$20 heat gun and some elbow grease = decals gone

[FLKustom]

So I hated the ugly decals that came stock, and also the 5 or 6 other ugly decals the previous owner had put on so I spent a little time today burning my fingers off with a heat gun getting these suckers off! Still have a little more adhesive to goo gone off but overall it went smoothly


Before

After

Now all I need is my black and burgundy seat cover installed.

 

[KKing]

In case there's a next time, try a 3m eraser wheel in an electric drill. So much easier on the fingers. Looks like you did a good job, I like it

 

[FLKustom]

In case there's a next time, try a 3m eraser wheel in an electric drill. So much easier on the fingers. Looks like you did a good job, I like it

Thanks! I'll have to check that out. I'm only missing a layer or two of skin off my finger tips lol every time the decal cooled down it would break apart in tiny little pieces and would take forever but if I kept it well heated it would pull off the whole thing in one swipe.


I was a little nervous about over heating it but eventually I got the hang of it, it's like a hair dryer times 100

 

[KKing]

Yeah I've used them on various things with cars and trucks. With the eraser wheel you never have to touch the decal. I was definitely impressed when I used it on ours

 

[mike_dmt]

I like it, nice work. I know what you mean too, those heat guns can crank it out. Are you going to leave it as-is, or do some custom vinyls?

I'd guess no, from the look of your lil Ford. The combo looks nice and clean. Kinda how I do it. Except for the Liquid Militia stickers Minnetonka sent me with an engine.. Couldn't resist.

 

[FLKustom]

I like it, nice work. I know what you mean too, those heat guns can crank it out. Are you going to leave it as-is, or do some custom vinyls?

I'd guess no, from the look of your lil Ford. The combo looks nice and clean. Kinda how I do it. Except for the Liquid Militia stickers Minnetonka sent me with an engine.. Couldn't resist.

I haven't quite decided yet, the more I look at it the more I like it clean and badgeless. Once I get my new seat cover on I'll see how it looks and decide from there. There was just too much going on before

 

[m.colley]

looks good to me, gonna do the same thing on the Sportster once I have all the seats recovered even though I'll probably go back with some new graphics..

Martin

 

[Dr Honda]

You have to be very careful with a heat gun on a ski. It can discolor the hull. Also, if the stickers are in bad shape (cracking and very faded) then the heat gun can actually make it harder to get off. Basically, the vinyl will soften, but the old glue won't. Then... you wind up taking the stickers off in 100 pieces.

I find using a sharp razor is the fastest way. You can skim it under the vinyl, and lift the sticker quick. Then... use Zippo lighter fluid to remove the glue.

 

[Spimothy Leary]

with the GTX a few well placed misc stickers on the sides and bottom can make a big difference (IMO) i did the exact same thing you just did on a 99 gtx (same model i think) with some SBT and Blacktip stickers, and they turned out just great, but one step at a time., looks nice !

 

[FLKustom]

You have to be very careful with a heat gun on a ski. It can discolor the hull. Also, if the stickers are in bad shape (cracking and very faded) then the heat gun can actually make it harder to get off. Basically, the vinyl will soften, but the old glue won't. Then... you wind up taking the stickers off in 100 pieces.

I find using a sharp razor is the fastest way. You can skim it under the vinyl, and lift the sticker quick. Then... use Zippo lighter fluid to remove the glue.

That's what I was worried about, thankfully I didn't heat it up that much

 

[FLKustom]

with the GTX a few well placed misc stickers on the sides and bottom can make a big difference (IMO) i did the exact same thing you just did on a 99 gtx (same model i think) with some SBT and Blacktip stickers, and they turned out just great, but one step at a time., looks nice !

Thanks Timmy, I just got off the river about 2 hours ago with Chuck and Mike. There was some serious traffic at the ramp.

I have a few black tip decals I got with my seat cover, I'll have to check them out. I thought about getting some zombie assault vehicle graphics lol I guess whatever I don't like wouldn't be hard to get back off now that I have the stuff to do it. I can't wait to get my seat cover on, my burgundy seat has a lot of scuffs and discoloration. I got a black carbon fiber and burgundy one, should look cool

 

[YouCanDooIt]

The seat cover will look great! I have a 97 gtx and I have the carbon fiber/ dark green seat cover and love it. It was on the ski when I bought it, but IMO looks way better then the original seats.

 

[adamsbj123]

I removed the decals ftom my old ski using a hair drier to heat them up. Just heat them until they get soft and they will peel up easily using a plastic scraper. Any remaining residue will wipe off using wd40 on a rag. You can find a large selection of decals on ebay both custom and oem.

 

[bell99man]

Ok, now I'm curious about how mine might look. I thought yours looked ok with the decals, but it looks good without them, too. I like the Black Tip line of covers. Throw some pics up when you get them on.

 

[FLKustom]

Well I got my doo back today and the new seat cover is on and I added a few stickers because I thought it needed a little something, I'm pretty happy with how it's looking so far

Hard to tell from the pics but the top of the seats are the carbon fiber vinyl

 

[Spimothy Leary]

looks very nice, you hood doesn't look that bad at all, better pic of this ugly hood please

 

[FLKustom]

looks very nice, you hood doesn't look that bad at all, better pic of this ugly hood please

Because I hide it well in my pics! lol

pic of worst fiberglass job ever.





The rest of my hood is really nice, Especially the mirrors and top cowl. They're mint. But it has the HUGE eye sore on the nose that just isn't working out for me

 

[ocod]

My eyes are burning


I agree that would be eye sore that would drive me insane when everything is is mint.

If it wasn't so big I would tell you to check w/99spxxx or minnetonka4me for new hood but craigslist will be your best option.

Visit nammers classified thread and throw up WTB.
We'll scour ad's for new hood from 100 ski this winter.
May need paint?

Rest looks good.
I like clean ski.

For example,
I need right side mirror and fuel baffle for a GTI/GTX.
I'm going to this parts farm to see if I can pick it for cheap.
http://miami.craigslist.org/mdc/boa/3179238534.html

 

[FLKustom]

I know I hate it!

so ugly lol


I'm actually more so looking for a hood that needs paint, So I have an excuse to paint it how I want it vs having the stock color.



I'm thinking I want to do an all black hood, This is what it would look like




I don't like all the burgandy, I want to break it up

If I wanted to put the money into it I would eliminate the burgandy all together and do it all black with fire engine red accents. But I don't plan on keeping this ski real long because I want to get something a little smaller and let my mom buy this one from me as she needs a more stable ski

 

[ocod]

Like the PS skills.
But the black does look a whole lot nicer.

 

[Spimothy Leary]

ya thats pretty bad, hold on for a week or three on the hood, like we discussed i know where the $80 on is, and i'm still 95% sure i'm parting out this new GTX and the hood is yours free but its got a couple of puckers as well on the front. i'll send you some pic's when appropriate.

what are you looking for in a smaller ski? how small ?

 

[Seadoobuddy]

A girl with a hot truck and ski and now with a mom that wants a 99GTX Limited.

A picture is worth a thousand words...............

 

[FLKustom]

what are you looking for in a smaller ski? how small ?

Looking for a 2 seater, And a little faster. I planned on keeping the GTX for a while but it would work out better for my mom than it does for me. I don't need a 3 seater and I want something a little more peppy but still stable.

Thinking either an RX or a GSXL (as Chuck had recommended) but I like the style of the RX a little better. I want to stick with the 951 as well.

 

[Spimothy Leary]

well, when my rx is done, perhaps we can work out an opportunity for you to try it, will be night and day compared to your sofa there, not insulting the ski, it is what it is. i rode the yami XL hull for 2 yrs before I moved down to a smaller, faster hull, and now i'm itching to get a cruiser ski that meets me half way in size/speed. and keep my small hull for goofing around rides.

my internal debate is whether or not to just bite the bullet and get a good used 4 stroke and get it over with, good fuel economy, nice and quiet, long range, and they're starting to pop up at less than 4K here and there but i'm not worried about the purchase price, but rather the repair costs if things don't go well.

 

[bell99man]

I think the color scheme looks great. The LM decal is good, but I wonder if there is a source for your own personal design? Like "FLKustom Ski" done like a logo and your avatar on the back, just a thought...