Pin Striping Removal

[Howard98]

My 98 Ranger is red and came with blue pin striping down the sides. I don't really like the blue pin stripes on a red truck. Has anyone taken off their pin stripes and have any advice for how to do it right?

 

[Ranger Sport Honduras]

try with your nail lol, i removed mine that way, then with some rubbing compund i removed the glue.
try heating it a bit with a hair drier, that way the glue gets softer and easier to take out the stripe

 

[Howard98]

ok, tanks. so it isn't very hard or take long to do? and also, do you think the paint will look noticeably different under the stripes?

 

[Ranger Sport Honduras]

depending on the color, paint condition and stripe age.
mines white(duh avatar) and had a blue pinstripe, since it was fairly new-not evena year it was pretty easy it came off in almost 1 piece per panel, and i didnt had to heat it.
did it with my nails so i wouldnt damage the paint wiht blades or stuff.

take it easy and it will come off pretty good

EDIT: try spraying some soapy water to it, i removed the factory stripes on my moms 93 that way. i used shampoo

 

[srteach]

If it doesn't want to come off, use soapy water from a squirt bottle and a new (sharp) single sided razor blade. Replace the blade often and keep it wet. Use the blade to separate the decal from the paint. Be careful not to dig into the paint. KEEP IT WET and you are less likely to to scratch the paint. I removed both of the 4x4 emblems from my bed this way.

You will have a smooth paint layer where the stripe or decal protected it. If the truck has been exposed to the elements for a long period, the rest of the paint on the truck may be noticeably different. waxing or buffing the truck will help it blend if the difference is real bad.

 

[Howard98]

ok, my truck's red and my truck is about 11 years old, so it might be a little noticeable but one of my buddies has a buffer so i can buff it to blend it.

 

[barrys]

I would suggest strongly against all of the suggestions mentioned above as they will at least scratch if not remove your paint.

I had some striping replaced this summer. The stripe dudes (and that's all they do in their 15 year old business) use naptha which is also known as VM&P and which is available at any paint store including home depot. With paper towels or a rag, apply the naptha to the stripe and get the surrounding area moist. You only need to bring up a little edge large enough to grab with your fingernails. Then, you should be able to start peeling it up very delicately. You'd want to proceed at about 1 foot per 20 seconds trying really hard not to tear the stripe as you're removing it and you keep applying the naptha as your pulling off the stripe to keep the adhesive moist. It's going to be really easy to tear the stripe if it's been out in the weather for 11 years so be really dainty about the process.

An alternative chemical is 3m adhesive remover with the same procedure.

 

[Howard98]

I would suggest strongly against all of the suggestions mentioned above as they will at least scratch if not remove your paint.

I had some striping replaced this summer. The stripe dudes (and that's all they do in their 15 year old business) use naptha which is also known as VM&P and which is available at any paint store including home depot. With paper towels or a rag, apply the naptha to the stripe and get the surrounding area moist. You only need to bring up a little edge large enough to grab with your fingernails. Then, you should be able to start peeling it up very delicately. You'd want to proceed at about 1 foot per 20 seconds trying really hard not to tear the stripe as you're removing it and you keep applying the naptha as your pulling off the stripe to keep the adhesive moist. It's going to be really easy to tear the stripe if it's been out in the weather for 11 years so be really dainty about the process.

An alternative chemical is 3m adhesive remover with the same procedure.

alright, thanks for the heads up. I'll pick up some adhesive remover one of these days and let you know how it goes.

 

[EnglishDan]

I've not removed the stripe on my ranger, but I just removed the stripe of my Nissan Murano, and it was a real b*&tard to get off!!! In the end I bought a $20 heat gun from Harbor Frieght tools and it made the peeling job a whole lot easier, the hair dryer just wasn't quite hot enough - although it was better than nothing. Now I have a heat gun for heat shrinking etc.!!!
You will still need to remove the glue, with some kind of compound - a good compound will also help blend in any unfaded paint. Unfortunately red is one of the worse colors for fading!

 

[barrys]

If you get the heat gun too close, it can bubble the paint. And, why use compound when it's guaranteed to also remove paint -- at least your clear coat. You have very little to loose by trying a can of naptha for $4.00 which is what the pro stripe dudes use.

 

[Howard98]

I bought a can of adhesive remover today from wal mart and borrowed my buddy's heat gun.....anything else I need or any more advice?

 

[barrys]

I would not recommend using a heat gun anywhere near a can of adhesive remover. You could end up with quite an explosive situation.

Why not just try the adhesive remover on its own. Just take it really slow.
Wet a rag with the adhesive remover and wipe it on the top of the stripe area.
Then, with your fingernail, try to get the tip of the stripe up being careful not to tear it.
Then, with one hand pulling really gently on the stripe, keep wiping the adhesive remove on the outside and underneath the stripe material with the other hand.
It should come off but you'll be pulling it off about one inch every couple of seconds at the fastest.
Once it's off, remove the remaining adhesive with the adhesive remover using a clean rag surface at all times.

 

[MEAKIN]

go to a body shop and ask for a emblem eraser.....probly not the technical term but its a rubber wheel that goes on a drill and peels that stuff off in no time and you cant even tell after. ive used it to remove emblem glue on a couple of my trucks. great little tool.

 

[EnglishDan]

If it comes off as easy as barrys thinks then you've done well! A couple of seconds per inch is a lot better than anything I've ever peeled off, and I'm in the vinyl decal business. If I'm prepared to put a heat gun to my $30+k Murano, I would also trust it on my Ranger. But hey, that's just me!

 

[thebigyellowtruck]

go to a body shop and ask for a emblem eraser.....probly not the technical term but its a rubber wheel that goes on a drill and peels that stuff off in no time and you cant even tell after. ive used it to remove emblem glue on a couple of my trucks. great little tool.

this is also known as an eraser wheel, i used one to take the pinstripes off of a taurus. as long as u have the tape pin stripes and they werent actually painted on then the eraser wheel will work great. there wasnt even a residue left behind. just dont hold it in one place too long there is a possability you could burn the paint.