These stripes are junk

Bought in June 2006 -got from (Kennedy)- correction, APD - the c-stripe kit for my 70 Jav.
Took car and stripe set to body shop to have installed.
He called and said "didn't try right side, driver side was junk"
HE said it was the cheapest, thinnest material he's ever worked with, and would not stick. It would stick in places, not in others, and didn't stay put, even after the soap/water used in the process was dried. He said has done hundreds of them and was a bit skeptical when he unpackaged them, but tried. Wet down side of car, applied, squeegeed in place, tried to remove bubbles and he said they would not stick and were impossible to work with.
So  -  they did get it,  it went to pieces when they tried to get it applied and finally would not even stick! He said the adhesive was crap and the stripes as thin as the cheap pinstripe tape you buy.
The originals were a very heavy material, pretty good stuff.

Has anyone used the stripes from Kennedy APD? Anyone had good luck?
Where is the BEST place to get the BEST stripes?
I don't want the same cheap junk back. Sounds like the adhesive wasn't good from the get-go they way it sounded, they didn't even stay put.
** Have not yet called to see about resolution - this is not a commentary on the supplier at all, but the product, and looking for other experiences**

Again, nothing at all but totally bad luck with this thing from the onset, everything from paint to vinyl top to clips to now the strips, nothing has worked or gone well. I've seen the cars they work on, everything from small sports cars to police cars, jeeps to pickups and classic cars. It ain't their first stripe set to work with..........

I'm SO pissed!

  That's $275 down the toilet! 
I ain't got money to even buy new ones, what the !@#$% am I talking about!

Well, this means now the car won't be at Cordova.............. *ha, maybe bring it and the stripes and see what an AMC person can do?


Edited by billd - Aug/29/2007 at 12:49am

Yea, I'd talk to kennedy, at least give it a shot. From what I have heard Phoenix graphics are the best out there. I don't know where Jeff gets his stripes, but I know the 70 AMX c-stripes they have aren't that great.

If for no other reason so they know they are not any good.  Have other folks here used them for their stripes?

Mark at AMARK said HE makes and sells them, and claims they are much better. I emailed him for advice - he seems really nice and I figured if nothing else, he'd know what was good or bad. (I'm gonna get the emissions decal and some other stuff from him anyway)
Before I bought these I asked in the "old forum" and others said they would be ok. Well, perhaps they changed between then and all so I can't blame anyone else. Who knew?

Craig at TMC said he's so convinced that these are junk and of his abilities to do stripes and graphics that he said if I could find anyone to put the right side on straight and without bubbles or wrinkles, he'd buy me the whole set and do it for free.
I though he'd got one side on, but misunderstood - after 2 hours on the left side, he gave up and put the right set in the back seat.
I checked, they ARE thin, really thin. About 1/3 of the originals and they wrinkle at the drop of a hat, the glue isn't good, and I can see them shrinking and being a problem later.

Edit: ** I handled the parts they tried to work with - the adhesive wasn't very good - it didn't seem all that sticky, and I was told, they would stick, then not stick, and when trying to remove bubbles, it would suddenly break loose and wrinkle up.**


Edited by billd - Aug/29/2007 at 12:51am

Craven gives good advice. I think he should start a thread on his current project (it might make you feel better Bill!). He even lets me come over and tear things apart from time to time.