I want to remove the tailgate F O R D sticker on my 1996 f-150, but ive seen one person do it and there was all kinds of nastiness underneath. guidance!

 

3M makes a good adhesive remover. You should be able to remove the sticker with a hairdryer then use the 3m to remove the adhesive.

 

Not sure what you mean by nastiness under the letters but you will still be able to read it with the decals removed.

The paint unless new will be faded everywhere but where the decals are located, it will say "Ford" but in darker paint then the field around it after they are removed. The degree it shows will vary by a couple of factors but unless the tail gate was very recently freshly painted and the decals were removed it will show. If they repainted masking the decals doing so? you might get a big surprise!

Guess the big question should be, what's the reason for removal are the decals damaged or?

 

Ive never tried the stuff for your specific application,but GOO GONE/ GOOF OFF, works very well for typical sticker/bumper stickers.

Lather it on and let it sit for a while and come back and peel it off.

 

I suggest using a fabric steamer, then an adhesive remover or mineral spirits, then rubbing compound. If that doesn't look good enough, order a set of new letters.

 

Use a heat gun. Heat the decal and area around it. It will come off easier, with less adhesive transfer. Use an adhesive remove after the decal is off, then polish it out. I am thinking of doing this on my white truck where shadowing will be less of an issue.

 

The truck hasn't been painted in 20 years, but the paint is the same shade on the outside as it is in the door jams, and under the hood, so its in fairly great condition. And i wanted to remove them because i thought the the look without them was clean