Pretty much what it says - I have a 2001 Cherokee I've been working on for the past few months and after a replaced fender, four wheel arches, and a lot of bondo/sanding it's finally ready for a paint job. It's sort of a clunker/passion project so I'm not looking to drop big money into it so I was just going to go the $500 Maaco route

I've done some sanding and taping to prep to help them out but my question is with the emblems - the old owner blacked out the emblems with plastidip. I didn't mind the look but after I started the body work I realized the black was peeling off a lot of them. I also saw how much I liked the chrome badges against the dark blue paint. The way I see it here are my options:

1. Remove them myself, gingerly, and create good pictures including measurements and maybe wax paper etchings so I can get the spacing right when I put them back on. This makes me a bit nervous because on the Cherokee pretty much every letter/number is an individual piece so spacing seems hard. I'd probably be able to easily strip the black plastidip off them once they're off the car
2. Keep them in place and let Maacon paint them - do another layer of plastidip over them when I get it back. Would this should work even if there's paint over the emblems?
3. Let Maaco remove them and risk them breaking - this would save a lot of time, probably, but they said they'd probably be brittle and break. I'm just still nervous about getting them on.
4. Put more plastidip on them now and hope it peels off the paint Maaco puts on? This one seems far fetched

Another option? Any suggestions would be helpful - thanks!

 

Don't try to take them off you'll more than likely ruin them in the process and you'll never get them back on straight if by chance you somehow get them off intact.. They're made to come off with a heat gun and practically will fall apart with just the right amount of heat and a plastic scraper.. IMO I'd either remove them and add new ones {money involved} or take the plastidip off, let MAACO shoot it.. Then re apply the plastidip.. I'm betting when you take the plastidip off you'll discover the silver is probably weathered/discolored here and there.. The mopar/jeep emblems are known for that..

 

Thanks for that - yeah I guess I shouldn’t hold out that if I remove them they’ll be intact. Morris 4x4 looks like they have some Mopar replacements but they’re like $70 each, which x6 seems like way too much

It would definitely look best if I bought new ones and just took these off but $$ it doesn’t really make sense

 

I am toying with the idea of getting body work and paint done to my Jeep.

Removing them should not pose a problem.
Getting them back on straight will IMO.

The only badge on a '01 that is not separate characters is the 4.0 on your hatch.

And as you have already found out to replace all the badging is not cheap.

And I feel the same way as you. I like how the brushed metal badging offsets my black Jeep.
In my case I want all the original badging back.

I have yet to come up with a good solution other then buying new badges.

But have a bad idea.

First in your case I would take off all the plastidip
But as Cody pointed out who knows what they look like underneath.

Separate the upper half of each character from the body.
I would use this cause I think it would release the adhesive.



Now it comes with a little dispenser top like a can of 3 in one Oil.
So I would dribble some down from the top of each character and try to separate the upper half from the body.
Then take some of that body masking tape. Thinking this in a 1" maybe.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/39247588575...iABEgINDfD_BwE

Line up bottom of the letters with the bottom of the tape and and then get behind each letter with a plastic scraper to get then the rest of the way off.

Hopefully the characters will stay on the tape maintaining spacing and keep them even at the bottom.

If you have taken some decent measurements you will know where to put them back on.

And thinking some type of 3M emblem adhesive.

 

I've seen people use a spool of thin gauge strong wire and worked that back and forth under the emblems to "cut" through the adhesive to take them off safely without damage.

You hold it at each end wrapped around a finger on each hand and just kind of firmly but gently make "sawing" motion back and forth.

 

Fishing line or dental floss works pretty good. But you have to remain flush with the Jeep cause you will cut into whatever you are trying to get off.
Unfortunately that won't really help keep them all in line and spaced properly IMO.

 

Well like I said, I've heard/seen it done...but never tried it myself. Sometimes watching and doing are two different things... lol I just figured it was worth a mention to help out

 

Remove them that way the paint job will look so much better. use a razor blade, a heat gun may also help soften the adhesive. after the paint has cured, put them back on. use a straight edge, to align them. prior to removal measure the gaps between each on say at the bottom. Also since they are already plastic dip, do you even know if the chrome on them is nice, heck the prior owner may have plasti dipped them cause they looked trashy, scratched, or maybe he even roughed them up with sand paler to improve adhesion of the plastidip.

if they paint around them or paint over them, there will be defects in the paint around them, uneven coverage, shadowing of the paint spray, or filets of paint build up on the edges. so remove them. if they are damaged, or you damage them, get cheap replacements at the wrecker.

what ever you do remove them prior to paint, else the paint job will look bad. Trust me on that, you will, regret it otherwise.

lining them up straight and correctly spaced should be very easy if you measure the spacing at the bottom and use a straight edge. heck use a strip of masking tape under them, and mark on the tape where each letter ends and begins, then remove the tape and set it aside for after the jeep is painted, then stick that tape back on jeep once paint is cured and use it as a template. make two tapes just in case one gets lost.
You can even use the tape strip technique on both top and bottom of the letters, marking where both top and bottom of each letter is. note the distance between the two tapes and reapply the tape after painting, making sure they are parallel.
good luck

 

Agreed!

Do all that work and then cheap out by painting over the emblems????

 

I definitely appreciate all the input - here’s what I’ve come up with:

I called Maaco to schedule the appointment and asked the guy what he recommended and he said he definitely didn’t think leaving them on was a good idea. The paint would get all in the edges and it wouldn’t look good.

This week I’ll try myself to get them off with a hair dryer and a fishing line - if it proves too tough I’ll let Maaco take them. I’ll risk ordering a few new ones if they break but hopefully not all of them. I ordered some silicone putty off and I’m going to use it to make a mold of the emblems I can use to put them back on, so spacing will be taken care of but I just need to get location right which I think I can do with photos and measuring

wish me luck!

 

Just don't do what I did with the rear hatch Jeep badge. Measure it, use tape to mark your lines, then have the person helping you align the bottom of the J and P on the lower line instead of the top of the J on the upper line. Badge was on a wonk and had to carefully take it off a fresh paint job.

 

Did this exact project two years ago with my 99 XJ. Even had MACO do the paint. Did a great job, by the way. Just take them off. Take pictures first and measurements. Doesn't have to be perfect. Buy new on eBay. The badges come connected and use a straight edge to install them. Don't have to do them all at once. Decorate as time permits. You'll be much happier with the finished product.

 

I second the fishing line and heat gun. warm it up until the fishing line can get underneath and then use a back and forth motion to kind of saw the emblems off. If you wanted, you could pour some isopropyl alcohol or WD-40 on the emblems and and see if that loosens up the adhesive before you start with the heat gun. Just use your noggin and dont start a fire if there is still puddled solvent. I've done it and it worked like a champ. Just be gentle with 20 year old plastic.

 

I did mine with a Harbor Freight heat gun and had to work at a few small bits with a razor blade. Took me maybe 20 minutes to do all of them. Easy job.

 

I use fishing line to remove badges on my Jeeps. I have a wire saw in my junk yard tool box for when it doesn't matter what the paint looks like when I'm done. There are ones that are more aggressive but the thin ones are best.