Paint removal help
 

I bought a new body for my Jammin GT, and it came pre-painted. Due to the shape of the body I couldn't get the headlight stickers on without them creasing and looking bad (maybe there is a technique to do it right, but I screwed them up already)

My question is, what is the best way to remove the paint from only the headlight sections while leaving the rest untouched? Can I just mask around them and use thinner? Or is there a better way? The front part of the body is solid white (see pic), so I don't have to worry about ruining the design. I can fill it in with a rattle-can if I take a little too much off.

I want to paint some headlightlights on by hand from the inside, or maybe even put in some light buckets and LED's.

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...3/P1030378.jpg

I think that's going to be really tough....many thinners eat into the plastic and weaken it badly. If you try to mask off an area and use a solvent, the solvent will just dissolve the tape/mask adhesive too, so that won't work at all....

I don't really have a good suggestion myself...sorry. :( good luck, and post up if you succeed. I wouldn't want to see that nice paintjob ruined though.

Denatured alcohol or spaz stix surface prep can remove some paints, may take a bit of elbow grease too.

surely painting on the outside will be just as easy? and not risk damaging the body

if you want to fit light buckets, cut the headlight holes out... then produce some "lenses" for the lights?

I wonder is it possible to cut it back with a soft abrasive in a dremel and then polish it up again with metal polish? I doubt it would be a neat job particularly around the edges though. As said above, hate to see a good paint job get ruined.

How about if you use some sought of glue as masking? Use metho and elbow grease then just leave it there.

At any rate it is going to take a lot of effort to keep it neat. Nice job on the rest of it.

Maybe I will get some vinyl and try to make my own headlights. Vinyl should be more pliable than the decals, I need to get it on the headlights without creases.

On my 1:10 touring bodies we use Goof Off to remove stray paint and collision marks, it works very well but leaves the lexan slightly hazy. Q-tips work best for application, I don't think the Goof Off will melt off tape masks but it will attack the adhesive.

You probably don't want your body hazy, but as a last resort option it works well.