, and I will still be out money. My guy also said that the stripe from Phoenix was either a poorer quality vinyl because it was much rougher after installed than PCG, or it was sitting on a shelf for awhile. He also had a lot harder time getting the backing off the PG stripe which would point to sitting on a shelf to long.

 

[Photon440]

It looks very nice!
Take a look how fast they slapped stripes on at the factory (AMC) - jump to the 20 minute mark. Looks like they put them on wet, they have spray bottles.