I’m preparing to prime and paint my 1985 Toyota pickup that still has original paint and decals. The decals are intact and in good shape (only the hood decal is cracking).
If I choose to use a wheel and remove them then I can buy wet application replica replacement graphics from a reputable company I know of. If I go this route I will have the challenge of relocating their positions on the truck and applying them.
Another direction I could choose is to paint over the original decals and use the outline of the covered decals as a guide for masking off and painting the graphics on.
I would like advice or insights with my strategy for dealing with the graphics which I would like to renew.
Thanks

I would defiantly remove them. you should take several pictures and take several measurements with reference points. i should be easy, they should come in backed sections that can be applied as a unit and the backer pulled off . you can use a light solution of water and and a couple drops of dish soap, spray it on then put your decal on and position it. then squeegee the water and air bubbles out. you can do it dry, but you'll need to be careful there is no second time. position them and use a couple tabs of masking tape at one end to hold it in position. start pulling the backing and spread it out evenly. a couple dry runs will help you get the feel of how its going to go on.
Jay D.

Thank you. I was concerned that painting over the old decals could be an adhesion problem for the new coatings, or that the new decals wouldn’t be an exact match of the originals which would be a waste of money. The safest bet and professional strategy is to take really good photos and measurements and focus on a creating a great paint job for the new decals to go on. Thanks again for your response.

badsix wrote:I would defiantly remove them. you should take several pictures and take several measurements with reference points. i should be easy, they should come in backed sections that can be applied as a unit and the backer pulled off . you can use a light solution of water and and a couple drops of dish soap, spray it on then put your decal on and position it. then squeegee the water and air bubbles out. you can do it dry, but you'll need to be careful there is no second time. position them and use a couple tabs of masking tape at one end to hold it in position. start pulling the backing and spread it out evenly. a couple dry runs will help you get the feel of how its going to go on.
Jay D.

This is EXACTLY how we do decals on HD tanks. My Wife literally takes multiple measurements and pics so they go back within a fraction of an inch. It takes a lot of time but the end result is worth it. At the end of the day, you will be happier if you go with new decals.

Thanks

Pretty simple graphics if you did want to paint them.

Shoot your color BC, clear, then layout those over the clear. You could do some pretty cool fades.