avantey Posted June 13, 2010 Share Posted June 13, 2010 I just bought a new to me ride for the '13 and I have a question. The trailer was a race car trailer and has vinyl lettering on it. How do you remove it? We tried pulling it off last night with some success but it will be a long day to get it all off that way!What is the glue that holds it on? Will something like vinegar loosen it up? (I am thinking wallpaper here). Any help would be appreciated, poor little Stude has already said she doesn't drive for Vail Motorsports!Thanks- Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidAU Posted June 13, 2010 Share Posted June 13, 2010 I would try the wifes hair dryer. Dont cook the vinyl with it. Just warm the edge of the sign up and then slowy pull it off as the heat makes the glue let go.David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdsbob Posted June 13, 2010 Share Posted June 13, 2010 David's advice on warming with a hair dryer is good. If there is any residual adhesive left on the painted surface, I would use 3M™ General Purpose Adhesive Cleaner, 08984. If you are carefull with it it will not damage the paint on the trailer and does an excellent job of removing the adhesive.Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shop Rat Posted June 13, 2010 Share Posted June 13, 2010 A hairdryer will help, or position the trailer so that the vinyl is warmed up by the sun, that way the heat stays on the vinyl while you are working on it.There is a product called Goof Off and it works well for removing adhesives. It was recommended to us for use on the vinyl wallpaper in our RV for some spots of adhesive that somehow got on the wallpaper where it should not have been. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCHinson Posted June 13, 2010 Share Posted June 13, 2010 Goo Gone is another good one that will help with the adhesive removal. It is available at Wal-Mart, among other places. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
progoofoff Posted June 13, 2010 Share Posted June 13, 2010 (edited) I found gasoline works the best.I first put the Lucky out. Edited June 13, 2010 by progoofoff (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R W Burgess Posted June 13, 2010 Share Posted June 13, 2010 Be aware that you may still be able to see the original lettering from sun aging of the trailer siding. You may have to reletter it with some of your own ideas as a mass covering to hide the old lettering. Even the AACA Logo from Headquarters comes in sizes big enough to cover it, probably lots cheaper too!Wayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avantey Posted June 14, 2010 Author Share Posted June 14, 2010 Thank you to David and others who suggested a hair dryer. I have a commercial heat gun used in manufacturing and I took it out this PM. With a little trial and error I had all the vinyl off in about two hours, it worked great!Now I will get into the adhesive removal and a good cleaning of the trailer. Unfortunately I feel Wayne is going to be right too. The original white under the vinyl is very bright and clean and will stand out no matter how hard I try to bring the rest back. We will see.....Thanks to all, I'll keep you posted- Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avantey Posted June 14, 2010 Author Share Posted June 14, 2010 Just me again.... I was just wondering- what if I used acetone to get the glue off the trailer?- Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Schramm Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 One thing that might help minimize the color difference would be to rub/buff out the side of the trailer. Could bring the color of the rest of the paint up to the same color as the area under the letters and the same smoothness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shop Rat Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 Just me again.... I was just wondering- what if I used acetone to get the glue off the trailer?- BillAcetone is rather harash compared to things like Goof Off and Goo Gone. We used the Goof Off on the vinyl wallpaper in our RV and it did the job without any damage at all to the vinyl. Think about it, women use acetone to take nail polish off which is much harder to remove than some adhesive. I would try something less aggressive to start with and see if it works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avantey Posted June 15, 2010 Author Share Posted June 15, 2010 Actually I went and bought Krud Kutter last nite but realized on the way home it very similar to Simply Green, another citrus based cleaner that I love to use. So I will try the SG first, maybe scrub the whole trailer with it to see how white I can go! If no luck I will try the KK and work my way up. Anyone got any extra elbow grease they want to use up?Worst case- I'll paint the whole thing red/silver to match my F250 tow vehicle! Then put decals on for the next poor bas@*&)% !!- Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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