DIY: Debadge/Black out Emblems

[TinyGiant]

There was a Request for this today on the forum so i Figured i would make up a quick diy



Here is what I did..

1. park the car in the hot sun for a couple hours. Or Get a heat gun and heat the emblems up (be careful not to melt paint or something.)

2. Spray the emblems with wd40. let the wd40 saturate the sticky foam tape that holds the emblems on there.

3. Get pulling. For me.. i was able to just pull it off slowly with just my hands, leaving no residue. Some people use finishing line or fishing line and slowly and carfully saw it off the car (slip the line under one side and slowly lift the line up and down while you are separating the emblem from the car.

4. Use some soap and water and clean the back of all the wd40. so that you have a nice clean slate.




Painting:

1. Lightly sand the emblems with some 300 grit sand paper.. Try to get the whole emblem looking sanded.. not just the flat surface.

2. Use 2-3 Coats of Adhesion Promoter (helps the paint stick)

3. use 2-3 coats of Primer (get stuff that specifically states it can be used on metal or plastic)

4. Use 3-4 coats of Base Coat. I used a flat black for mine.

5. let the suckers dry for a couple hours.


Rebadging:

1. Get some 3m body tape (dont use anything but.. other stuff will be too thick and will look really crappy.

2. put the tap on the back of the emblem. I laid the tape horizontally along the back of the emblem so it covered the whole back. then I carefully razored the excess off so it looked like it was supposed to be there. Also make sure when its flipped over you cant see any tape.. if you can razor a little so the excess is gone.

3. Put it back on!



Front Badge Removal:

Reach your fingers in the fron at about 4 O'clock on the emblem and you should feel a little tab.. push it so that it releases.. there are two other tabs too.. if you get two out.. it usually just pops out .. you might have to borrow a girl or a kid if your fingers are husky.


if anyone has pictures of the process post them and i will put them in this post

The End Result






Husky Fingers Approach: (glad i have skinny fingers :) )

Originally Posted by Darb

Here's the front emblem DIY, for those with "Husky fingers"

The Emblem!


My husky fingers won't fit, and my pinkies aren't long enough...


First, we want to remove these 5 pins.


They will start like this.


Just push down the center.


Pull them out. Don't lose these.


Pull up the bumper cover, and look in front of the radiator, we want to pop these clips, one on each side, at 5 and 7 o'clock.


The old emblem will literally pop out and land on the ground after you pop the second clip, you'll have this nice hole for your new emblem.


Line up the top.


And the bottom, and push in on either side, it will snap in place.


Take your pins, and pop the center up through the middle.


Realign your cover with the 5 holes again, and insert your pins, remember all 5.


Push down the center so it's flush.


Tada! Your emblem is installed!


Only minor battle wounds were sustained, it's a tight fit under the bumper cover.

And yet another method :)

Originally Posted by Chris07LB

I know this is a rather easy "free mod" to do, but I remember a few asking how to do it.

Here is a super simple how-to, to get your rear end looking cleaner..

First step is to CAREFULLY warm up the emblems.. a few seconds is all it needs! A regular hair dryer works fine, but I had my heat gun close by, just be very careful if using one!
Work one side at a time.


Then get out some good 'ol fishing line. Dental floss will also work, but sometimes it's not strong enough, and will break easy.

Just get under an edge, and start "sawing" from top to bottom, all the way until you reach the other side.. simple!


There will be a little adhesive left behind from the emblem.


It comes off very easy with your finger nail.


Clean up whatever little bits are left behind, with WD40... Simple.

Repeat steps for other side.




FINISHED LOOK Shine provided by Turtle Wax ICE.


Enjoy.

If you plan on using something like goo gone to remove any left over residue here is some advice on technique

Originally Posted by RedHatch08

It's quite easy. Here's what I did:

Just get your Goo Gone and a a paper towel (or cloth). Take 1 sheet and fold it up a few times to make a small square.

Apply some Goo Gone to the paper towel. Wipe it generously across the foam/tape that's left on the car. Coat it well and let it sink in for a minute or two.

Pick an edge to start from, and just use your fingers to start peeling the foam off.

Feel free to re-apply the Goo Gone periodically as you go. It does work better if you give it time to sink in and loosen the adhesive.

Also you may want to do this step at a car wash, like I did.

If you're anything like me, your car will end up with WD-40 and Goo Gone all over the place. After I was done I just gave it a car wash, and it was all nice and clean and debadged.