Dreaded letter removal

R

racing2448

New member
My dad has a company truck that is going to go up for sale very soon. Its a 1998 White GMC Savana and its COVERED in lettering that all needs to come off, and it has been on there for 9 1/2 - 10 years now. I know for a fact that i will never get the paint to match and im not really too concerned about that. Im more concerned with getting the letters and glue off the vehicle so i can take the buffer to it and polish out what I can, and get it somewhat ready to sell.



(I appologize if this has been discussed on here before, i did a brief search and all i got was boat lettering removal.)
 
yeah i was definitely thinking heat gun... im almost 99% sure that there is going to be glue left behind. Is it safe to use something like gu gone or something like that?



(oh, and i wish i could hire someone to do it, but im the one being hired technically;))
 
Along with what everyone else has said, use lacquer thinner. It will work well at getting through the glue. Just be careful, don't go hog wild, and check your towel now and then to make sure you're not pulling any paint (especially on an older truck).



Other than that, it just takes patience. I've done it so I know your pain.
 
Vinyl lettering right? If it's that old then most likely it won't come off in one piece. If you can find a sign supply shop in your area then pick up some plastic razor blades and some stuff called RapidRemover (it's made by a company called RapidTac). Use a heat gun to heat up the vinyl and scrape it off with the plastic blades. Use the RapidRemover as instructed to get any adhesive residue off. I guess there's a ton of different products you could use to get the residue off but i've used the RapidRemover stuff on a ton a different vehicles with no problems at all. There will definitely be ghosting, if you want to get rid of that you'll have to polish the panel.
 
I have used a heat gun and mineral spirits for years with no problems. Heat until warm-hot and fingernail peel or use a plastic razor or plastic picnic knife to remove the lettering. Use mild solvent to soften the glue and wipe away. I am guessing there will be ghosting and polishing will do very little.
 
3M Pinstripe Removal Wheel



Works by friction and lifting the decal. Sometimes it is the only thing that works efficiently. Generally if they are quality decals i find heat faster. Heat, lift a corner and try to peel the whole decal off. Then use solvent to remove glue. I use mineral spirits.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top