yenko stripes...what were used as the templates ?

[brandon bowling]

they appear to be hand cut , what was used as the templates to pattern off of....? any idea ? thanks

[camarojoe]

I think they were just designed to "flow" with the body lines of the car. Not sure anything was used as a "template" per se. The side stripes work well on the Camaro, with the wider part generally flowing with the upsweep of the rear quarter window... and I'd guess that was what they were originally designed for, then retrofitted to use on the Chevelle and Nova too. The hood stripes were modified to work with the "double bubble" Chevelle hood. I believe the Nova used the same hood stripes as the Camaro. I think one of the coolest things about the Yenko stripes is that they appear as though they could have been a factory applied stripe package.

[ORIGLS6]

Maybe he's asking about something I've questioned myself. Just exactly HOW were the stripes cut? Die cut? Metal template (stencil)? [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/dunno.gif[/img]

This was done before the vinyl cutting machines you see everywhere these days. The Big 3 could have had dies made to cut/stamp their vinyl packages and cost would have been spread across the product lines and virtually disappeared due to the sheer numbers. But just how many sets would Don have needed? 500? 600? ????? Pretty pricey investment if he had dies made.

I've looked at a few original cars and discussed it with Don Stowers and Schonye among others and still can't come to a definite conclusion. Are there any records to indicate where he might have had them made?

This is an interesting question. Let's hear some thoughts.

[PeteLeathersac]

How the Douglas cars fit into all this would be an interesting part of the puzzle too?.
Did Yenko ship stripe kits to them or a pattern to have them procured locally?.
Are they exact or is there any noticeable differences between stripes on cars shipped by Yenko to the cars striped at Douglas?.
Did any Nos stripe kits or individual sections survive and if so is there anything on the backing that'd be a clue?.

[img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/beers.gif[/img]
~ Pete

[YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY]

I believe that Don had a local company make them for him, most likely hand cut. He sold them in the parts catalog, so any individual / dealer could order them. They were shipped in a box, with the YENKO crest on the side in red.

[camarojoe]

I have a complete set of NOS 71 Yenko Vega stripes, a '69 NOS headrest sYc decal, and a few odd pieces of Deuce stripes including the LT/1 hood logos. All are on 3M vinyl. Not sure what company he had making these, but from what I can tell they were die cut, not done by hand. Yenko sold stripe kits over the counter, through their catalog, and to anyone needing a section or piece for collision repair so there were more made than you might think. In fact, the Vega stripes I have are actually packaged in a retail type bag that would hang on a display rack or something. Don Yenko knew lots of people who could get stuff done...and he had some cool stuff made back then, stuff like Die cast valve covers, oil pans, wheels, emblems, various stickers,emboidered patches, etc. So it's not surprising to me that he was able to get professionally made, die cut stripes for his cars too.