Emblem removal

[tjwoodson1]

I'm looking into taking a couple parts off and getting them painted or vinyl wrapped:

"cooper S"
emblems
chrome side grills
gas cap

How difficult is it to remove these, and how do I do it without damaging them

Also, if I do choose to paint, what is my best route to do so?

Taylor

[X5JR]

The gas cap comes off easily, just a counter clockwise turn of about 1.5 inches, and it is off. I sanded mine with 600 grit, and 00 steel wool. I primed it with Fusion primer, then painted it with spray paint I got from Minspeed. It does not quite have the high gloss as the body paint color. Perhaps, I need to Clear coat it. I would think you can do the same with the other parts. I did the same with the bezels around the front and rear lights. Actually, I ordered replacement parts from Flow, and painted them, so I could change it back if I wanted.

[tjwoodson1]

Alright, cool. The idea is to paint it all flat black and add british racing green bits from aesthetic creations. Who makes good flat black paint? Is Kryol spray paint a no-no?

[tjwoodson1]

I want the cap to have this finish (see MINI in right corner): http://www.m7tuning.com/parts/product_info.php?cPath=7_3&products_id=141

[wscruiser]

For removing the "Cooper S" on the boot and the MINI emblems, use waxed dental floss or fishing line.

You may want to either wait until a warmer day, or heat up the emblem with a hair dryer before removal. I also recommend wearing gloves during removal; the floss or fishing line tends to cut into the fingers.

Take a good length of floss and work it in behind the emblem. Pull it tight and basically saw your way through the mounting tape on the back of the emblem. Once the emblem is off, you can use regular alcohol to remove any left over mounting tape goo. There again, the goo is easier to remove when it is warm.

You may be able to reuse the MINI "wings" by applying new mounting tape. I doubt you will be able to salvage the "Cooper S", but they are not expensive to replace.

Usually when you remove the emblems it will leave the paint a darker color where the emblem was. If you plan to leave the emblems off, I'd clean the areas where the emblems were with a little compound and then wax. If you plan to reapply the emblems and lettering, I wouldn't recommend compounding the areas; use the "shadow" of the old emblem/letters as a guide for reapplying the emblems.

[BlimeyCabrio]

do this google search:
plasti dip site:northamericanmotoring.com

Plastidip is the new black. :)

It's perfect for blacking out stuff on the MINI - matches the black plastic trim very well, is durable, is easy to apply, and is 100% reversible. I've done my door handles, license plate frame and headlight rings with it. I'm going to do body color headlight rings instead, but I'm gonna plasti-dip the chrome in the taillights.

The side vents can be a bit more challenging, because of the details and the grilles. The easiest and cleanest way to black them out is to buy the black Cooper vents and swap them. You lose the "S" - but I like that - I removed the CooperS altogether... since nobody else cares whether it's an "S" or not... I just like sticking with the "MINI" badging.

The side vents are easy to remove - just pry out on the front of the vent with a plastic pry tool or tape-covered screwdriver - the front will snap out, the slide them to the front and unplug the wire.

[tjwoodson1]

Who sells the vents?

[BlimeyCabrio]

You can order them through any dealer. Outmotoring.com also sells them.

http://www.outmotoring.com/mini-cooper/mini-cooper-black_side-marker-housing.html

[minibugs]

Just THINK if GM - Ford & Chrysler Know what we Know:ms_ponder:..........Oh :yeah:............:thank_you2: