level9 Posted March 22, 2014 Share Posted March 22, 2014 Getting ready to repaint the Pathy and could absolutely not get the Dealer? installed decals off.. the ones which run the length of the car. I tried.. - heat gun - paint thinner - wd-40, pb-blaster, kroil - lighter fluid - 3m adhesive remover - goo gone - every kind of soap I had around the house including pure trisodium phosphate - brake fluid, trans fluid and any other fluid I had around the garage - also nearly every other cleaner/degreaser product you can imagine These products did absolutely NOTHING. Not a single spec of decal glue came off. I don't know what adhesive they used here, but it's ridiculous. With a heat gun I could completely melt/catch on fire the decal and the glue stays. Sooo.. here's how I finally got them off: First, the decal must be removed to gain access to the glue: Use a heat gun on the edge of the decal and a plastic putty knife or trim tool to pull up the decal. You want to scrape back enough to grab on to. Then work the heat gun along the decal while pulling it off. Too much or too little heat and the decal will tear. You want just the right amount of heat. Usually just a few seconds of a heat gun on the highest setting is enough. Next, we need to attack the glue: Start by liberally covering it with Goo Gone. Work the Goo Gone into the glue with either a stiff nylon or steel brush. I used a steel brush as I didn't care about scratching up the paint. Don't bother SCRUBBING - the glue isn't going anywhere yet. You just want to work it into the glue a little and provide a reference point for the next step.. After letting the Goo Gone sit for a few minutes, it's time for the heat. Note Goo Gone is flammable - at least that's what the label says. I tried catching it on fire, but couldn't, so just be warned here. Using the heat gun, heat up a 4-6" area of glue. You want it hot. REAL HOT. You should see the glue turn white and the Goo Gone will evaporate and/or start to smoke. Next, grab your stiff bristle brush in one hand and your bottle of Goo Gone in the other. Working quickly before the area cools off, start spraying liberal amounts of Goo Gone while working the brush across the glue. The glue will then disintegrate. Keep working the panel 4-6" at a time. Then hose it off and check your work. Most/all of the glue should be gone. If you see a shiny/raised area where the glue used to be - that would be your original clear coat. So there isn't much point in going through this unless you are planning on repainting the car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fman Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 i ended up using 800g wet sandpaper and alot of time that glue was some nasty stuff.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 Wow, that sounds insane! Did you try 99% alcohol and or acetone? MEK? Jasco paint remover? (it will melt hardcore plastics) B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
level9 Posted March 23, 2014 Author Share Posted March 23, 2014 Wow, that sounds insane! Did you try 99% alcohol and or acetone? MEK? Jasco paint remover? (it will melt hardcore plastics) B I did also try alcohol (believe it was 91% though) and peroxide. Also a 2k PSI pressure washer. As fman indicated, it resisted even sand paper.. so I gave up on buying/trying any more solvents.Goo Gone heated to a couple hundred degrees tore right through it though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahardb0dy Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 I removed the stripes on my old hardbody way back, I don't remember there being any glue on the paint. I know I removed the "V6" sticker from the door first to see how much the paint had faded and it peeled off pretty easy. You could see the difference in the paint and I even had a professional detail shop try to buff the paint to get it to come back to what was under the decal but they couldn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nunya Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 87 grade gasoline has removed plenty of aged stubborn sticker residue/glue from many vechiles for me with optimal results. Not I didn't say this is the best choice, but it has done me well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahardb0dy Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 was going to mention gas, I removed a sticker from one of our work trucks the other day, no way as heavy of a vinyl as the stock Nissan stuff, and I used some spray lubricant and my fingernail, it took a bit than used some hand cleaner to take off any left over, all I had to work with at the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 I did also try alcohol (believe it was 91% though) and peroxide. Also a 2k PSI pressure washer. As fman indicated, it resisted even sand paper.. so I gave up on buying/trying any more solvents.Goo Gone heated to a couple hundred degrees tore right through it though Damn, that stuff must bake on over the years... B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 87 grade gasoline has removed plenty of aged stubborn sticker residue/glue from many vechiles for me with optimal results. Not I didn't say this is the best choice, but it has done me well This is what I used to remove overspray on my truck...Worked great and was right there in the lawn mower haha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahardb0dy Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 Used Mothers clay bar to remove paint on my dakota one time, business next to our yard was painting and got paint on the truck, windy I guess ! I have almost the whole stripe that I had to buy way back for my HB when I had my fender repainted, I will say the stock decals are night an day compared to the aftermarket vinyl, in terms of thickness !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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