B U I C K Letters

[Bushwack]

FWIW,..and open post to all.

I had the pleasure of spending part of yesterday with Steve (aka steveskyhawk). I was near his neighborhood for a meeting and thought it would be nice to hook up afterwards at a nearby coffee house. Time flew as coffee turned into lunch. Anyway, Steve has quite an impressive collection of flavorful (and favorable) Reattas and parts. Much obliged to Steve for the nickel tour of his stash.

But the main reason for this post is I saw the magical B U I C K letters discussed in a previous thread (and they are magical). These are the real deal. They are perfect if not better then OEM. The weight of the letters seem just right and the quality of each piece is superb. With respect to Steve, I didn't push him as to what the price would be but with a background in print production, I am confident saying the tooling alone wasn't cheap and production must be a multi-phase process (i.e. labor intensive).

Please don't mistake my comments as an endorsement that Steve is the go-to guy for your Reatta parts (or these letters). He is an option just as many others who help keep our cars on the road. I have happily patronized everyone (I think everyone) who participates regularly in the forum (AACA, Reatta Div., etc.) with the needs I have/had for my cars.

What I want to convey is these letters are a quality product. Excellent by any standard in how they were tooled and how they are produced. One concern that I expressed to Steve is to remember many Reatta owners do not enjoy the favorable year-round weather we have in SoCal. Whatever adhesive product to be used for the letters (and I assume he hasn't chosen an adhesive product...assuming he will produce these letters for he'd be foolish not to) should be applicable to cold/snow/wind/angry spouse, etc.

[Guest Richard D]

I just want to say THANK'S to ALL who provide parts and information that helps keep our cars on the road. HAPPY AND SAFE NEW YEAR TO ALL.

may your transaxle never fall out.

Richard.

[Guest blue72beetle]

Is it hard to remove the letters without ruining them? I need to polish both of my tail lights, and I think it will be much better to remove the letters first.

I assume there's a way to remove them without ruining them, as they do come up for sale separate from the lens.

Edited January 1, 2012 by Rawja (see edit history)

[Bushwack]

Is it hard to remove the letters without ruining them? I need to polish both of my tail lights, and I think it will be much better to remove the letters first.

I assume there's a way to remove them without ruining them, as they do come up for sale separate from the lens.

I'm not an expert but I've used warm, soapy water (not dish soap but soap specific for washing your car) in the past to get similar letters and script off of cars. Takes patience. I used a thin, flexible yet rigid rubber spatula for assistance. I'm sure others will chime in.

Edited January 1, 2012 by Rawja (see edit history)

[meehan]

Just pry the letters off with a small screw driver. It pretty much common sense.

Edited January 1, 2012 by Rawja (see edit history)

[West Peterson]

Try a blow dryer and dental floss? That's what's been recommended for Crossfire letters and it works really well.

[DAVES89]

If your letters are still held in place by the original adhesive they should almost be ready to fall off. Just last week I lost the letter "I" and as I replaced it I thought I would check the others. Two others popped off readily using a small pick similar to a walnut pick. You can buy a set of small picks at Advace, Harbor Freight, Lowes Menards, Home Depot, etc.

I used 3M two sided automotive trim tape to reapply.

[Rawja]

I have the pro-polisher machine, I just go lightly and quickly when I'm at the letters. Hasn't done any noticeable harm yet.

[Guest Recian]

ya know for steve's help i'd be perfectly happy buying sets of letters with no adhesive. That way i can put my own adhesive seeing as all i need is a heat withstanding adhesive living in NC i wont have to worry about something that holds up to cold. I'd be happy enough putting them on with a plastic bonding glue then the 2 pieces will be one and never come off

[Guest steveskyhawk]

In a previous thread about my Reproduction B_U_I_C_K Reatta Chrome Taillight Letters some aspects of the final product were discussed. The most beneficial part of the discussion centered on what type of adhesive would be used when attaching these new letters to the taillight. The factory used a double sided adhesive tape and I have decided that I would recommend the same type of tape to install the new letters.

It was suggested that I should have this tape die cut so the installation would nearly be peel and stick. I admit that this would be ideal. I seriously considered this option but found that the production of 5 dies would be cost prohibitive. The die cut tape would quadruple the cost of the letter set. I expect that these letter sets will sell in the hundreds. If production numbers were to be in the thousands possibly the cost of the dies could be amortized over that size run but I don't believe that will be the case. I will be recommending the use of 3M double sided tape which is the industry standard. It will be cut to fit by the end user/installer. Price of this letter set is yet to be determined.

In an effort to give credit where credit is due, we need to thank the one who found the source manufacturer of this beautiful product. All I will be doing is putting this item to market. The credit for this item coming to market goes to my customer and friend Mary Meeham. Her contribution goes a long way in the preservation and restoration of the car we all love.

[DAVES89]

There is that set back on ebay again that looks real nice. I emailed a friend to buy them for me so my purchase doesn't get pulled/cancelled by the seller like last time...

[padgett]

You mean the "Buick Cadillac BMW Chevy Silver Turbo+Diesel Emblems (Fits: Reatta)" ?