Removing Pin-stripes....

How do you remove pin-stripes?? I really want to get rid of these ugly looking things, but I'm afraid of messing the whole side of the truck up or having a visible line of sticky stuff all the way down both sides of my truck.......

Here's a pic showing the pin-stripe that I want to get rid of....Let me know how to...

 

[Hartman]

I took mine off by simply getting one end up, then slowly pulling them off. It only left small amounts of sticky stuff, in which case I rubbed off with my fingers. Then, fresh coat of wax over the areas where the pin stripe was.

 

[aldive]

Careful use of acetone will help.

 

[section525]

How long is "too" long to wait to do this. As in, do you think my '96 paint will be faded enough to see a difference behind the pin-striping??

 

[SeanM]

Hmmm....good question. Mine's a '95, so if you're going to see a difference, I probably will too.....Though I somewhat recall the pin-stripes being replaced/changed about 2-4 years ago maybe. Even so, assume that they have never been changed.

Anybody got some input on this one???

 

[Hartman]

I removed my factory pinstripes which had been on for about 7 years and I had very minimal fading. Remember though, my truck is black, you guys may or may not have fading.

 

[Hank]

On my '91 for the Army Bauer repaint I used a heat gun (on low) and laquer thinner...

Keep the heat gun moving or you can burn the paint... Lots of fade on my 91...

 

[SeanM]

So maybe a hair dryer and some Goo Gone would work? Anybody have a worked out method for this?? I know 98FordX24 has done it on his and I would love to hear how he did it cause I think it looks great.....

Anybody???

 

[Hank]

I used the hair dryer route on my wife's car. Works but a little slow... Safer though.

Have not used goo gone before. Laquer thinner is what I like to use.

 

[LStoudenmire]

I know it sounds crazy, but peanut butter will remove the adhesive left over, also.

 

[Hank]

Do we dare ask how you discovered that....

 

[SeanM]

LOL!! Yes, please do tell us how you made this wonderfully comical discovery.

 

[coolchris]

you guys are makin it a bigger deal than it is... just get a corner of it up and pull. on my 96 it just peels right off with no sticky stuff left over, just alittle but of dirt build up along the edges, it wipes right off with water and a rag. on my 96 there is fading, but its just barely, you can only notice it if you look close. but the fading serves an effect just like the pinstripping, it just looks like a darker line down the side of your car and it dosent look bad at all. it definatly looks a lot beter than the pinstripping does.

 

[Hank]

"you guys are makin it a bigger deal than it is... "

Depends on age, sun exposure, etc.. On the '91 which grew up in South Florida you could not pull up more than 1/2 inch before it broke not to mention leaving glue all over.

On the wife's car, also a 91 (grew up in Mission Viejo, Ca) the stripes came off, (in 96) with minimal effort and fading.


It's all the Orange County smog protecting the vehicle from UV exposure..

 

[LStoudenmire]

Peanut Butter - I cannot even remember how I discovered it. I think I read about it in one of those "How to do everything with household items" kinda books. I think I first tried it on my first car, 20 years ago.

 

[X24]

Dont cut your fingernails for a little bit and then start picking at one end. Pull slow. Mine is a 98 and I took them off about 2 months ago. I took them off and then waxed the area because there was a thin line of dirt that outlined it, but after about 3 weeks it went away.

 

[Hartman]

Yeah, I think it's pretty cut and dry, just start peelin'! If you have a 95+ you shouldn't have any problems with excessive glue or anything like that. Just go slow, it will break but just keep pulling it up.

 

[james t]

this is how you do it. bar none, no excuses, no b.s., this is the ONLY way to do it and save your fingers. go to a local automotive/paint supply house. ask for a "3M rubber wheel pinstripe remover." thats not what its called, but they will know what you're asking for... it is a round "disc" made of the same stuff that a pencil eraser is made of. at least it feels like it, anyway. it mounts on the end of a drill. take your time, and dont hold it in one spot for very long. i TOTALLY de-pinstriped my X in under an hour with this thing. and that includes beer breaks. this will get the stripe off, and leave no residue behind. my 96 had no paint fade, and if it did, it wouldnt be as noticable as the ugly pinstripe, IMHO. you can tear up your fingers rubbing the glue off or you can let a drill do the work; you decide. sorry, ive got to throw this in again...

 

[SeanM]

How dangerous is that to the paint??? I'm also interested to see how 98FordX24 did it too....

 

[X24]

Half of my truck was really easy since it was repainted about 2 months before I took the stripe off. That side came off very easy. The other side there was a line of residue above and below the stripe. I just waxed that area and that got rid of most of it and then after about 3 weeks it was all gone just from rain and stuff. Just pull it up and pull SLOW. SLOW is the key.