A while back I proposed a race car budget that included vinyl numbers and classing for $5. Someone asked me how. Well, it took me 5 months to answer, but I promise it's been worth the wait.

In the spirit of crude race car fabrication with duct tape, wood, and zip ties -- why stop now -- let's make some vinyl numbers and class letters at home. Sure, I should probably pay some sponsor $20 and save a few hours of my time, but where's the fun in that? Maybe everyone already knows this, but here's how I did it:

Requirements: Lack of **** retentiveness (or is that retentivity?), a VISA card, scissors, computer, printer, tape, beer.

1. Drink a beer. It will make the rough edges and bubbles less easy to see.

2. Buy a bunch of cheap vinyl. I got mine from Beacon Graphics (http://www.beacongraphics.com/), 15"x45 ft for $15. We'll use about 3 ft, let's call it a buck's worth of material. This stuff is a little thin and a bit too sticky, but I was too lazy to find the best stuff to use.



3. Fire up your favorite presentation software or word processor and design some cool numbers. Not too cool. Remember straight is easier to cut than curved. Unless you're already drunk. Print 'em out. Here are mine -- Helvetica and Helvetica Black. Consult the GCR to determine which rules you're breaking.



4. Rough-cut. This is the easy part. If you have elementary-school aged children, put 'em to work. Don't give them any beer, though. They cut crooked fine on their own.



5. Tape everything up on your 3' of vinyl. Just need enough tape to hold the numbers in place for the cut.



6. Here's where not being **** retentive comes into play. You're gonna make mistakes! Cut along the printed lines. You may need to use a sharp utility knife to do inside cuts. Hey, no one said this was gonna be easy!



7. Viola! Reasonably uncrooked cut numbers and an empty beer bottle! Oh yeah, we have to put them on the car now.



8. Slap them on the car. Sure, it's just that easy. Not really, I have to admit to some air bubbles and finger prints. Oh well, hopefully I will keep the car moving so no one will say, "hey look at that guy in last place with the ghetto looking numbers".




Good luck and good night.

 

good timing, I was just about to go to a local sign shop and pick up some vinyl. O and are you sure it only takes one beer?

 

I cry foul on this one.

See, you already got the pimpy splash vinyl and kewl number plate. Your ghetto $1 numbers look just fine with that stuff in the background.
If you just take a plain white car and stick the same numbers on it, you could also go ahead and cut out a decal for the roof that just says "RACECAR" cause it'd look exactly like those old generic packages from ye olde eighties.

Scott, who says putting $1 worth of vinyl over a pre-existing $1000 worth of paint and vinyl and calling it "a $1 graphics budget" is stretching things a bit.

PS - I forgot to mention that Whitney is a bastard. Sometimes I forget, but Karl reminds me pretty quick.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Catch 22 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I cry foul on this one.

See, you already got the pimpy splash vinyl and kewl number plate.

PS - I forgot to mention that Whitney is a bastard. Sometimes I forget, but Karl reminds me pretty quick.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I was going to change the number plate to say "Improvised" Touring, but I ran out of beer. Buurp.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by smokin rubber &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">O and are you sure it only takes one beer?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Does anything done while working on a car ever require only one beer?

 

Karl, there is a sign shop here in Plaza-Midwood (Budget Signs on Monroe Rd.) that do my decals for me - I think you'd easily get out of there w/ some generic numbers for 30 bucks (and if you don't have an exacto knife, tape, $15 of vinyl in the first place is probably cheaper in the end ... and they'd have it on file for when you'd need to replace them). Also a nice trick I've learned, take your gas cover to them and let them match up your paint (the blue, not the krylon ) so you can repair all those little unrepairables w/ vinyl vs. trying to use touch up paint and such.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by phat-S &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I think you'd easily get out of there w/ some generic numbers for 30 bucks (and if you don't have an exacto knife, tape, $15 of vinyl in the first place is probably cheaper in the end) </TD></TR></TABLE>

I'm all for supporting local businessess and all, but that quote, my friend, is one piece of logic I fail to understand.

 

I think you'd easily get out of there (this budget sign place) w/ some generic numbers for 30 bucks ... and if you don't happen to own some of the inexpensive tools mentioned for the DIY type, this 30 dollars might be cheaper in the end.

where you posting next? I wanna be there too

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by .RJ &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Does anything done while working on a car ever require only one beer?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Exactly! That's a case and 2 weeks in my half-*** garage...

 

The same technique works well for making magnetic numbers from the sheets of mag vinyl they sell at sign shops.
-Adam

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Catch 22 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I cry foul on this one.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I do too. I see *2* rolls of vinyl in that pic (doubling the cost). Not only that, Beacon only has free shipping for orders over $100, so shipping was also incurred.

And that's in Intermediate vinyl. Kinda thin (but lighter!) and can scratch a little easier than your premium vinyl, which does cost more and lasts longer.

About the bubbles... if you're applying vinyl to any car/surface, get a spray bottle and fill it with water (room temp or above) and add ONE DROP of dish soap (or even shampoo if you don't have liquid soap) in and shake it up.

Then spray down the surface of the car with it. It allows the vinyl to be moved and positioned on the car. Place and position the vinyl on the car and then take squeegee or sometimes a credit card will do in a pinch...(soft and flexible is key, not sharp edged... maybe even a blockbuster video card) and squeegee the water out from behind it, working from the middle and work outwards. Once it's dry, and done right, it'll be a bubble free application.

However, you CAN still support your local business. Head to a sign shop and just ask for 'X' feet of vinyl. They'll usually sell it for like $1-$2 a foot, uncut. Then you can follow the instructions above.

(Shameless hint... can you tell what I do in my spare time? Cherck out the car in my sig.)

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by whitney &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">and an empty beer bottle!</TD></TR></TABLE>
Is that a empty bottle of O'doul's

 

Yeah, what's with the O'douls? I thought you said you needed a BEER to do vinyl work properly...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Willard &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Is that a empty bottle of O'doul's </TD></TR></TABLE>
I was guessing Beck's
Odoul's... that's just sad.
What's worse than drinking alone? ...Drinking non-alcoholic beer alone.

 

Ok - I think I one upped you on being cheap. I cut my numbers out of Contact Paper I got at Walmart, and yes - they are mounted over my lovely Krylon rattle-can paint job.

 

See.. All you guys are doing it wrong... Just get your Dad to buy a vinyl shop about 15 years ago and you're SET!

r2x ~ who finds it enormously convienient now that she's racing that Dad owns a sign shop.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by mityVR6 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">The same technique works well for making magnetic numbers from the sheets of mag vinyl they sell at sign shops.
-Adam</TD></TR></TABLE>

True. I have made several sets of magnetics for autocross cars too. McMaster-Carr is a great source for cheap (and colorful) magnetics.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Willard &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Is that a empty bottle of O'doul's </TD></TR></TABLE>

Hey! I said I ran out of beer! That was all I could find after 4 bottles of Sam

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Jake &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Ok - I think I one upped you on being cheap. I cut my numbers out of Contact Paper I got at Walmart, and yes - they are mounted over my lovely Krylon rattle-can paint job.</TD></TR></TABLE>

You gotta love that feeling you get when you go to a place like Wal-Mart (or Lowes, etc) to buy materials for the race car. Huh huh.

Mike &lt;-- who has used particle board to fab stuff on the car

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by .RJ &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Does anything done while working on a car ever require only one beer?</TD></TR></TABLE>

finally we agree....

i like to drink at least a few before i even set foot in the garage...that way im prepared for the blood, sweat ,tears, and the wrath of the live-in GF when i track oil in after ive been in the garage all night

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Johnny Tran &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">finally we agree....</TD></TR></TABLE>

Everyone agrees on beer

I like to drink a few before starting, it numbs the busted knuckle or three when it happens. Except when its 104 outside w/o a garage

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by phat-S &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Karl, there is a sign shop here in Plaza-Midwood (Budget Signs on Monroe Rd.) that do my decals for me - I think you'd easily get out of there w/ some generic numbers for 30 bucks (and if you don't have an exacto knife, tape, $15 of vinyl in the first place is probably cheaper in the end ... and they'd have it on file for when you'd need to replace them). Also a nice trick I've learned, take your gas cover to them and let them match up your paint (the blue, not the krylon ) so you can repair all those little unrepairables w/ vinyl vs. trying to use touch up paint and such.</TD></TR></TABLE>

strange you would say that, I called them this morning to get a quote, $6 a sq ft. And no krylon for me that stuff is too much $$$. I think Ill try wally world, I love that place they have everything I need even

 

The fact that you even had an Odoul's in the fridge to drink distrubs me.

Matt&lt;-- 30 years Odoul's-free.