Salvaging Door Jamb Decals
 

I'm getting aggressive with my project car's driver's door. I'm getting more concerned about bumping into the tire placard and info placard in the driver's door jamb. Has anyone had any luck removing the decals and returning them to a car after fresh paint?

It's not so much that it tells me anything I don't already know, as much as it's pertinent to getting a car licensed and titled in Kansas. Under certain circumstances such as changing a title from off-highway status back to a standard title, or titling a car for the first time in the state, the car has to be inspected by a law enforcement officer to protect against stolen vehicles being titled through the state. Anyway, they look for more than one VIN number during the inspection. Since most of the other accessible VIN numbers, like the SPID are already missing, I'd like to somehow preserve the original decals through the repaint.

I've got a sneaking suspicion that if I try to peel them off, they'll be destroyed in the process.

Ideas?

Re: Salvaging Door Jamb Decals
 

Re: Salvaging Door Jamb Decals
 

Not in most years. By 1991 they'd stopped putting them on all the panels. Pretty sure they were only used 87-89'ish.

Re: Salvaging Door Jamb Decals
 

Re: Salvaging Door Jamb Decals
 

ECS, talked with them a bit at the show in Chicago a week ago. Pricy stuff but probably worth it. They did a SPID sheet for a friends car. His was missing so he had to build his from a car with the same options so its pretty darn close.

Re: Salvaging Door Jamb Decals
 

Re: Salvaging Door Jamb Decals
 

I know I've seen the trunk lid caution decal on Ebay. I'm not positive, but I think the ASC decal is reproduced by the Mustang aftermarket for the ASC/Mclaren convertibles.

Edit: http://ascmclaren.com/nameplates.htm

http://ascmclaren.com/PARTS/specdeacl.jpg
http://ascmclaren.com/PARTS/doordecal3.jpg

I'm not sure if I can keep from getting overspray or something on the decals. Seems like the repro door jamb stickers I've seen advertised before were expen$$$ive. Not sure I can justify it on the Turkey in question. All good ideas, keep em coming.

:thanks:

Re: Salvaging Door Jamb Decals
 

Whatever you do, don't put masking tape over them. I painstakingly masked off mine on my 82 Trans Am even getting the perfect rounded corners with the tape. After the paint dried and we were de-masking, the tape actually pulled some of the decal off and left me with a nice black slash in the middle. I used the lightest tack tape and slowly removed it and it still damaged them.

Re: Salvaging Door Jamb Decals
 

I'm wearing my old glasses today, but even I can see those decals don't come close to being a match.

Re: Salvaging Door Jamb Decals
 

I agree 100% not to paint the door jambs No way.
Just paint the skins and the "wrap around" using the inner edge as the mask line.

Re: Salvaging Door Jamb Decals
 

Following with interest.

Re: Salvaging Door Jamb Decals
 

Re: Salvaging Door Jamb Decals
 

I need to get ASC decals for my 89 vert.

Re: Salvaging Door Jamb Decals
 

I'm not sure how close the ASC/Mclaren decals would match. Both photos are from the Mustang sight, so clearly there are at least two different versions that were used. I seem to remember between 87-92 the decals on thirdgen convertibles changed too. But anyway, it's a free suggestion, if a person were looking, they'd be worth looking into closer. :2cents:

If the car were relatively nice, not painting the door jambs would probably be fine. But this isn't a relatively nice car, this is The Creature From The Sewage-Lagoon! Pretty sure all the sealer around the door seams is going to need to come off, and the doors will probably be painted inside and out.

Looking at the decals earlier today, I'm not sure they're even worth trying to save. They are very faded. I might try heating them up carefully and pulling at the loose corner. Doesn't seem like I have much to lose.

https://i.imgur.com/GpAMd9j.jpg

Re: Salvaging Door Jamb Decals
 

Re: Salvaging Door Jamb Decals
 

Do you think they will show "void" or some other tamper proof if removed?

Re: Salvaging Door Jamb Decals
 

This might help? AvE made a "knife" to help remove "Void" stickers from stuff :D

Re: Salvaging Door Jamb Decals
 

Re: Salvaging Door Jamb Decals
 

Since Drew indicted the point was about preserving them due to registration/title purposes for his state, I think if it shows void or some other tamper-proof detection that might be counter-productive and might add to complications for registration/title. That's all. Not sure if it's one of those stickers or not.

Re: Salvaging Door Jamb Decals
 

Re: Salvaging Door Jamb Decals
 

Yeah, I'm not sure about these. I think the earlier type with the 'windows' and underlying text were more of the "This label will self destruct in... 3... 2... 1..." type than these. I just imagine that as soon as I wave the heat gun at them, or start pulling, the proverbial droppings will hit the oscillating air movement device. They probably come off like the plastic labels on 2 liter bottles... Meaning they just shred in your fingers leaving bits and glue and backing behind.

:thumbsup: for the AVE link, and the borken Seal image, I enjoyed the laugh. It's blizzard conditions in Kansas today. Can't see the street in front of the house. I hate winter. :)

Re: Salvaging Door Jamb Decals
 

I'm pretty sure this is the type of labels used for all "security" decals / stickers / labels … at least I know the VIN decals used are …

https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-...1133902&rt=rud

Re: Salvaging Door Jamb Decals
 

I thought you had to be a collision repair business to purchase these from ECS. Is that not the case anymore?

Re: Salvaging Door Jamb Decals
 

They sold me a set. Maybe they changed their policy, as this was 6 years ago.

Re: Salvaging Door Jamb Decals
 

I know people that have just purchased things from ECS. Was talking to them a couple weeks ago about the body panel VIN decals for my 89.

Re: Salvaging Door Jamb Decals
 

Figured I'd report back with results....

https://i.imgur.com/3K9oO1M.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/ItfM2Vv.jpg

Went ahead and went after them tonight. Low heat from the heat gun, then working under an edge with a #11 X-acto blade. Slowly peeled back, when the adhesive backing started to show it was sticking, I sliced along the label while peeling. Got them off mostly intact, as the pics show, they are tamper resistant. If I had been a bit more patient, the backing wouldn't have separated.

Re: Salvaging Door Jamb Decals
 

Re: Salvaging Door Jamb Decals
 

More patient meaning longer heat time?

Re: Salvaging Door Jamb Decals
 

Longer, or more even... I got near the end and just peeled a little fast and didn't use my knife enough. If you look at the pics, the white lines at an angle are where I sliced between the label and the door to cut the adhesive. Notice that all the places the security backing start are between slice marks? Had I kept slicing, it probably wouldn't have happened. Also, I figured out that once part of the label has been peeled, don't let it slip and stick back down. Don't rub it down after heating either, they seem to stick better after reactivating the glue with heat.

I'm happy with the result for this 'no consequences' project car. On something nicer, I'd avoid peeling them if possible. Given how faded they were, and how I plan to strip the sealer from the door skin joints, it's not like I had much to risk. 3M Adhesive remover wiped away all the residue easily. I'd thought about starting the edge and using the 3m to soften the bond, but I was afraid it'd eat the white backing.