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noreen&sal · 02-13-2010, 11:38 AM

has anyone ever removed the faded stripes and just painted?

Inland RV Center, In · 02-13-2010, 11:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by noreen

has anyone ever removed the faded stripes and just painted?

Do you mean the vinyl insert that's in the rub rail and belt line?

Or do you mean the decal that's between the belt line moldings?

Andy

noreen&sal · 02-13-2010, 12:33 PM

I mean the 7+ inch two tone stripe around the middle of the body.

Levon · 02-13-2010, 12:47 PM

Yes, I removed the faded stripe and painted (two toned) and then used a car pin striping for the detail....also replaced the vinyl insert that's in the rub rail and belt line....this was done on an 85 Sovereign I no longer own, but plan to do the same thing on an 89 Excella.

Levon

noreen&sal · 02-13-2010, 12:51 PM

Beautiful job. Came out real nice. what kind of paint?

Inland RV Center, In · 02-13-2010, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by noreen

I mean the 7+ inch two tone stripe around the middle of the body.

Noreen.

That stripe was a decal.

Most owners remove it with a heat gun, or a good hair drier.

Then, after proper preparation, you can paint it whatever color you like. Some paint it Charcoal, some paint it blue, and some paint it with stripes added.

Andy

boo_n_sue · 04-21-2010, 03:40 PM

I've tried using a heat gun to remove our faded and cracked blue decal on our '81 Excella II but it's really a pain! The middle portion (dark blue) comes off pretty good but the lighter blue pin stripping is a booger. Is there any other way to do this that might be a little less painful? Can it be sanded down and painted over? Or can you get a custom decal?

I'm not a purist and would kinda like to ditch the blue theme and go with black to match my truck. I could go with plain black but it would be nice to have a kind of gradient - just a thought.

Is the plastic trim available in different colors? Can I even find it for my '81 model? There's 2 different widths - thin and thick - don't know the exact measurments.

Lots-a-questions! Thanks in advance for any input.

Boo

Blue Pearl · 04-21-2010, 04:57 PM

I like the black. We are getting ready to do ours this summer, if I find the solution I'll post.

Ganaraska · 04-21-2010, 05:09 PM

Sign shops or graphics shops can do amazing things with vinyl and color. They could make up something to replace the original in any color and design you like.

If the old vinyl is not peeling they may be able to apply the new one right over top. If not, I bet they have some simple way to remove the old vinyl.

boo_n_sue · 04-21-2010, 05:28 PM

That's what we were thinking. Here's a pic of what it really looks like... It's in pretty bad shape. The lighter blue is peeling and comes off fairly easily with a heat gun and some patience. It's the cracked darker blue that's giving me trouble - it just doesn't want to come off. I'm thinking to peel off all of the lighter blue and then sand it down so a new decal could be placed on top. Not sure if paint is gonna show the cracks or not.

I've also tried using a stripping wheel on an electric drill. It takes it all off but the aluminum really shows marks. This may be ok if it was all sanded and then either painted or decal'd. I'm probably really messing it up but this is my first re-do and I'm experimenting. Surely it will all work out in the end

boo_n_sue · 04-22-2010, 05:48 PM

I've been reading other posts about removing the blue decal and here's what I'm going with - for now at least:

1) Apply Aircraft Decal and Adhesive Remover (Store didn't have any 3M Adhesive Remover

2) Once the adhesive has bubbled up I'm using the plastic scraper to remove the loose decal

3) Then for the tougher stuff - which seems to be alot - I'm using a 3M Stipping Wheel in my drill. The stripping wheel marks up the aluminum quite a bit and this is what's making me a little nervous. My first thought is Oh No! I've ruined it! and then I think that maybe it doesn't matter so much since it's either going to be covered up by another decal or painted (haven't decided which method yet).

Is this what it's supposed to look like during the removal process? I was able to remove the center light blue stripe pretty easily but it's the cracked dark blue parts that are giving me a hard time.

I'm going to keep working on it until someone tells me to STOP! before you kill your AS!

Thanks in advance for any input.

Boo

Becky B. · 04-22-2010, 07:32 PM

Wow, Boo! That looks like a huge PITA. I removed mine with an iron and a wet cloth. I held it in place for about 10 seconds & then was able to peel that section off. I don't know how that would work with yours, seeing that it's all cracked. I wouldn't worry about the scratching if you're going to put a new decal on it. I can't tell how deep the scratching is, so I'm not sure about the painting question. Good luck to you!

boo_n_sue · 04-22-2010, 07:40 PM

Yes - PITA for sure. I'll try anything at this point. Tomorrow I'll break out the iron. Thanks for the tip. I'll let you know if it works.

Boo

Bowmans · 04-22-2010, 10:22 PM

Boo,
We used Glasco paint stripper and it worked great. Use gloves though since it is strong stuff. We got it at Lowe's. You paint it on as a gel. Let is sit for 5 minutes, then wipe it off with old rags. The vinyl will come right off and not leave those marks. The adhesive residue is still on ours but it is not sticky and the surface is smooth. It is just a matt look. I tried to polish out and it will but takes hours.

boo_n_sue · 04-24-2010, 02:54 PM

Today I tried the paint stripper method that Tadd suggested and it worked great. I went to Lowe's but couldn't find Glasco. However, I did find Jasco though and I'm assuming that Glasco was a typo (could be wrong but Jasco is working for me). It works really well. I've posted a time-lapse video of the small section near the front of the AS on the streetside where the raised logo is so you can see it work in case you're insterested. I first removed the logo by drilling out 4 or 5 rivets and then cleaned the surface - we've had a lot of pollen this year and our, yet to be named, AS is covered. After cleaning it off I scored around the edge of the beltline with a razor to make the decal removal easier. I think the decal is actually underlaps the beltline rails but I'm not taking them off so scoring at the edge makes removing the goopy decal easier. The instructions on the Jasco paint stripper say to leave it on for 15 minutes and then scrape off but depending on how cooked your decal is you can go much quicker than that. I think I left it on for about 15 minutes though - reapplying approx every 5 minutes to areas that didn't seem to be bubbling up very well. My decal is really baked on so I figured the more time the better. Once it looks ready I used a plastic paint scrapper to remove the decal. It just comes off in a goopy mess. There's quite a bit of adhesive still on the skin but I just kept scraping and then used a brass brush and a bit of sandpaper to remove the final bits of residue. Probably overkill but I'm not sure how long it's going to be before I'm able to put a new decal in so I wanted it to look as clean as possible.

Thank you to everyone that made suggestions. I'm having a blast with my first AS fixer-upper!!

Becky B. · 04-24-2010, 05:27 PM

I love your time-lapsed video. I'm glad you found what worked! I like the black theme too--looks nice & classy. Too bad I have a blue awning, or I might have gone for that look. NICE!

Bowmans · 04-24-2010, 07:00 PM

Boo,
Glad the Jasco method worked for you ("Glasco" was a typo sorry). Our decal had the same cracked look and nothing else seemed to get it off easy. Great time lapse video but makes me cringe while watching it bubble. My wife laughed watching me jump around when I got some on my arm by not cleaning up well and leaning on the camper. Later, when she had to use it on the base of the battery box covers, she apologized for laughing at me after experiencing it herself. Good luck with the renovation!!

boo_n_sue · 04-24-2010, 10:42 PM

Ha - yeah - you gotta be careful with that stuff. You get it on you and it doesn't hurt right away. Then when you least expect it it's kinda like you got a drop of acid on your arm! Cold water never felt so good!

nickcrowhurst · 04-25-2010, 12:06 PM

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f474...and-62065.html

Nick.

Pariscope · 12-20-2016, 09:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bowmans

Boo,
We used Glasco paint stripper and it worked great. Use gloves though since it is strong stuff. We got it at Lowe's. You paint it on as a gel. Let is sit for 5 minutes, then wipe it off with old rags. The vinyl will come right off and not leave those marks. The adhesive residue is still on ours but it is not sticky and the surface is smooth. It is just a matt look. I tried to polish out and it will but takes hours.

Jasco paint stripper I think you meant.