Pin Stripe Removal Secret to share

[Raped Ape]

I was discussing with a few others in my coil conversion thread about pinstripe removal. In the past I have experimented with all different techniques on taking pinstripes off of cars without damaging the paint while doing it. I have done such jobs and been a total failure and some have been quite easy.

But there is one technique that I have found to be the best of all others. It involves no sweat, work out with a buffer, erase wheel or anything electronic. A while back ago while in the military I tried using different chemicals to removes pinstripes and I saw a bottle of Expo Dry Erase board spray that can be picked up virtually any where for cheap.

What I found is if you just peel up one end to be able to grab with one hand, and with the other start to spray the Expo Dry Erase fluid bottle in behind the stripe and pull gently at the same time and continue till it comes off in one stripe. It does not damage paint and I have never had to go behind and buff or was other than taking a wet hand buff pad and wipe off the dirt that was edged or behind the stripe.

It is the easiest and less energy producing method to date that I have found. Here is a couple of pics to show you what I am talking about and you can see that it comes off in one stripe without tearing if you are gentle. As you can see this is a 14 yr old vehicle with stock stripes coming off with ease and no mess or buffing required. But do not do this in the direct sun light, do it in the garage at normal temp.







As you can see the only thing left is the dirt from behind or edged from the pinstripe. One wipe and it is gone.

 

[slowmkviii]

very cool

 

[Raped Ape]

This is one fender done in about 10 minutes, and all it took was a wipe down with the terry cloth pad and no telling it was there.

 

[1994MarkVIII]

Nice job. I used Easy off oven cleaner which worked really good but when I got to the passenger door I realized it was painted on lol.

 

[NoLimit95]

That looks so much better. The stuff you're using could not have been used on the stripes that I removed from the 94. It wasn't a stuck on sticker type. They were painted on, (so I was told) and looking at them when removing, I could tell it wasn't a sticker.

I like what you have going on so far. It's making a change in the pics.

 

[Dave 88 LSC]

Many a car has been ruined by a pin stripe.
They should be illegal, along with Landau tops and Continental kits.
As if the original design team didnt spend enough time and money designing a car, someone comes along and puts a pin stripe on the car?

I understand on older cars, maybe. But not on today's cars.

 

[k9t8m]

The only real problem I see with that product, is the that pinstripe has to be completely in tact in order for that method to work. Most people have had their pin stripes on for years, and they become brittle and crack, so you could only get it off a little at a time.

I still prefer an eraser wheel.

 

[Raped Ape]

The only real problem I see with that product, is the that pinstripe has to be completely in tact in order for that method to work. Most people have had their pin stripes on for years, and they become brittle and crack, so you could only get it off a little at a time.

That is true, but then again it is a working method that I have found to work for me now and in the past. Multiple ways to get something done, and the result in most cases are the same, just preference I suppose.

 

[k9t8m]

still a great idea nonetheless.

 

[Kevin O'Connell]

painted stripes

MEK-methyl-ethyl-ketone will wipe the painted on stripe right off. Just use it sparinly and don't stay in one place more than a few seconds. Paint will need to be rewaxed in area of removal. Available at any inustrial chemical shop.

 

[Raped Ape]

Well here it is without the stripes and clean, what a difference it looks so much better.




I took all the lettering off and all the decals I had on the side windows, looks clean.

 

[Raped Ape]

This is after I clay barred it and waxed it. What a shine, looks as new again.

 

[NoLimit95]

Looks much much better now.

 

[Raped Ape]

It took me awhile to grasp the look after the driver side was done. I kept looking at it and saying it looks kinda weird without them. Then after this morning and finishing it up after I got back from the airport in Ft Lauderdale, I took it outside and wow, I thought it was a whole different car. I can not believe that those pinstripes took the appeal away from the body so much. And with the letters gone from the rear taillight section, made it look even better, and of course the clay bar and wax job

 

[BAD97LSC]

100% improvement nice job!

 

[Raped Ape]

100% improvement nice job!

Well after seeing yours in that thread you started with the letters taken off the rear tail section is when I said I was doing that to mine because it looked clean like that.

 

[mark0101]

Your car looks exactly like mine when I first got it. Since then, I have also removed the pin stripe and put on Octastars. The car looks so much better without the pin stripe lines.