Help removing stickers

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CruisinJapan

10 Year 15 Year
Joined
Apr 18, 2008
Threads
1
Messages
18
Location
***uroi-shi,Shizuoka-ken, Japan
I guess this question would be relevant in any of the forums, but since I'm referring to my LJ78 I'll ask it here. Is there a safe, sure way to remove the "EFI Turbo Diesel" stickers on each side of the vehicle? I'm sure they were a bold statement 16 years ago but now I would prefer just the paint. I'm worried that if I start to peel up one letter, instead of the entire sticker coming off in one piece, it begins to tear and shred and make a huge mess. Once I start digging and s****ing I'm commited so I thought I would ask first. I know there will be color differences but I would still rather have just the all-white. Thanks!
 
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The bodyshop that repaired my rig had to peel off several stickers. They used a hot air blower. Like a grownup hairdryer. ;)
Heated stuff until it was hot to the touch and then started peeling. Worked well but these stickers were only a few years old.....
 
HI
THE ERASER WHEEL FROM EASTWOOD WORK GOOD.
sIMON
 
I took all the decals off my BJ74 a couple years ago and it was a bitch. I used 3M Woodgrain & Trim remover and the 3M Adhesive remover. Tried the wheel mentioned above but it didn't work for me but then I was removing some pretty big decals.
 
Eraser Wheel for sure. Works great. If you can find one in Japan. Good luck.
 
Canuck said:
I took all the decals off my BJ74 a couple years ago and it was a bitch. I used 3M Woodgrain & Trim remover and the 3M Adhesive remover. Tried the wheel mentioned above but it didn't work for me but then I was removing some pretty big decals.
Click to expand...

I have used this sruff too to remove 20 year old stickers on our trucks at work. It smells terrible but works like a charm. Kinda pricy but worth every penny!!
 
CruisinJapan said:
I guess this question would be relevant in any of the forums, but since I'm referring to my LJ78 I'll ask it here. Is there a safe, sure way to remove the "EFI Turbo Diesel" stickers on each side of the vehicle? I'm sure they were a bold statement 16 years ago but now I would prefer just the paint. I'm worried that if I start to peel up one letter, instead of the entire sticker coming off in one piece, it begins to tear and shred and make a huge mess. Once I start digging and s****ing I'm commited so I thought I would ask first. I know there will be color differences but I would still rather have just the all-white. Thanks!
Click to expand...

I asked the same for my LJ78. I wanted those stickers gone also. The auto detailer on Okinawa didn't want to help me.

Ron R said:
The bodyshop that repaired my rig had to peel off several stickers. They used a hot air blower. Like a grownup hairdryer. ;)
Heated stuff until it was hot to the touch and then started peeling. Worked well but these stickers were only a few years old.....
Click to expand...

I know that this technique works and works well. A regular hair dryer works to, just takes a bit longer.

Plenty of other good ideas have been posted but I can't comment as they are new ideas to me. I know what RonR posted works though.
 
Wow!

Many great ideas! Thank you so much for your help! I will see if I can find an eraser wheel here in Japan first but it seems there are a few options. I just didn't want to start peeling a corner and then find out that it wasn't that simple and have a sorry looking mess for awhile.
The former, and only owner babied this rig. Never removed a single sticker or warning label, not even the plastic covering for the gas cap pull switch! 16 years old with only 72,000km (verified btw!). I know there has been a lot of discussion on the merits of the LJ78 with the 2L-TE engine, but I feel very fortunate to have snagged this one...and for about $8K!
 
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Follow up

Well, after using no less than three of the suggestions I'm happy to announce that I have successfully removed the decals! I initially couldn't find an eraser wheel (or a power drill for that matter!...Japan isn't really a DIY country yet) so I started with a very hot hair dryer. It did a decent job on one side removing the decal but not the adhesive, and did a really poor job of removing anything on the other side. :bang:
My family and I went on a trip to her grandparents farm last week and i was able to find a drill attachment that wasn't exactly an eraser but that I felt had promise and there was a drill at their place so I went that route next. After about an hour I had all of the decal off the one side as well as a good portion of the adhesive off of both sides but there was residual glue that just wouldn't succumb and by then it was black from the heat and dirt so althugh I had accomplished a lot it still looked bad. I then went at the remaining gunk with wax and WD40 (thanks for the tip...it worked the best of anything) and after about another hour and a whole lot of elbow grease I finished!:clap:
It was a lot of work but definately worth it as the vehicle looks so much cleaner now. Thanks again for all the great suggestions!
92-Prado-LJ78.webp
 
Good job.
All that elbowgrease was not for nothing. Very nice looking rig!!
 
Thanks Ron. I feel very fortunate to have it. I've wanted one since I moved here 2 years ago (actually much longer than that) but up until recently Japan has not been a great market for used cars and with my lack of language skills I didn't have the ability to get into an involved decision making process over a 15+ year old vehicle. I had just sold my Suzuki Escudo (Gran Vitari in the States) and was browsing the pre-owned inventories when I happened across it. I was pretty much sold just from a cursory look but when I discovered that it was one-owner with only 72,000km and all the service records, I bought it on the spot. Compared to the prices I've seen in posts on here it was a steal at about $8K U.S., and of course parts and service are convenient here. On top of everything else, I got a 3 year no-worries warranty that covers, among other things, the head, so I feel reasonably safe. It's completely stock right now so I'm thinking a larger exhaust and some good guages would be a wise place to start with upgrades to prolong it's life.
 
Sweet deal and she sure is looking sharp with those stickers removed.:cool:
 
CruisinJapan,

Where in Shizuoka are you? I'm new to the forum and am just doing the "mayhen" on my first "lancru" SX wide 3.0 turbo Prado. Just want to say hi since we're in the same neighborhood.

Cheers,

Chris
 
I'll probably be moving Up Shizuoka way next year too. I'm down in Shikoku noW. Probably see my yellow monster rolling around.


Not DIY ? II can count ten home depot type stores in my town.
 
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