Removing tape from roof moldings

[OzCoupe72]

I'm in the process of putting my vehicle back together after paint and just doing the roof rail moldings/weatherstrips now

One of the worst jobs is removing old adhesive especially the double-sided foam tape so I Googled for some ideas and everything from WD40, wax & grease remover to eucalyptus oil was mentioned as the bees knees to remove it so I gave it a try and although it softened it a little it was still a slow and tedious process.

One bloke mentioned pouring boiling water over it so I gave that a try and it worked quite well however was quite messy as I needed to do this inside the shed.

Then a light bulb went off and I realized I had bought a clothes steamer like this one -

https://www.target.com.au/p/garment-steamer/60024565

I bought it ages ago to remove window tint film which by the way works perfectly well for this

So I got it out and gave it a try and boy did it make life easy, only needed to put the nozzle over for 10-20 seconds and by using a plastic trim remover tool that has the width of the tape or you could get away with a screwdriver it removed it in no time

Also used it to remove old glue and the caulking from the drip rails

You can even use it for removing stickers and old masking tape

Any garment steamer would do it and for 50 bucks well worth it and you might want to use it for your clothes too!

Oh and don't forget to wear gloves!

 

[LeglessOne]

Great tip :goodpost: 

I'm about to do all of mine and put in the wind down rear quarter windows at the same time.

When it finally cools down enough to get in the shed without feeling like you swimming in your clothes.

Shane

 

[Carolina_Mountain_Mustangs]

LOL, I bought a home steam cleaner to use on the detailing and cleaning of my 73 Mach 1 that has sat for 37 years. I picked one up at Goodwill for I think $15.00 use distilled water. This is not like you steam clean equipment with just a hand held wand and brush. I use to take cars I was working on to local filling station that had a big steam jenny and get them steam cleaned, engine and under the floors for $50.00. Made life so much easier and cleaner.

I would never go back with the foam tape on any part of the car. Was just a fast clean easy way for Ford to close them off and they leaked horribly.

Another great use for the steamer is when you are doing upholstery work. Will take the wrinkles out and tighten up the covers.

 

[73basicstang]

I will keep that one in mind as I have one. I used it on the seat and the new convertible top as it helps to take out the wrinkles out and relaxes the fabric for stretching.