Hey all,

Bought a new kit of decals from Phoenix Graphics for the 84 TA. The large hood emblem (and 5.0 Liter HOs), and the sail birds seem literally sun baked on. Today I went to try and remove with no luck. I used an eraser wheel first, but i dont think my dewalt drill has the horsepower to give enough rpms to do anything. Also I dont want to damage the paint with so much 'rubbing'. I also tried my heat gun, but again, i feel like I have to scape the decals off (again, paint damage).
Any tips, tricks or other items I can try? I have heard tar and bug spray. Also WD-40. Heres a pic of what Im dealing with..



Thanks in advance for your help,

Frank

 

I use a Snap-On CRUD THUG with the eraser wheel. (Comes with 2 wire wheels and an eraser wheel)

Your hood would take me about 5 min. They work AWESOME. You need a damn good air compressor to run it. It uses a TON of air

 

My Snap-On CRUD THUG was over $500. I think Dynabrade makes a similar tool for way less money and probably works just as good

 

Thanks Dagwood for the advice. Unfortunately I am working out of my house garage with no air system (hence the heat gun and dewalt drill). I guess Im looking for a 'shadetree mechanic' home fix. LOL

 

Well, if ya live anywhere near me, I'd say swing by with the car sometime after work or a weekend and I'd remove it for you, lol.

I wish I had another trick that would help you out.

 

Thanks Dagwood, I know you would help.

Anyone ever tried a power washer? Wonder if that would work??

 

I have and usually not with much luck but it would be worth a try. If you can find a citrus based adhesive remover like "Rapid Remover" spray it on the top let it soak and it may penetrate through the cracks before you hit it with the washer. Don't use a chemical base remover for this. The only other thing I know to do is to heat the crap out of it and use a "Little Chisler" and scrap it off. Nothing will be easy with decals in that shape without the proper eraser tool.

 

3M Stripe Off Wheel

 

Thanks. Ive tried the wheel with no luck. Any thoughts on this? GraphXoff
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No Way! Do you see what he is using to scrape with? You can see where he gouges the paint with that stuff and the cocaine blade in a holder!
I would not be surprised if that stuff actually softens the paint as will alot of the vinyl strippers.

 

Years in a body shop have taught me that decals in that kind of shape usually only come off by sanding and re-finishing. Enough sun exposure and it etches into the paint. WD40 is unlikely to break down the dried up adhesive under that fossilized vinyl. Hopefully in your case I'm wrong, I'm sure you don't want to paint the hood.

 

try soaking in some LA Totally Awesome, its somewhat benign, give the paint a good coat of wax before starting.

 

gonna be a sure thing, this will have marked the paint. In the end it will cost u more to get that off without hurting the surrounding paint than it would to do it properly, sand it and re finish

 

I am also a painter at a body shop, and I will agree that there will be discoloration of the paint where that decal was. But with a new decal installed, it may not be noticable. I would recommend talking to a body shop...one that has a Crud Thug like I mentioned above, or equivalent, and see what they would charge to remove it for you. Our shop would probably charge you for .5 hours labor, and maybe $15 for wear on the wheel. You wouldn't be out much to try. Then you can lightly sand and buff the area and see what you have underneath.

 

If you have a steamer, try that. it's worth a shot. use plastic scraper.

 

I’ve usually used a hair dryer (because a heat gun can cause damage)... Once you’ve peeled all you can peel use rubbing alcohol with a microfiber to eat away at the adhesive... Goof Off works even faster... Just test it in a spot first... If its clearcoat paint it’s usually fine.

Ive removed decals off lots of trucks doing detail work.

One truck I did the employees of a landscaper spent all day trying to use a heat gun, chemicals, scrapers and all they did was damage I had to try to fix...

Rapid Remover does work too...