how to remove decals from car body?

[MYGT8A4RE]

i have colored lettering decals in the embossed letters "mustang gt" on my sideskirts & rear bumper(93 gt). they have been there for several years now & are chipping away & faded. i purchased some new ones but am having trouble removing the old lettering decals. is there some sort of liquid i can put on the decals to soften them up w/o hurting my paint? any hints or tips on this subject would be appreciated!
thanx,

 

[Poopie D]

you may wish to try "Goo Gone" or "Goof Off"

I would try Goo Gone first, as it is citrus based and should not harm the paint...I don't know for sure though

 

[BullittStangV8]

try a hair dryer or some type of heat. it shouldsoften up the decals.
Mike

 

[aceman65]

Do Not Use Goof Off!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[lxsteed]

I bought a can of stuff at Advanced, its made for that kind of thing, decal remover. It worked great.

 

[MYGT8A4RE]

thanx for the replies, im going to try the hairdryer trick to see what happens(free) then move on to the "decal remover" stuff..............
thanx again!
-justin

 

[marvinmycat]

gas.

 

[01SLVRGT]

3M makes a good adhesive remover. Try their stuff and a little heat from a hair dryer.

 

[decoy562]

You can even use WD40, it won't hurt the paint. I just peeled them off, then sprayed the WD40 on it to clean it off, then I washed and waxed the area.

 

[Black 93 Fox]

You can even use WD40, it won't hurt the paint. I just peeled them off, then sprayed the WD40 on it to clean it off, then I washed and waxed the area.

What he said.

 

[MYGT8A4RE]

yeah the problem is that the decals are brittle & wont just peel off. i wish it were that way you mentioned. heat was needed in my case to get the decals to start to peel......

-justin

 

[MCRParts.com]

yeah the problem is that the decals are brittle & wont just peel off. i wish it were that way you mentioned. heat was needed in my case to get the decals to start to peel......

-justin

Yes use a heat gun to peel them off. Once you have them peeled off. Go to Autozone or CAP,Pep Boys etc. and buy some prep solv. its in the autobody isle.

This is what you use to take the adhesive off without damaging the paint. Once it is all off wash the area with a clean rag and liquid dish soap (car wash has waxes in it).

Dry the bumper then stick you new inserts on.

Hope this helps ya,

Tony

 

[MYGT8A4RE]

thanx tony,
i used my brothers heat gun & then some 3m product for removing decal adhesive the next day after starting this thread. worked great, have the new decals on & everything looks great!..i appreciate everyones responses!

-justin

 

[white_pony]

If they are the raised decals, you can take them off by using dental floss. Just slip it between the car and the decal and floss through the sticky foam backing. It worked for me on the stupid dealership decal. the rest of the adhesive just rolls up when you run your hand over it a few times. No chemicals needed.
Hope this helps

i have colored lettering decals in the embossed letters "mustang gt" on my sideskirts & rear bumper(93 gt). they have been there for several years now & are chipping away & faded. i purchased some new ones but am having trouble removing the old lettering decals. is there some sort of liquid i can put on the decals to soften them up w/o hurting my paint? any hints or tips on this subject would be appreciated!
thanx,

 

[austinGT]

Like others said, decal remover. Theres stuff out there to break up the "glue" type material. Just get one for autos or safe for paint.

 

[MYGT8A4RE]

i agree as i had great success with the decal adhesive remover. but unless youve had decals that have been on the car for several years its hard to see the hardest part is getting the old brittle stubborn decals themselves off, the adhesive is the easy part. i think some were misinterpreting what i was asking at the beginning. most were replying to great "adhesive" removers once the decals were gone, but it was trying to get the old decals removed first! when i was scratching away at my decals when i first started it seemed hopeless. they just chipped off tiny pieces at a time & were really stuck on there. plus being in the recessed lettering made it harder to access. the heat was the trick for actually removing the decals themselves. the heat softens the adhesive & makes the decal plyable once again. then the adhesive removal was easy with the right stuff. was a pain in the butt overall but i got er done!

-justin