Does anybody have any suggestions how to remove the detail tape on a fiberglass fender? I have an '86 flareside with two tone paint and there is a tape covering the place where the two colors change. Is there a product made to soften and remove this tape?

Thanks in advance.

Kenn

 

It is a vinyl tape which can be removed a couple of ways. The first is with heat and pealing it off. Don't use a razor knife. Take my word for it. Use a fine edged plastic scraper. You want enough heat to soften it, but not so much that it shrivels up. It takes practice, but once you get your rhythm going you can work along a length of it without having it break.

The second way of removing it is with a vinyl "eraser" wheel. These are wheels that are designed to chuck up in a drill and will literally erase the vinyl off the surface. I use the 3M wheels in my vinyl graphics business and as long as you use them at the speed rating for the diameter of the wheel, the results are quite good. The vinyl eraser is a better choice for badly degraded (brittle, cracking, and peeling) vinyl than using heat.

Here is one of the affordable options:

After you're all done, use an adhesive remover to get any last gunk off. I use 3M Adhesive Remover which I know to be safe on all surfaces likely to have vinyl applied. If you use something else (like Goo Gone, etc.) try it in an unobtrusive spot to make sure it doesn't damage the finish.

 

Thanks, Jim, for the advice. I used my heat gun and a plastic scraper and got the tape off. I tried some acetone to remove the residue but that isn't working too good, I'll either use some Goof Off or 3M.

Kenn

 

Glad it went smoothly. Don't use acetone, or any other type of solvent. As you've found, it won't work on the adhesive, and you run the risk of damaging the paint.