Removing old vinyl stripe

[ba$$fan]

If a red 97 GTS has had a single white stripe and pinstripes on it since 97, do you guys think they could be removed with no trace or discoloration left? I searched but couldn't find any related topics. Haven't looked at the car yet but might soon. The guy says that its been garaged its whole life and with fairly low miles probably hasn't been out in the sun a bunch...but the texas sun just concerns me after so many years of them being on. I don't like the look of it with the single stripe.

thanks for any insight

 

[kcobean]

I'm told that modern paints take a LOT of sun exposure to cause any fading because they are UV resistant or something like that. If it's been garaged, I'd guess you can probably pull it off with no worry of discoloration. You may need to buff/polish the car to get rid of any variance in finish quality afterward, but I wouldn't think discoloration would be an issue. Unfortunately, there's no "inconspicuous area" to test on.

 

[dave6666]

My '01 had a slight marking when I had it restriped. I polished in between old stripes and new stripes but I think a keen eye would still see it. If you yank the old stripe dual stripes should cover the edge of the single depending on how wide the single was.

 

[kcobean]

Dave, was your stripe clear-coated over?

 

[ViperGeorge]

I have had to take decals and vinyl off of my race car many times, sometimes after a long period. Heat can help (not one of those high powered heat guns though, they're too hot). There will be substantial residue left on the paint which can, with a lot of elbow grease, be removed with one of the adhesive removers. 3M stuff is good.

As you indicate the real question is whether the paint not covered by the stripe will have faded from the sun enough to be noticed. No real way to know until you remove it. You might want to see if there is a painted piece that is not as exposed that you could easily remove and hold next to the hood in the sun to see if there is a difference.

 

[plumcrazy]

took a set off a white truck i had. they were on for about 5 years and couldnt tell but its white....

a blowdryer and some patience works well. heat up an edge, pull it up and keep the blowdryer a couple of inches in front of where you wanna peel it up, keep moving till done. then remove the residue and rewax asap.

 

[dave6666]

Dave, was your stripe clear-coated over?

Never heard of vinyl stripes having any type of coating applied over them like "clear." Sorry if it wasn't "clear" that my stripes are/were vinyl.

In other news, buh-bye Vick and the Eagles

 

[-FROG-]

I removed stripes off my 2005 dark blue Mustang. Doing it in warmer weather out in the sun is ideal... winter is no good... the vinyl will break into little pices and cause you to ****** your neighbors cat due to the frustration. They left some discoloration but that car sits out in the sun all the time. Not garage kept. I just tell people I have ghost stripes on the car now and they somewhat believe me.

 

[VJR3]

You will have faint markings where the decals were. I have done this many times at our bodyshop. You will need a real keen eye to see it. Just polish it when you are done removing them. You'll be fine.

 

[XtraTQ]

Can you post a pic of the car with the single stripe? Don't think I've seen a Gen II with a single stripe.

 

[ba$$fan]

Can you post a pic of the car with the single stripe? Don't think I've seen a Gen II with a single stripe.

It sold over the weekend, it was more a combination of single and dual, just came together as a single. Oh well, on to the next one!

 

[XtraTQ]

Good luck with your search!

 

[Danino]

From a chemistry stand point, red is the worst color in regards to fading, depending on whether or not the information is correct, you won't really know till you get the strips off if there was fade.

 

[dave6666]

I removed stripes off my 2005 dark blue Mustang. Doing it in warmer weather out in the sun is ideal... winter is no good... the vinyl will break into little pices and cause you to ****** your neighbors cat due to the frustration. They left some discoloration but that car sits out in the sun all the time. Not garage kept. I just tell people I have ghost stripes on the car now and they somewhat believe me.

Hair dryer = no winter issues peeling stripes.