Jeep J10 Honcho Graphics Install — Step-By-Step Vinyl How-To

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During the height of the original muscle car era, the use of printed vinyl tape graphics played a role in enabling some brands to create wilder, more elaborate stripes and logos that did not require paint—instead, assembly line workers could just peel and stick. But when it comes to replacing those decal sets today, you may find that there is a little more required for success than just removing the adhesive backing and

slapping down the vinyl. That’s the situation we found ourselves in recently when attempting to replace the large decals used on a 1977 Jeep J10 pickup that was originally optioned with the Honcho package. After struggling with the first side of the truck, we opted to bring in professional vinyl graphics experts to help, which provided some valuable insights that we captured in our latest garage video. The techniques demonstrated helped us to avoid wrecking a costly reproduction decal set.

 

Tips And Install Tricks For Applying Factory-Style Tape Decals

By Terry McGean

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The use of contrasting striping as a means of making a vehicle’s appearance more interesting and attention-grabbing dates back to the age of the horse and carriage. Later, progressively wilder stripe and color schemes evolved in auto racing to help fans identify their favorite competitors from the grandstands.

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Automakers made efforts to capitalize on striping and other paint finish variations, but doing so tended to require skill and time, adding expense. That is, until the advent of tape striping. The muscle car era took full advantage of this with bold graphics packages, often printed entirely on adhesive tapes, and the practice soon spread to consumer trucks and vans.

One aspect of tape stripes that was so attractive to auto manufacturers was the lack of craftsmanship required—just peel and stick for instant appeal. However, if you’ve ever attempted to install replacement vinyl graphics yourself, you’re aware that successful application does indeed require some knowledge and skill.

We encountered that very scenario recently when putting the finishing touches on a pickup project. The 1977 Jeep J10 that Hemmings shop manager Junior Nevison was working on had been optioned with the Honcho package when new, and his friend, the owner, wanted to complete after the truck had been repainted.
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Getting the graphics was no problem—well-known specialist Phoenix Graphix offered the Honcho stripe package in its catalog. However, getting such large sections of adhesive striping on the flanks of the truck without damaging the not-inexpensive decals proved to be a bit of a trick.
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We managed to get one side of the truck striped on our own, but we couldn’t help feeling like we’d flirted with disaster in the process. Plus, there were numerous air bubbles that had to be dealt with afterward. It seemed like there had to be a better way.
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So, we reached out to a local acquaintance with expertise in this field. McKenzie Blume works for GVH Studio in Hemmings’ hometown of Bennington, Vermont, and she’s helped us with custom graphics for some other Hemmings project vehicles in the past. She brought Erin Saunders from GVH to assist, and the pair worked with us to get the other side of the Honcho striped, resulting in a bubble-free finish that didn’t take very long to accomplish.

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The following photos and captions outline the procedures used, giving some insights that may assist anyone attempting a similar project. As you’ll see, some of the techniques deviated from the instruction sheet a bit, and extra care was required to ensure no damage resulted during installation, but the results were excellent.

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Replacement graphics often come with multiple sections on one sheet, so installer McKenzie Blume of GVH Studio begins by cutting the various pieces apart. Tape graphics like these are often shipped in a tube, and will need to be unrolled, but they may also have some gentle folds. If the curling or creasing of the material is significant, placing the pieces in the sun can help to relax them.

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The painted surface that the new graphics will adhere to needs to be free of any sort of wax or other coatings, and of course, it needs to be as clean as possible and free of dust or dirt. Installer Erin Saunders preps the Jeep with a good wipe-down using isopropyl alcohol spray to ensure that the surface is clean and ready.

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Before the graphics can be adhered, they need to be positioned, and to do that accurately, McKenzie and Erin like to trim the backing material along the alignment edge — in this case, the top — as close to the graphic as possible. They will then align this edge with the masking tape reference laid down in the next step.

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While holding the graphics up to the body to determine correct placement, masking tape is used to create an alignment reference for the decal panels. With a graphics package like the one on the Honcho, it’s important to create a line all the way down the side of the vehicle first, rather than doing one panel at a time.

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At first, McKenzie and Erin used the traditional method of peeling the adhesive backing while leaving the facing paper, also known as transfer tape, in place. Most instructions for graphics like these will advise to do it this way to protect the surface of the decals during installation.
Prior to placing the adhesive side of the decal in place, we coated the surface of the fender with a gel product we got from Phoenix Graphix — Slide-On — that helps the decals to be moved around during placement. A squeegee is then used to push out the gel and the air bubbles while working the decal into place.

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After working the decal down with the squeegees, the transfer tape was carefully peeled off, which in this case revealed that there were still a lot of air bubbles that needed to be worked out. In some cases, it may not be possible to work the air to the edge and out once the decal is mostly set in place, so it may be necessary to carefully pierce the face of the graphic material with a pin to allow the air and gel to escape. Most graphics suppliers advise to use this method if necessary, and we found that by using a very fine needle, the holes were not noticeable afterwards

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After installing the door graphic using the traditional procedure, McKenzie and Erin suggested switching to a different technique. Instead of attempting to smooth out the decal by rubbing on the transfer tape, they instead removed the transfer tape prior to placing the graphic. They felt this would allow them to have a better view of the trapped air bubbles before the decal was heavily adhered, so that the air could still be worked out to the edges. This would avoid further piercings.

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With the transfer tape removed from the face and the adhesive backing pulled as well, McKenzie and Erin applied the gel to the back of the graphics and spread it evenly. Again, the gel allows the decal to “float” on the surface during placement, and then the water-based gel is worked out to the edges; the remainder evaporates.

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We mixed some gel with warm water in a spray bottle to create a lighter surface coating for the body panels, applied just prior to placing the decal.

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McKenzie and Erin work with large graphics routinely and so were not intimidated by applying such a large section all at once. However, for those of us less experienced, it may be better to use the “hinging” technique, where the graphic is taped in place with the backing still on, and then taped across the middle. Then, one half is pulled back and its backing removed, then placed on the surface. Once that side is down, the other half is lifted, the backing is peeled, and it is placed.

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By using the tape alignment line (yellow) as well as the smaller positioning reference tape pieces (blue), McKenzie and Erin laid the top edge of the decal where it needed to be and then lowered the rest in place. From there, careful work with squeegees gradually pushed out the gel and the air. Extra care is required when rubbing the squeegee directly on the surface of the decal. Note too that the squeegees being used here are high quality, designed expressly for this type of work with soft, plastic blades on one end and rounded, cloth-wrapped edges on the other. Anything sharp, even a plastic Bondo spreader, could potentially damage the decal.

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Once the pieces were all in place, Erin used a heat gun to get the ends to fold over and adhere inside the door openings and other edges. She trimmed the decals to give about 3/8-inch extra for wrapping inward. Note that a heat gun can easily damage the decals so extreme care must be used; keep the gun moving and never concentrate the heat on one spot

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There will be areas that have to be trimmed out, like for the gas filler as seen here. A razor blade or X-Acto knife is useful, again leaving extra material to wrap down into the edges.

The alternate method of removing the transfer tape facing from the decals prior to placing them on the body panels proved to work well with this project. With such large decal panels, trapped air seemed somewhat inevitable, but the bubbles were more evident without the transfer tape in place, enabling us to carefully work them out while the decal was still “floating” on the gel. Again, this was a little unconventional and not in keeping with the instructions, but working slowly and methodically, we got a great result and avoided doing any inadvertent damage to the graphics. Now, the previously sedate blue Jeep pickup is transformed back to loud-and-proud Honcho status.