I have major pinstriping which I am stuck with...almost like a decal job, any way, the white stripe picks up the dirt when I am applying wax from the blackish residue that is the job of the "cleaning" part of the waxing process.
I have waxed twice now since I have had the truck....are there any cleaners especially for pinstripe? Also anybody know what kind of headache it will be to re-do them? The purple is already coming off in places.

If you click on the picture of my truck on the left you will see the option package, by the way, anyone know the name of the package, that is the huge pinstripes and those decals on the doors?

Thanks.
Ben in Florida

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 10-Oct-02 AT 09:21 PM (EST)]Well, it looks like you got 2 options. The first one is to wax the stripes with a separate cloth. this will eliminate the smudges. Or the second option is to remove the stripes completely. There is a good chance though that you might get a ghost stripe left on the truck. What I mean is, that you might see the out line of the stripe after removal. It all depends on how good the the condition of the paint is on the rest of the truck, versus what is under the stripes. You can remove the stripes with a hair dryer and some patience. Heat them up,and get a corner started. Then as you heat it pull at an angle, they should peel right off. If you decide to replace stripes, they will come on a sheet. the more complex the stripe, the harder to apply. This also goes for the size. The sheets are 2 sided, One side protects the stripe, and the other side protects the adhesive. The stripes on mostly all fords are made of vinyl, so if you do replace them work slowly or they have a tendancy to stretch out. If you make a mistake, eight out of ten times, depending on how bad the mistake is, You will have to purchase a new stripe. If you do remove them, try to wax the line away with a good cleaner/wax such as Meguires Cleaner wax. It should come off with a little elbow grease. They look like a dealer add on. Did you purchase the truck new? If not a previous owner might have installed them. Good luck!

 

Hey, Thanks for the info. No, I did not buy truck new, but I am the second owner. I cant find any info on the original window sticker about what I call the "decal" job.....so, I think you are right, probably a dealer add-on (which I NEVER would have picked !!!)
I am not much on this type work, if it got bad looking enough, I would rather just have it re-done, got any idea what my options would be?? I know dealer work is BIG $$$$.....

Thanks,
Ben

 

Ben fron the looks of the pinstriping on the truck, it might have been purchased as an aftermarket item from Advance, Autozone, or Pepboys. They are really not too hard to put on. The directions are in the kit. Most that I have seen go on like window tint. What I mean is that you would use a squeegee to put them on. They are still made of vinyl and it is a do it yourself application. The other route you have ie to go to a reputable body shop, and see if they can do it for you. It will be a whole lot cheaper than the dealer! Good Luuck. Let me know how it turns out!

 

yo,

Our local body shop owner let me use some of his 3M adhesive remover;
3M info:
http://www.goodspeedmotoring.com/?page=decalremoval
"...For adhesive removal, use a solvent based adhesive remover to completely clean the adhesive. A spray bottle works effectively for allow the cleaner to soak on the adhesive. Follow with a clean terry-cloth towel..."

"3M™General Purpose Adhesive Cleaner
ITEM #08984 32 oz
Safe to use on cured paint. Takes off road tar, adhesive, new car cosmoline, wax and other contaminates quickly and without a fuss. "

It also removed the 3M double-backed tape adhesive without marking the paint on our Bronco's fiberglass roof.

 

I cant help with your problem although I`ve been there before , its annoying . I just wanted to say that I think your truck would look better without the decal(s), therefor eliminating the headache .


Jeff

 

Thanks for the info, when they get bad enough, I will probably have a body shop remove them and go from there as I have mucho payments left on the truck. I guess if I wax the pinstripes it would keep them more supple and make them last longer????????? what type of wax should I use on them?

Thanks
Ben in Florida

 

Use a pure carnuba wax on the pinstripes. It contains oils that will make them shine like crazy. We had a Caravan come in with fake woodgrain decals on it. They were all faded out, almost to the point of being chalky. We did the stripes with pure carnuba wax. The owner thought we redid all the wood grain with new. It will be bright yellow in color, Meguires makes some that works well!

 

THANKS
Definately going to try that carnuba wax !