Pedal Car Vinyl Production
In the 50’s and 60’s, pedal cars were on every child’s wish list. A booming post-war economy made companies ramp up production to keep up with market demands.
Versatility in graphics helped pedal car producers transform generic body styles again and again with minor paint and decal changes. Graphics were designed to incorporate the most current trends of the day. There was a huge variety of fire truck designs, because what little boy didn’t long to be a fireman in the 50’s and early 60’s? Later, as the space race came into prominence, companies introduced the atomic missile and Astronaut’s car.
Blue Diamond Classics takes pride in providing our customers with the highest quality and most accurate pedal vehicle graphics in the industry. Each graphic is researched and re-created to make sure it is an exact reproduction of what appeared on the original cars. This means our customers will always get a superior product for an authentic restoration. Each vinyl set is cut from high quality vinyl, assembled by a skilled vinyl technician and packaged with care.
The vinyl process is fascinating but can be a complicated process depending on the graphics being reproduced. This Steelcraft Navy Pursuit Plane graphic has a fun 1-color design using blue vinyl.
Our graphics are drawn as vector files, which are read by the vinyl cutting machine. A very sharp blade is used to cut through the vinyl material without piercing it’s backing paper. A vinyl tech pulls away or “weeds” the unnecessary vinyl surrounding the design, using a hobby knife. If the design is more than one color, the extra colors are inlaid by hand, to make sure the design’s details are just right.
After the graphic has been inspected, transfer tape or premask is applied. Premask is pressure sensitive medium tack tape used to transfer a cut graphic from its backing paper to the side of your pedal car and aids in successful installation of your vinyl graphic.
The MurrayFlat Face Earth Mover is one of our most intricate 2-color inlays. Using the Murray Flat Face body style, it also included a working dump bed on the back. It has become a somewhat rare pedal vehicle, since many Earth Movers were used outside to play in the sand and dirt, so many didn’t withstand the elements for long. When restored, these black and white graphics really pop against the bright yellow body of the pedal car.
The AMF 508-519 Fire Fighter Graphic is one of our most popular designs, featuring bright fiery colors and bold block lettering, on a fire red pedal truck. The body style was mass produced from the late 60’s through the late 70’s and is popular amongst restorers. Since this truck is “fire” themed, it included the hook and ladder with extended rear platform. A sedan was produced within the same 500 series, but had no rear platform and was popular as a Fire Chief’s car. This 2-color design requires the careful inlay of yellow vinyl into the orange graphics. The red of the body pops through and around the lettering.
All our vinyl sets are wrapped in packing paper, packaged in foam cardboard slats and include a handy vinyl installation guide.
If you’re interested in knowing more about how to install vinyl on your pedal car project, check out this tech article, which includes special tips and tricks of the trade.
