Welcome to the Corvette Forums at the Corvette Action Center!

Advice re adhesive removal

  • Thread starter Thread starter jupiter
  • Start date Start date
J

jupiter

Guest
The previous owner of my 04 Z06 had put the chromed letters "CORVETTE" in the indentations spelling out CORVETTE on the rear panel between the tail lights. I noticed that several of the letters were pitted and less than perfect so using a hair dryer to heat the adhesive backing I removed the letters.

The letters came off without much trouble however they left behind some very hard baked-on adhesive material. To get this residue off, I've tried heating with the hair dryer, applications of Goo-Gone and also WD 40 along with endless rubbing and scraping with my fingernails. So far I don't think I've damaged the finish but I also haven't done much damage to the crusty adhesive. The dang stuff just won't come off.

Others must have had this problem. Any advice on how to proceed would sure be welcome. Thanks.

Jupiter
 
Last year my Son COVERED his car with stickers, race numbers etc for our annual trip to Le Mans. He left them on all summer and they got baked on. We eventualy found that tissue paper soaked with white spirit, pushed onto the glue that wouldnt come off worked. we left the paper/white spirit mix on for about ten minuits which allowed it to soften the adhesive, which then wiped off. It didnt damage the paint to his car , but it may be worth trying a small area first.
Ed
 
Peanut butter

I have had good luck spreading peanut butter on the adhesive area and letting it sit overnight. I think it's the peanut oil that does the trick. Remember the old foil "State Farm Insurance" decals? They were pretty nasty to get off. This one was on a fibreglass motorcycle fairing (the old "Vetter Windjammer" type). One application and overnight sit and it came right off. :upthumbs

Creamy works better than chunky, IMHO...;)

Rick
:gap
 
3M Adhesive and Wax Remover might work too. It is formulated to work on car paint and not damage it.
 
In addition to the above, try these:

Denatured alcohol - use with a small sponge

or...


Good old WD-40.


Soak it and wipe until it's all off. It will never come off right away.

And remember to wash and wax afterwards...
 
followup

Thanks for the suggestions. I talked with someone at Stoner's and they said they wouldn't recommend using their heavy duty adhesive removal product XENIT since they couldn't be certain that no damage would occur to the clear coat. They said maybe a quick application of XENIT would do the job with no damage to the finish but they were afraid that leaving the product on too long could be a problem for the clear coat. So I'll pass on trying XENIT.

I'll leave the peanut butter on overnight and see what the result will be. I'll update tomorrow.

I actually did buy new letters on E Bay and may or may not put them on. Want to see how it looks perfectly cleaned up without the letters before deciding to reapply or not.

I think I've tracked down 3 M's Adhesive Removal so if I don't find magic with the pb overnight, I'll get some of this stuff. I assume that 3 M makes a lot if not all of the adhesives and 2 sided tape used to stick stuff on cars so I hope their Adhesive Removal product does the job.
 
My wife is a 4th grade teacher and is always dealing with getting stickers, etc. off of all kinds of things. She has had great success using the 3M adhesive remover. I've used in one several of my cars with good results. I think it will do the job for you.

Ron
"Baldie88"
 
One day my Blazer was caught in the overspray of my deck water repelent! I was told by a Chevy tech to wash the car with mineral spirits which not only took off the over spray but all the wax and road grime along with it. This was actually good I think because I started fresh with a new coat of wax on the now naked clear coat. PS the windows were never cleaner too!
Might want to consider this.
 
final update

So with the exception of mineral spirits/white spirits, I think I tried them all. WD40, Goo-Gone, peanut butter overnight, 3M adhesive remover, denatured alcohol and none of them really did the trick.

I didn't leave tissue soaked with one of the chemical products resting on the surface to try to soften crusty residue. I wasn't willing to risk further damage to the finish. As it is, I already have minor damage to the clear coat in several spots.
 
final update, continued

Sorry, hit the submit button before I finished the previous post.

So after spending too much time rubbing away without getting to the desired result and the liklihood of more minor damage to the clear coat, I solved the problem by putting the new letters on.

Jupiter
 
jupiter said:
Sorry, hit the submit button before I finished the previous post.

So after spending too much time rubbing away without getting to the desired result and the liklihood of more minor damage to the clear coat, I solved the problem by putting the new letters on.

Jupiter
Click to expand...
Glad I could help!:L
 
jrose7004 said:
Glad I could help!:L
Click to expand...

Was also going to suggest that but you seemed to want it looking orig. On my Lemanns Blue I put the red vinal letters in and it looks factory,love the look. Good luck with your vette!:upthumbs
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

O
Goo Gone
Replies
7
Views
2K
O Vette
O

Corvette Forums

Not a member of the Corvette Action Center? Join now! It's free!

Help support the Corvette Action Center!

Supporting Vendors

Dealers:

MacMulkin Chevrolet - The Second Largest Corvette Dealer in the Country!

Advertise with the Corvette Action Center!

Double Your Chances!

Our Partners

Back
Top Bottom