I recently came across a 1982 tail light center piece which has the gold bird. The bird itself is in mint condition, but the rest of the piece is cracked/broken. I'd like to remove this bird and put it on another tail light piece that I have. Has anyone successfully done this before without breaking the bird?



Thanks,
Joe

 

Everyone I have removed have broken (junk yard emblems) but if I were you I would try to heat it up with a hair dryer and go slow.

 

The heat sounds like a good idea. But getting all the way down the side of it and underneath it with something very thin(like the end of a tiny flathead screwdriver that's been filed down super thin) would seem to be the key to prying it up and out.

The bird is about 1/8" thick. And most people tend to chip the edges of it because they don't use something thin enough to get all the way down under it before they begin to pry it up. So they pry from the edge and not from the bottom.

So using something super thin and the heat, together, along with working very slowly, would prolly work.

 

I was just going to say this as well, use something like a Jewelers screwdriver. Those are very tiny and if you heat it up. You should be able to slowly start peel it off.

 

I have removed several birds. I simply submerge the entire piece in hot (steaming) water for about 10 or 15 minutes, with the help of a very tiny screw driver you will be able to pull the bird off with no trouble.

Start prying at the wing tips and bottom, but be very gentle they are the weakest point.

 

I would use the boiling water , with the dull edge of a long xacto knife blade .. its thin enough , just go slow & easy ..

Haz

 

Since the light is broke. Why not cut the bird out with a coping saw or another fine saw? That way you dont have to pry up at all. Is it indented in, then you could get a better angle at it. my opinion

 

Run a piece of fishing line under it, with some heat? I'm not even sure what the piece looks like, but that might help you wipe away the glue without cracking the bird.

 

Yeah id try the hot water, should make the glue nice and soft.

How I wish my bird looked that good, She has had her wing cliped by some F***head trying to steal it off my car.

 

Another way to do it is heat it up with a heat gun, let it colden again and follow those steps a couple times, will make the glue brittle and will stop sticking as good.