Removing wood grain vinyl

[marty]

I've seen just a couple of blurbs about removing the vinyl.  The vinyl on my 86 has been baked by the TX sun.  Started removing it in the 100 degree heat down here and the pass front door wasn't too bad as some fairly large pieces peeled off.  The old glue took as long as the vinyl using paint thinner and Goof Off.  Moved to the pass rear door and it fought me the whole way.  Had to use a razor scraper for all of the vinyl and the glue, although still tacky seems to not want to come off.  I've been trying to soak it with the thinner and use the scraper but it's still resisting.  On the front door it was, with some extra scraping with a plastic scraper, coming off with a thinner soaked rag.  Anyone found anything better for breaking down the glue?  Thanks.
Marty

[jim]

We replaced the wood grain vinyl on our 88.  WonderEAGLE did a write up with pictures but I can't find them.  I hope that wasn't lost in the recent data loss.
She used a heat gun to remove the vinyl, and MEK (Methyl Ethyl Ketone) to remove the glue,followed by alcohol to make sure the metal was clean.  We got the new vinyl from jcwhitney.com, which was a mistake.   When it touches it sticks.  Someone, maybe 3M ,makes a vinyl that's much easier to apply, so I've been told after it was too late.

[txjeeptx]

3M makes a rubber disk that you can use in an air die grinder or an electric drill to remove vinyl graphics.
Here's a link to their site - http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/Paint/Application_Systems/Products/Product_Catalog/?PC_7_RJH9U5230079D02R7QH2A20CJ7_nid=LZMNMLWKGFbeRH62RP119Xgl
They call it a stripe off wheel. I've used one before, and it takes a lot of time, too, but it will not damage the paint beneath the vinyl.

[Gil-SX4]

WD-40

[jim]

A Good Egg to PeterM!

[javelinman74]

Once off I see there is an e-bay vendor for the replacement vinyl for Wagoneers that should match...

[WoodenBirdOfPrey]

I found a wood grain vinyl that looks like a really close match to the factory wood grain in both color and pattern.  I haven't tried it yet, but I think this is what I'm going to use when I finally get around to replacing it on the passenger side.  I think the passenger side saw more sunlight than the driver's side, because the driver's side still looks great.  I'm thinking this will be close enough nobody will notice a difference from one side to the other.



Not too expensive either, at $4 a foot at 15" wide (the same seller has it on fleabay for a little cheaper even).  You can order something called Rapid Tac from them.  It supposedly preps the surface and allows you to put the vinyl on wet, slide it around until you get it positioned perfectly, then squeegee the liquid out from underneath it and it bonds the same as if it were put on dry.  I think that would make the installation a lot easier.

[rollguy]

You can order something called Rapid Tac from them.  It supposedly preps the surface and allows you to put the vinyl on wet, slide it around until you get it positioned perfectly, then squeegee the liquid out from underneath it and it bonds the same as if it were put on dry.  I think that would make the installation a lot easier.

Maybe use just a squirt bottle of water with a drop or two of dishwashing liquid like the window tinters use.

[Prafeston]

So glad I found this. I'm gonna be looking to remove the wood grain on my new bird!

[craigp29690]

Be careful with the rubber wheel, aka pinstripe eraser.  You can burn the paint if you hold it in one place to long or apply too much pressure.

[Prafeston]

I can't wait to start busting into this. I know it's going to be quite a chore. The vinyl is cracked all over so I don't believe it's going to come off in nice big sheets.