Truckfiend

Does anyone have any suggestions for removing factory decals? My truck is covered in decals and I need to paint this thing bad! I've tried a heat gun which removes the decal and leaves all the adhesive. Then used goof off on the adhesive which doesn't work at all, so I tried MEK and that works better but not great. At the rate I'm going with this it's going to take me a month. Are there any magic tricks out there for this that I haven't heard of yet??

Oh and I'm also removing the chrome from the rocker which is backed with foam.

Shawn6string

Try a stripe remover wheel, think you can get then at napa or other auto/paint stores. It goes on your drill. Go slow and not a lot of pressure, let the wheel do the work. Should get 90% off then use some thinner or MEK. Do a small spot and stop to see if it is taking your paint off as well. I have seen it take the paint off freshly painted vehicles or ones with cheap paint. By the looks of yours you should be fine. Once you rip the chrome off it probably will get what ever is holding that crome on as well.....good investment.

tc

x2 on the eraser wheels

bain

half my truck was a decal when i got it. I tried everything..a heat gun worked the best..

now the rockers are a PITA!!!

Truckfiend

Thanks guys! I'll see if I can find one of these eraser wheels and give that a shot. I assume the wheel is only to get the adhesive off and not the decal itself? So still use the heat gun to pull the decal?

I have removed one piece of the chrome using the heat gun and it came right off, but only about 30% of the foam backing came off with it. Maybe I'll have better luck on the others.

olharleyman

x2 on the heat gun use a plastic blade to help remove the adhesive from the body then you can use some rubbing compound to try to match the fade from the decals.

Red_Dragon

I used the wheel, then oven cleaner to get the sticky residue off. Try a test spot first with the oven cleaner.

Truckfiend

Oven cleaner? Thats a new one. I'll try anything at this point. I'm not concerned about hurting the paint really because as soon as the decals are off I will be repainting it. Rattle Can!

James Dean

Decal removal Instructions.

Removal of decals varies based on condition of striping on the vehicle. In general the newer the decal the easier they are to remove and the least amount of image left behind. Experience is really the only way to assess the best way to remove a stripe, if even possible. Here are some suggestions though.

If a stripe is still soft, pliable and not dried out, removal can be done with a heat gun and some pulling. Gently warm the area ahead of you and pull on the stripe with and shallow stretching motion. Do not pull out and away from the vehicle (such as at a 90 degree angle) for this will leave behind more glue for you to clean off. After stripe is removed use a solvent such as Xylol or Xylene which can be found at most hardware stores. Be careful however, this usually won't hurt factory paint, but it might damage repaints. Test an area first. If the rag drags on the paint or starts to leave marks, use a milder solvent. Soak the glue area till it softens with a solvent wet rag. Rub glue to remove. Repeat till glue is gone. A vinyl squeegee may help to scrape or wipe softened glue off, but use extreme caution.

If stripe is dry and or cracked, a vinyl and adhesive removal tool, such as the 2 versions by 3M, will be needed. They can be used by a do it yourselfer, but is better left to a professional at a stripe specialty facility such as Auto Trim Design. These methods can quickly damage paint (especially older or repaints) if not familiar with there effects. After stripe and glue is removed with removal wheels, there will be some glue residue that will need to be cleaned in the same manner listed above. Older stripe however will leave a scar in the paint that will either need to be recovered or repainted. Adding a little rubbing compound to your final cleaning rag will help diminish the scar and equalize the difference from the exposed paint and the stripe covered paint.

Most importantly, be careful, use gloves with any solvents and work in a well ventilated area. Never use a razor blade of any kind to remove stripes or decals. They can leave nasty gouges and cuts in both you and your paint.

Red_Dragon

Spray it on and leave it for about 5 minutes, then scrape with a plastic putty knife. Do this about three times to get everything off. I read about it on here and was skeptical myself but pleasantly surprised when it worked.

Truckfiend

James- What do you mean by a "shallow streching motion"?

James Dean

Don't pull out and away, stay low (20-30*) and stretch. This will leave less glue behind that pulling out and away. By the way we sell the eraser wheels if you can't find then locally. Steam from a clothes steamer works really well on older graphics too.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/3M-St...motiveQ5fTools

Adam F

If you dont care about the paint, brake cleaner will take the adheasive right off. Spray it and wipe it off with a rag. I do it all the time at work. Paint always bleeds off though.

Truckfiend

This eraser wheel is awesome! It doesn't do a thing for the rocker panel problem but it makes short order of the decals and the adhesive in one shot.