We highly recommend a high speed internet connection. While dialup will work it will be very slow to design a car and is not supported.
Browser Requirements: Internet Explorer 7+, Firefox, Safari. Internet Explorer 6 users we highly recommend upgrading to Internet Explorer 7 or Firefox if at all possible to improve your experience using the designer.
Although the designer will work under internet explorer 6, images will appear
incorrectly.
Cookies must be enabled to use the site.
If you feel you have discovered a legitimate bug or issue we would appreciate you reporting it to us using our contact page.
As our instructions indicate it is your responsibility to provide us with adequate artwork. You are welcome to email us your artwork along with what size you are looking to get, we will provide suggestions regarding the usability of the artwork.
Please do not assume your artwork is high enough resolution to use unless you are sure. We will not replace your item for having inadequate artwork.
Inspect your order immediately upon receipt. Shortages or errors must be reported via phone or email within 3 business days of shipment receipt.
Understandably, personalized and custom ordered items may not be returned for a refund unless there were errors on our part, or in shipping.
We will not replace items with grammatical errors, unintended colors, insufficient high resolution artwork, or layout mistakes that were approved.
If you have any questions regarding your items please leave a comment in the shopping cart COMMENT area or if you need to make final approval before the item is shipped.
If you have multiple cars in your stable or you want to go together with friends and place one order for multiple cars we may be able to help you out. All situations are different and the discounts vary by the amount of graphics ordered.
Yes, your layout on your proof will be used when building the high resolution image we use to print. However, body styles vary by maker so you may have to modify things slightly when you apply them. The design will look just like the image on your screen, but it might look a little different if applied to a different body style. Your measurements are critical to make sure everything fits.
We have tried to cover most of the bases, but we know there are still a lot of different race cars that we don’t have on our site. We will work with you to make sure we offer something for everyone. Normally you can send in a picture of your car and we can go from there. If you only want numbers and sponsor lettering you can use our lettering designer for those. That will work for anything.
We have tried to make this as simple as we can, but with a website this complex some things are not self explanatory. We think if you watch the tutorial video and play around with it you will be able to use the designer. If you still get stuck don’t be discouraged, just give us a call or shoot us an email and we will walk you through it. We are here to help.
We do offer custom designing for your race car graphics. Our rate is $40/hr for graphic design work, and that is pretty low for this industry. Feel free to contact us if you are interested in this service. Our equipment will allow us to make pretty much any design you would like.
As much as we would like to help everyone, it just isn’t possible. We help sponsor a few teams, and that is all we are capable of right now.
YES! We love it when our customers send us pictures. We like it so much we offer a coupon code that will allow you to get 10% off your next order if you send us pictures of your race car or trailer with our graphics applied. We also supply RacingGraphics.com decals with every order. If you enjoy your experience with us we would be happy for you to run our decal.
Be sure the race car body is clean and free from any moisture. It is best to let a fresh paint job cure for several days if possible before putting vinyl on it. Go over the car with some rubbing alcohol and a clean cloth. All vinyl graphics will stick much better on a clean, warm surface so make sure your car and your shop are nice and warm before you start. If you are applying the vinyl on a warm day, try to avoid doing it in direct sunlight.
Our printed graphics are printed on premium air release vinyl. It is still a good idea to try to get all the air out as you install it, but if you do get air bubbles they are easy to remove.
Let’s start with the hinge method. Keep in mind if you are installing an entire side graphic on a bigger car such as a late model or modified, it is a much easier job if you have 2 or 3 people to help out. Start by placing the graphic on the car with the backing paper still on it. Our printed graphics will be a little oversized making placement a little easier. You should have vinyl hanging over the edges of your body panels when you are finished. Grab some masking tape and run the tape over the top of the graphic, being sure it is on both the application tape on the graphic and the car. You may need to run 2 or 3 strips of masking tape to get it covered. That will keep your graphic in place as you stick it to your car. If you have body seams or other vertical breaks that can be a good place to cut the graphics into sections. That will make it easier to apply. The masking tape you just applied will act like a hinge with this technique. Now take the bottom of the graphic and lift it all the way up, hinging the graphic on the top masking tape. Starting at the top near the hinge, grab the backing paper and start to slowly peel it back exposing the adhesive. Pull the backing paper down about half way, and start to lay the graphic on the car. Starting at the top center of the graphic, start pressing the vinyl onto the car using the supplied squeegee. Use left and right motions going from top to bottom, and firmly squeegee the graphic onto the sheet metal. If you have welds or rivets to go over, lightly go over them as you apply it and we will go back to those later. Work the graphic down the car, pulling the backing paper away as you press the vinyl onto the car until you get all the way to the bottom of the graphic. Now slowly peel the application tape from your graphic. If you have bad spots in your metal, rivets, or welds you can now work with those areas. Take a hair dryer and warm the vinyl up around the trouble spots. That will make the vinyl more plyable as you take the squeegee or your fingers and work the vinyl down around these spots. Sometimes perfection can not be achieved with a less than perfect body. If you have any air bubbles under your printed vinyl you should be able to take your hand and slowly press our on the bubbles, working the air out of the bubble. Once you have the graphic on the car you should go back and trim any overhanging vinyl to complete the installation.
Some folks would rather use the wet method. To do this you need a good liquid solution such as RapidTac. Place your graphic upside down on a clean floor or table. Remove the backing paper exposing the adhesive. Spray down the side of the car and the back of the graphic liberally with RapicTac. With some help, place the graphic on the car and you should be able to slide it around to get the placement where you want it. Now take the squeegee and work the RapidTac and air out from under the graphic. Starting in the center firmly press out in all directions to remove the moisture and air. Once you have all that finished it may be necessary to wait an hour or two before you remove the application tape. This will give the adhesive time to dry out and stick to your car. Slowly pull the application tape off, and if the vinyl tries to come off with it you should give it some more time to dry. Follow the directions mentioned in the hinge method section for working around the rivets and welds and for finishing the installation.
If you have purchased specialty vinyl such as holographic or reflective, it is not recommended that you use the wet method. Follow the directions for the hinge method for these vinyls. If you get air under the vinyl you can poke the bubble with a pin or razor knife and work most of the air out. If you have several small bubbles, they too should come out after a day in the hot sun.
The most difficult application for our racing graphics is on the tail section of the open wheel cars. If you are only putting numbers on the tail it isn’t bad. If you choose to put part of your theme graphics on the tail you may want to consider getting professional application help on this part, or trim the graphics yourself to help it fit the different contours of the tail.
If do not want to install your graphics we can install them for you. Bring your car to our shop in Salem, Indiana and we can install them. Pricing for installation varies by car type and amount of graphics. Call or email for quote.
Instructions on how to use our interactive graphics designer
The first step in designing our own race graphics is to choose “Packages” from the menu.
Now choose your car type.
This is where you want to come up with your own design or have one of our designers come up with something for you. The beauty of this site is to design your own, so let’s give it a shot!
Watching the video is a good idea. It covers most of what we are going to talk about on this page.
Ok, so you are ready to start your design, so click on the “Design Now” tab.
This is where your measurements need to be taken. Once you have the correct measurements listed for this step we will move on. Please note that the open wheel cars only have 2 measurements listed since there isn’t a top. Our website will base all the measurements from the ones you put in, so please make them accurate. Click “Next” when you are ready to move on.
Let’s start by choosing the color of your body panels. Click on “Change car color” at the bottom of the list under the theme box. This step is ONLY to see what your layout will look like on that color of sheet metal. It doesn’t change the color of the graphics that you will receive.
Now you are ready to start your design. If you simply want numbers and sponsor names you might want to jump to the “Lettering” section to make your sizing easier. For those of you that want to make your car look the best it can be we are going to put on total package. Click on the theme button and choose a theme. It will place each theme on your car as you click on the different theme options.
You can change the location and sizes of all of our themes, and that can completely change the appearance of your car. Let’s do that now. Once you have your favorite theme on your car click the “Edit” button right next to the theme box. This will release the theme from your car and make it editable. Once you have it released just click on the center of the theme. You will notice that small boxes appear around the edges of the theme artwork. Now you can grab the boxes and drag them around to change the size and shape of the theme. Once you have it sized and placed where you want it click “I’m Done”.
Now that is placed let’s get your numbers on there. Click on “Add Lettering” text and type your car number in the box. Now click “Add”. Choose the font you want, and move on to the color. Here you have the option for a solid color number, specialty vinyl, or a gradient. Once you have your color selected you can choose if you want a single outline, double outline or a drop shadow. Choose all 3 if you want. Change the colors of each effect the same way you chose the first color. Click “close menu” to exit each color pallet. At any point you can grab your number and place it anywhere you want on the side of the car. Notice as you change the size of the number it lists the measurements right next to the theme box. Also notice the price changes as you add text, outlines and change sizes. The designer keeps a running total as you add to your design.
Use all the same instructions for adding your sponsor names or other text to your car. They all work just the same as the number you just made. If the measurements it is giving you is not exactly what you want you can click on the bold text “Let me pick the exact size” located by the measurement box. Here you can enter your own dimensions for the number or text.
Next you can load your own file if needed. This feature is great if you have your own sponsor logos. You can upload them and place them on your car in this step.
If you want even more effects on your car click on the “Add flames and effects” tab. This could even be used in place of a theme if you wanted. You can scroll through our many clip art files and use any you like. Colors and sizes change just as the numbers and text did.
When you are happy with the side graphics click “Next”. Now you can design the hood of your car. Use the same directions as you did for the side. When you have finished your hood design click “Next”.
Now you can work on your car top(Except for open wheel cars). We don’t have a theme option for the top. Most people just put a number up there. You can place your number just like you did for the side and the top. When you are done click “Finish”.
Now you will see a review of the designs you have chosen. Take a minute to look them over and make sure it is what you want. If you want to make a presentation to potential sponsors this would also be a page you could print out and take to them. Some companies charge for this layout print service but we look at it as just an added bonus for you. You can also bookmark this page and come back to it later.
When you are satisfied with it and you are ready to purchase click “Add to cart”. The next page is very important because it lays out exactly what you are going to get along with the measurements for each piece. We suggest printing this page out and taking it out to your car and measure each space to make sure the graphic will fit properly. If any of the sizes need changed be sure to leave us a comment in the COMMENT section and we will take care of it. Notice that everything you picked for the side of your car has a quantity of 2, one for each side. The theme graphic will be reflected so one will be for the driver side and one will be for the passenger side. The side theme graphics are always sold in pairs. If for some reason you would like only one of a number or text for the side you can now change the quantity to 1.
The rest of the process is standard online checkout procedure so this will wrap up the instructions for the designer. If you need help or advice feel free to contact us.