s'noJob

Recently I bought a CORVETTE windshield decal for my C5. I was a bit disappointed that the decal didn’t curve to fit the windshield. Had I applied it just as it came from the package, it would have dipped at both ends (think: frowny face.)

The properly fitting decal should look like a smiley before installation, and appear as if it were a straight line after it’s installed.

It seemed the only way to get the letters to look right were to cut them apart and apply them individually. The trick, of course, is to get them aligned correctly. Turns out it was not as hard as it would seem.

1. First, I removed my targa top to gain better access. Those with convertibles are already set – those with FRCs, well, best of luck to you.
2. Then I applied strips of ¾ inch wide tape (cellophane, masking, blue painters, etc,) along the windshield molding to act as a guide to ensure even vertical placement.
3. I marked the approximate center of the molding to assist in centering the set.
4. I cut out all the letters, ensuring only an 1/8 inch edge along the tops. I kept the two Ts together.
5. I started with the V. Using the front license plate cover as a guide to determine how the V is centered, I peeled the backing off and applied in the approximate center, carefully ensuring that the top of the letter fell close to the bottom of the guide tape.
6. Then, using the lettering on the air bag as a placement reference, I applied the R and the E on both sides of the V. I tried to maintain a gap of about one finger’s width between the letters. Then I applied the O.
7. The TT was a bit tricky. I considered trying to curve these two attached letters, but then I decided to lay them so the middle of the Ts touched the guide tape.
8. Finally, I applied the C and the other E. The results were not exactly centered – I had about two fingers width on the right and three fingers width on the left, but it’s not that noticeable. Remove the guide tape, and you're done!

Note: Do not attempt to lift any letter once you’ve laid it onto your windshield! If you bought the letters that have the clear peel-away top layer, that’s the part that will lift off, leaving the letter in place, so be accurate!

UPDATE 08/31/2013: Here’s how the original, unmounted GM curved CORVETTE C6 windshield decal should look, thanks to quirkparts.com.




UPDATE 11/09/2013: Here's how the straight decal would look mounted to the C5 windshield if you choose not to follow this procedure.


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ZachHasAVette

looks good

Vetteman Jack

Turned out very nice.