How to debadge

[FCGrabo]

Hello,

I have debadged my Tundra and I think it looks great. However, my wife is now teasing me that I have a "generic truck." So I told her it's now a Tundra GT (for "generic truck.")

I was sitting out in the garage with time on my hands and I retrieved one of the old "Toyota Tundra" badges. I used a Dremel tool and neatly sliced off the "Toyota" part of it and polished the "Tundra." I then went outside to my truck and thought it would look good in a different spot on the tailgate. Like just below the handle. Just the word "Tundra."

I'm planning to reattach it with some adhesive similar or the same as what came from the factory.

The 3M Adhesive seems to stick in my mind as I believe I heard it here at TS.
Any tips or hints or help would really make me smile.

I know the "DARNUT" guy could help out here.

Thanks a lot.

Grabo

[SATundra]

Originally posted by FCGrabo
The 3M Adhesive seems to stick in my mind .......

I have used the 3M trim adhesive and it works great. Super strong stuff.

[S-Man]

i dont think it will look very cool under the handle. It would looks tacky i think.

[TRDKEAU]

forget the women!!! be your own man!!!

[ChuckFundra]

I removed all of the badges but felt the same as your wife (now that's strainge).

I modified and reattached one badge on the tailgate (FUNDRA). Check out my pics.

I used 3M double sided foam tape. So far it has been for about 8 months with no problems. I was careful to apply it only on the verticle parts of the letters so that any water would flow through and not pool up like the stock badges.

[FCGrabo]

Thanks for all of your replies. All of them are useful, including, "be your own man." Pffft!

The 3M trim adhesive and the double-stick tape seem like viable ideas. I may try the adhesive first. But... some questions:

I apply the adhesive to the underside of the badge and apply it to the truck and the goop splooges out from behind. I should:

1. Wipe it up as best I can while it's still wet.
2. Wait for it to dry and cut it with a razor blade being careful not to damage the paint underneath.
3. Use a chemical like paint thinner or laquer thinner to remove the splooge.
4. Forget about the whole thing; your truck is now "naked" forever.

The "Fundra" pics are great, and they epitomize my feelings about modifying the look of the Tundra using the stuff you already have.

I really appreciate the help you folks offer and I'm glad to be a member of TS.

Since early,

Grabo

[TRDKEAU]

I like you Grabo!!! im glad you brought up the badging topic, I would like to take off my "V84WD" and put a "KOMPRESSOR" bagde in its place. Nah, ill shut up now.

[5 Speed]

I had it all laid out, even took a picture of it but couldn't go through with it. Took the old Toyota Tundra and cut up and attached the TR and D letters next to the 4WD so the tail on the left just said Tundra (cut off the Toyota) and the right side said TRD 4WD. Looks nice, just a little too over the top for me.

[FCGrabo]

Well, guys and gals and children of all ages...

The mission to REBADGE has been a success!

Allow me to extrapolate for awhile.

After receiving great posts from the TS Group, I realized that no one had replied with the definitive answer that I needed. So I set out on my own. This is what defines TS, so I thought I'd put my 2-bits in.

I was concerned about the splooge that would come out from behind the reapplied badge if I used some sort of adhesive from a tube. How do I deal with that? I researched 3M adhesives on the Internet and was just deluged. I did all the Google stuff searches: "reattach badge," "attach molding," "emblems" and never found anyone or any topic concerning rebadging a vehicle.

I decided to call a local auto parts store here in Elmtown, USA, and got two different leads on solving my problem. The guy on the phone recommended a windshield sealer or double-stick tape.
" Oh, yeah. People use this a lot to reattach their badges." Gasp! I'm not the only one!
I made it to the place just before they closed.

I brought into the store one of my refurbished, altered and cleaned TUNDRA badges, and one debadged Toyota-TUNDRA badges with the old goo-goo still intact on the underside. I told him I wanted to reattach the clean badge and needed a good adhesive. Either 3M tape or some 3M Sploogie Glue.

He came back with a roll of 3M "Scotch Mount - Super Strength Molding tape" (part # 03614). Half inch by fifteen feet by about a millimeter thick. He said that this will do the trick. $Six Fifty.

I got it back to my garage and opened up the plastic pak. I hacked off about a half-inch of this tape and...GASP! IT'S THE SAME STUFF I TOOK OFF WHEN I DEBADGED!!

I took the little piece of tape and examined it. It had the same strong, sticky, boogery consistency that the adhesive had when I took the badges off in the first place.

I proceeded to follow the directions and cleaned the "new" parts with tar remover and then rinsed them with isopropyl alcohol. Did the same to the truck where the badges would be ultimately mounted.

Then came the painstaking task of applying the tape to the badge and trimming the excess with an Exacto knife. It took about an hour and a half, but it got done. Next, I measured where I wanted the new badges to go on the truck. 4" down and 1 5/8" off the stake pocket. I made small marks on the paint with a pencil. Then peeled the tape and carefully placed the badge and pressed without making any dents. Did this on both sides.

Soooweeeeet! (cue Mormon Tabernacle Choir here in the "Alleluia Chorus". Aaaah-ley-lu-ya! Oh, shut up.)

Earlier today I printed out how to post pictures on TS and will hopefully take some pix of my Tundra tomorrow and post them for all to see.

I hope this experience is worth saving.

I have to go now because my mouth hurts from smiling so much.

Pffft!

Yorz drooley,

Grabo

[JnEsPappa]

Just think, if you take them back off it will be a de-re-badge

[FCGrabo]

A glitch has occurred.

It seems that the driver's side Tundra rebadge is 1/8" out of plumb, or parallel, or whatever. I just looks a little crooked if you really stare at it for awhile.
I stare at my truck so much that my wife has been trying to distract me with pictures of naked women lately.

"Look, Dear! A naked picture!"
"Go away woman, I'm busy."

I'm looking and thinking and staring and imagining.

So the debadge-rebadge will become a debadge-rebadge-debadge. All of this typing for a measly one-eight-of-an-inch. Pffft!

But I gotta do it.

I was going to post the rebadge pics tonight but a rainstorm hit here in Elmtown, USA and a house owned by a friend of ours was struck by lightning. He borrowed my camera for insurance pics and whatnot. This weekend will be excellent weather to accomplish both tasks. Afterwards it could be referred to as a debadge-rebadge-debadge-rebadge.

I'm thinking of looking for a badger decal for my rear window. Nah.

Sorry about the lack of pics, but the weekend looms large.

Since it rained this evening, I re-browsed the Performance Products catalogue.

Don't get me started.

For Eva Yorz,

Grabo

[SATundra]

Originally posted by FCGrabo
A glitch has occurred.

It seems that the driver's side Tundra rebadge is 1/8" out of plumb, or parallel, or whatever. I just looks a little crooked if you really stare at it for awhile.
Grabo

Thats called "Murphy's Law". It never fails.

[TundraBear]

Originally posted by FCGrabo
However, my wife is now teasing me that I have a "generic truck." So I told her it's now a Tundra GT (for "generic truck.")

what about placing a "TUNDRA GT" badge where the SR5 or Limited badge goes on the access cab rear doors???

[FCGrabo]

What a great idea!

A "GT" emblem which, as I've stated stands for "Generic Truck" mounted where the SR5 emblems were.

Hmmmm.

I could conceivably Dremel a "T" from a "Toyota" remnant. And then more Dremel magic turning an "O" in "Toyota" into a "G". Then repeating the process for the other side. It would take some finesse.

What I'm really wondering is... what would other Tundra drivers think when they see my truck? I think it's one of a kind. They think.......Pffft!
WHO CARES WHAT THEY THINK! IT'S MY TRUCK!!

Thank you very much, have a nice day.

Sin Sara Lee,

Grabo

[FCGrabo]

Please check out the rebadge in My Photos.

Your comments are appreciated/ignored.

Thanx.

Grabo