Hey panhead your ute looks awesome. I cant wait to I get mine late June. Love the rims I am going for a similar looking rim myself.
But I want to ask you about removing rear lion badge with out damaging the paint, how did you do it looks a lot better without
On the Utes (unlike the sedans which can have pins and holes in the boot lid) the badge is held on by a very thin layer of rubberised adhesive and nothing else.
My procedure:
I used a hairdryer to heat the area and soften the adhesive.
(This takes about 20 to 30 seconds)
I sprayed a little bit of Clay Bar Lube just above the badge and let it run down to give a slippy surface to work with.
(Any reasonable quick detailer would also do the job)
I used about an 18 inch length of Dental Floss wrapped around the fingers on each hand and with a slight sawing action I slowly cut through the bond between the panel and the adhesive.
(I use Dental Floss as I find it to be much thinner and gentler than fishing line and less chance of leaving a rub mark. You may find that the floss can easily break so it may be necessary to use 3 or 4 pieces to finish the job. It took me about 30 second to remove the badge and two pieces of floss)
In my case the badge and adhesive came completely clear of the panel and all I needed to do was give the panel another spray with lube and a wipe with a mircofibre to clean up the area.
(If by chance you do leave a little adhesive residue on the panel, use a citrus spray intended for removing sticky substances and it will come straight off and then wipe with detailer. Alternatively use your finger nail being careful not to mark the clear coat and gently lift the adhesive from the panel, it should then pull away in a strip)
I’ve debadged a lot of cars over the years and never marked a panel with this method but I have seen some where fishing line has left a rub mark. If this happens a machine polish will remove it almost instantly or if that is not available to you then a good mild hand polish will also work. Follow it up with a bit of wax or paint sealer to replace any protection you may have had on the car.
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