Fixing paint from vinyl letter removal?

Edited: 10/21/2008 2:44:28 PM by draggindakota

So my Ranger used to be a pool truck, and had vinyl lettering all over it. Where the lettering used to be is still glossy, but it looks like the dealer sanded the f'in lettering off. It's not really rough to the touch though, so I'm a little lost.

I thought at first it might be glue residue, but Goo Gone no workey. You can see the lettering plain as day when it's wet.

What's the best way to get that shit off of there? Wet sand it and buff it? If so, what grit should I start with?

You can kinda barley not really see it in this pic:


Thanks.

hey man, there is really nothing there to take off, the paint under the lettering was just untouched by the sun, so its in better shape than the rest of the truck, a good buff job should cure this problem for you.

If I was you I would try some good adhesive remover first. Then go ahead and cut and buff it. If you can still see it then it could have bled into the paint. You might be able to wet sand it out, then buff it. I had to do that on one van that I lettered in the past.

The reason you can see around it is because it looks like they took a scothch brite pad or and scrubbed the letter off or something. It's all scuffed up, but the paint is still smooth. I'm going to try to buff a small area and see what happens. Thanks.

Everytime i thought i saw the problem on your truck, i realized it was just my dirty computer screen... lol i can't see it at all

I got a couple better pictures:

yeah, it kinda looks like they used a mild abrasive to take off the lettering. A good cut and wheel should make it shiney again.

Wash the truck then hit it with a wax and grease remover.

Wet sand it lightly with 1200 or 1500 grit paper. Stay away from the edges. Factory clearcoat is really thin.

Once its sanded, you shouldn't be able to see the sticker marks anymore. Wash away the sanding residue and start buffing.

Wool pad with some rubbing compound, then foam pad it with some swirl mark remover. If you still see small scratches on the surface, you'll have to go back to the wet sanding to get rid of em. Once you're looking sweet, hit the surface with some wax to protect it and you'll be good to go.

Thanks man! That's exactly the kind of info I was looking for.