There seems to be lots of interest in putting racing / rally stripes on a Miata. Most people use vinyl stripes, which I would expect are reasonably easy to apply, as well as cost effective. Since I was repainting my white Miata anyway, I figured I would add painted on stripes. They're much easier to get into more tough areas, such as the license plate cutout, and I feel are more "integrated" into the car. I have nothing against vinyl, but I had a great opportunity to try painting them on.

So, I began researching various options for striping my Miata. I was looking for the right color combination to go with my white, as well as placement & width. In doing this research, I found that there are varying widths, distance between each stripe (or just a single center or asymmetrical stripe), and various placements. Some people make each stripe a different color, some offset them, and some pinstripe the edge of each stripe. After looking around, I decided I wanted two symmetrical stripes that were fairly wide, but not extending onto the headlights or over the marker lights. My color choice was easy, as I believe Silver works well on the Miata, and would likely work well with any wheel additions. Unfortunately, I hadn't decided how far apart each strip should be (at times, I wanted them about an inch apart, and others I thought 3+ inches would be good), and the exact dimensions weren't set.

Just about the time I was ready to paint, I had an open track event to work. At that event, I saw a Miata with stripes I liked, and I measured them with my hand (each stripe the distance from my thumb joint to the tip of one finger, and the distance between stripes the distance from that joint to the tip of my thumb). The next day, I used that as a starting point for my template. With that, I had decided on color, and had a good idea for spacing and width. Next came the paint.

Painting a car requires a lot of work, and a fair amount of planning. Striping it adds additional complexity. For instance, I had decided that I was going to paint the silver first, then paint the white. Why? I wanted to reduce the effects of overspray. Overspray is where paint gets on parts of the car you didn't want painted, it can only be managed, not avoided. If I painted the car white first, then painted the silver, I would have had to mask off the whole rest of the car to keep overspray off. However, if I painted the silver first, I could then carefully mask off the areas I wanted to remain silver striped. Take a look at the pictures for a bit more detail.

Once the silver was laid down and flashed off (bout 1-2 hours with my catalyzed enamel), I began the process of masking off the stripes. My first step was to create a template. Using the "measurements" above, I created a template out of a piece of masking paper. I measured out two 9 inch stripes, 3 inches apart from each other. These were just marks on paper, but it was to guide all my work on the car.

With the template in hand, I needed to find the center line of the car. The best way to do this was to measure from known points on the car, such as the hood or trunk. Some areas such as the top of the windshield can be a bit tougher, as edge reference points are not as crisp. I referenced the front & rear of the hood, as well as front & rear of the trunk, and center of the license plate cutout. I marked on the windshield masking paper, and used a grease pen (which I later removed with thinner) to mark the center of the car. Once marked, I taped the template in place, and began laying the tape. The tape I used first for marking this out was 3m fine line masking tape, which is plastic. This tape will allow less bleed under, and it's slim profile reduces the ridge at the edge of the mask. It took a careful hand to make these lines straight. Once these were laid down, I applied the regular masking tape over. Finally, I laid down masking paper folded to the right width, and taped it down. It's important to make sure that the paper is taped down the whole way, or paint will get under it. Also, make sure the tape gets into the cracks, and conforms to the panels' edges somewhat to keep the paint lines sharp. I did this with the paint still relatively fresh.

With everything masked off, I painted the car white as per the article I have yet to write. Once the car had a few coats of white paint (note that it is best to apply just enough to get coverage, both for reducing the ridge and having the paint last properly), I let it flash off for about 45 minutes, and then pulled the masking. I pulled the masking paper first, then the tape. I did this to allow the paint edges to flow out slightly before they cured. Within a couple hours after that, I began cleanup with thinner, touching up places where overspray might have reduces the sharpness of lines.

With the stripes painted, and the paper off, I was able to stand back and see the results. Overall, I was really happy. The lines were straight and sharp, and the colors worked very well together. I was most impressed with the width & spacing of the stripes, as they made the car look significantly wider. I think this is the major consideration when choosing stripes. Stripes can have a significant effect on the car; choose the stripe that will result in the effect you're looking for.

In summary, choose the stripe you want, take the time & care to lay it correctly, and make sure you use decent tape & techniques for painting. Then enjoy your new stripes!