CaveVan Forum

VW T4 "Eurovans" => Exterior => Topic started by: kjeff on June 10, 2015, 09:20:58 pm

Title: Exterior Detailing Stuff
Post by: kjeff on June 10, 2015, 09:20:58 pm
Maybe a thread to show little tricks we've learned over the years on keeping the outside nice...

What got me to make this thread is my 03 Black Pearl had pinstripes that sine I got the van have needed to be dealt with since basically the color of the stripe had long left to the great hot rod shop in the sky while leaving behind the base vinyl and adhesive... I tried wax, polish, goo gone, goo off and many other tricks like a heat gun and plastic razor blade which worked but it would take me a week easy and the results were less than satisfactory but now my mind is made up so darn it those things are coming off this week!

So I'm at the car wash and I ask them and the guy says we'll get it off for $250, call a detail shop and he says $300 (eek, a week worth of heat gun and box of plastic razor blades doesn't sound that bad)

Today I'm at a buddies shop helping with his BMW and the detail shop next door is working on a old Porsche (another detail shop) and I'm watching and realize he's taking off some pin striping, what a coincidence! I watch as he goes back and forth with a cordless drill with some type of mini pad on it, when he takes a break I go over and ask what that is...
 
"pinstripe eraser" he tells me. He shows me it's a giant round eraser just like you use for erasing paper...(pardon my french but wtf how cool is that?)
I've been around cars and shops my whole life, even painted a few myself and I can't tell you how many times I've detailed a car but I'd never heard of one of these things

Off I got to the auto paint store, 35 dollars lighter and I head home... I just did the whole left side in about 40 minutes and that's with me getting the hang of the speed and angle to go at.. Got too dark to work so I'll finish up tomorrow..

Here's a link, should any of you have a set of crusty old pin stripes that need to be removed
http://3mauto.com/3m-adhesive-eraser-wheel-03612.html



Title: Re: Exterior Detailing Stuff
Post by: 42pvan on June 22, 2015, 10:11:37 pm
Would it take off the Winnebago sticker off the top of an EVC? The lettering seems to be sticker of some sort. 

Also, I was thinking about painting the ugly, yellowing vents on the sides of my EVC to be black. Here are the covers in question and the lettering.
(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/06/22/1ab0e8c7ed36082a441edc4816147c8a.jpg)(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/06/22/b8a5a3ee3124e13e294a2b677166c4b4.jpg)(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/06/22/4a3819d730cbebfd1aea4cea75bfc511.jpg)


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Title: Re: Exterior Detailing Stuff
Post by: Nemesisnight on June 23, 2015, 12:43:30 pm
I spray painted my vents black and it was very easy, I just taped them off (seemed like I was going to damage them trying to remove them) then used some wheel primer and black paint that I had left over from painting my wheels black and it seems to be holding up well and looks great!!
Title: Re: Exterior Detailing Stuff
Post by: Cole on June 23, 2015, 09:13:43 pm
I've used several types of paint for things like that. The "wheel paint", or Duplicolor spray bed liner in a can work very well for this type of stuff. They are both designed to withstand the elements a car is put through.
Title: Re: Exterior Detailing Stuff
Post by: 42pvan on June 23, 2015, 09:35:11 pm
Thanks guys! I'll give it a shot at some point with your advice.


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Title: Re: Exterior Detailing Stuff
Post by: 93MVWesty on June 24, 2015, 05:29:36 pm
I've had great success using Plasti Dip for items like those. You don't have to remove the vents to apply and there are a variety of colors available (Lowe's, Home Depot). If you don't like it, you can just peel it off. It's very durable and easy to clean up overspray, just wipe it off with a microfiber cloth. For application tips, check out the dipyourcar.com youtube page.

Ben
Title: Re: Exterior Detailing Stuff
Post by: my_bmw_sucks on July 07, 2015, 10:16:58 pm
Decal erasers are great. Another option for removing stickers, adhesive lined sound deadening, gasket material, etc is a heated sticker remover (http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/07/07/512b6ab7df94a538904a2a31fe671e04.jpg) You simply insert a razor blade, plug in and go to town (carefully). That's what I used to get the Winne sticker of my last EVC.


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Title: Re: Exterior Detailing Stuff
Post by: Farther on September 09, 2015, 09:34:01 pm
Here is a video demonstration of an eraser. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDqBQTAc0DA&list=UUDy57LhSN3iRCMzpySklwRQ
Title: Exterior Detailing Stuff
Post by: robinson1509 on October 29, 2016, 02:59:14 pm
Use a screw to remove plastic rivits like the ones on the rear bumper brackets(http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161119/125acd7e161305d257820d98eb1afb78.jpg)
I remove the pillar stickers on my '99 ev with a razor blade then cleaned off the adhesive with some laquer thinner.(http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161201/d5cb0b56a426145437b2ba1b5ecc33e1.jpg)
A razor blade is the best way to quickly strip off failing clearcoat. (http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161201/55f5453fd8ae29a018c623a59ccbdb6c.jpg)Once the clear is removed the base can be primed, block sanded and a fresh base and clear can be re applied.
Title: Re: Exterior Detailing Stuff
Post by: Cole on October 29, 2016, 03:17:59 pm
Sooooo.....maybe I went too far? ;)
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5546/30007926374_de7b6321d0_z_d.jpg)

(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5775/30005862343_297e72f880_z_d.jpg)
Title: Re: Exterior Detailing Stuff
Post by: robinson1509 on October 30, 2016, 06:56:39 pm
Thats one way to do it. :)

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Title: Re: Exterior Detailing Stuff
Post by: robinson1509 on November 13, 2016, 04:09:54 pm
When I am wet sanding I use a spray bottle, assortment of blocks, and a rubber spreader squeegee.  I add a bit of dish detergent to the water in the spray bottle. In areas with deep corrosion I use a mix of water and vinegar.  Phospheric acid can also be used to eradicate the rust, etch, and premote adhesion on the bare metal. A bit of copper sulphate can be disolved in the phospheric acid to prevent flash rusting then add 8:1 of isopropyl alcohol to allow the acid to cut through wax or grease residue. Phospheric acid will convert iron oxide to iron phosphate which is inert and a good substrate for primer. Phospheric acid is inexpensive and can be purchased in most hardware stores. It is a commonly used ingredient in rust converters.
Title: Re: Exterior Detailing Stuff
Post by: gabner on March 21, 2017, 04:42:21 am
Eraser wheel works great on removing decals and pinstripes. Just don't focus on one spot longer so that the paint will not get damage.
Title: Re: Exterior Detailing Stuff
Post by: robinson1509 on November 22, 2017, 09:08:36 pm
Nothing will clean up old rims better than clr (calcium  lime rust remover), a tooth brush, and a scotch brite pad.
Buffers and compounds have come a long way since the 1980's. I recently retired my old body grinder style buffer with the lambswool and terrycloth bonnets. The high speed electric orbital with foam pads are amazing. I have burned a few paintjobs with my old buffer, it can take years to master a buffer with the lambs wool pad running  full speed on freshly painted steel. The new electric orbital are soo forgiving and simple to use. The best analogy I can give is a comparison with gas welding and a mig.  And the newer compounds have improved equally. With newer compounds you can go from 2000grit wet sand to a high polish in a single step with out using multiple compounds, glazing, and swirl remover. The velcro pads make changes quick and easy and the varible speed make it perfect for buffing, polishing, and waxing.