Vinyl Decals under clear??

I

inspectorbob

I am painting a 10 year old gelcoat motorhome. About half of it has original faded factory paint (steel gray metallic), and the other half is plain white gelcoat with the factory decals of various graphics and logos. Before I decided to paint the rig (I had never painted before), I ordered all new decals from Winnebago, which cost me a fortune. Then, I decided that I wanted to at least repaint the painted parts. I'm having pretty good luck with the metallic, so now, I am leaning toward painting everything (ug!). I am not planning to change the original design with the fancy full body paint. The color scheme and design with be the same as the original factory.

So, here is my dilemma. Will using the decals under the clearcoat hold up as well as painting all the graphics? I've paid a ton for the decals, which I can't return, but if I am asking for problems down the road, I am willing to scrap them and go ahead and just paint all the stripes and graphics. If the clear will protect the decals, and keep them in good shape, then I would rather not throw the money away by scraping them. Also, if you suggest using the decals, what would you recommend the process be? I am currently using the 2.1 Production clear, but am open to suggestion if I should use something else.

Thanks,
Bob
 
I've successfully cleared vinyl decals, but can't report on long-term longevity. It's best if the decal is not the type with silkscreened graphics on it, because the technique works best when prep paste and a gray scotchbrite are used to abrade the surface of the vinyl. I have slightly damaged the printed type with the prep operation.
 
I've done if many times in the past on budget collision repairs where graphics kits were no longer available-so the only options were to mask then unmask and clear over, I never seen a failure but I always lightly scuffed like crash recomended. I have seen others have problems doing this later on where they had peeling problems but I would bet the prep was poor. Did a bunch of bike parts this way and never had a problem. Some types of decals do swell though-they soak up solvent and that can create a delamination problem down the road. Best long term way is paint it all for sure.
 
one of the problems that comes in to play is with the thickness of the clear. lots of guys who have problems....try to pile on the clear to burry the decals. Now depending on the thickness of the decal it is possible to burry them in 2 clear sessions with 3 coats each then cut and buff the last. when doing this way it is important to let the first session of clear cure really good..i try to overkill the curing when doing stuff like this. Long term? i can only say with 100% certainty that painting on will give you the best long term, even though myself i havent seen problems with jobs i've done clearing over decals. There are so many different types of decals and so many different thicknesses of decals to say for certain how long it will last. The thinnest of decal would be best. On nascar superspeedway cars this is how its done...they have special super thin decals that get cleared over, then cut and recleared. total of about 6 coats of clear.

I know of a shop that did an old race car that had them all over it......tried to pile 4-5 coats of clear on in 1 session then cut and buff. 3 years later the clear is busting all around the edges of the decals. This car sits in a warehouse more than it sees the sun. Too much clear, in too little time.
 
Thanks for everyone's comments! I did a test on a sample of the new decals. Haven't installed them yet, but wanted to see if anything obvious would happen. I called the factory, and they said that the decals had a clear coat on them. I scuffed the coat with the gray Scotchbrite, then applied my production clear and let it sit. It's been about 48+ hours, and haven't seen any reaction. No bleeding, wrinkling, curling. I am going to give it more time in the sun do a pull test after it is really cured. The decals feel really thin, almost like a Mylar.

If I decide to use them (still a big if at this point) do you recommend using an intercoat or adhesion promoter over the decals before using the clear? Also, which clear would offer the best uv resistance?? This is on a motorhome, and sits in the sun constantly.

Thanks,

Bob
 
Any of the spi clears have plenty of UV protection, I have a test car running around with only ONE coat of UV on the roof and it's been 3 or 4 years-no hint of problems, no need for any adhesion promoter on the decals-it may lead to problems given the solvent content.
 
Bob;
I also did a quick test bed with shopline; one coat of clear with a $ 9.99 harbor freight gun on a hood. Let's just say the results were not as positive.
But as clearing over decals; (which I do quite a lot with factory decals on truck beds) never seen a problem. Just be sure not to scrunge the decals to hard.
 
inspectorbob;9267 said:
If I decide to use them (still a big if at this point) do you recommend using an intercoat or adhesion promoter over the decals before using the clear?
Click to expand...

NO! Nothing you can put on there will have as much adhesion as the urethane clear!

I personally think MS is SPI's best clear, but it is also the most expensive. I think the Universal and the MS have the same durability, they are SPI's best, if I am not mistaken.
 
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