Decal Adhesive making laquer swell?

[Oliver B.]

I have a historic picture (dating 1978) of my 1977 showing a AAA-sticker between/below the two starboard taillights.
In exactly that position nowadays the rear facia's laquer looks a little "thicker" with the same oval outline (can be seen at "special lighting" from a few angles only) than the rest.
I doubt the facia has been repainted with the sticker still attached (but I would not want to try to scratch over the surface, just to find out... ), so might it be that the decal's adhesive made the laquer "swell" back then?
Or is the "repainted"-variant more probable?

Thanks for your input.

[Rich P.]

Re: Decal Adhesive making laquer swell?

Oliver,

I is very common for the adhesive to raise the paint underneath. So I doubt that the sticker was painted over. They would have had to dump ALOT of paint on to flow over the decals edges and not shink back to leave a gap.

Rich

[Oliver B.]

Re: Decal Adhesive making laquer swell?

Rich, that very much reinforces my assumption... I just did not know that "commonality". Thanks for the clarification.

[Edward B.]

Re: Decal Adhesive making laquer swell?

I, too, have seen the slightly raised paint surface when an old sticker has been removed. I have not seen the same under a decal or water slide transfer.

[Dan M.]

Re: Decal Adhesive making laquer swell?

Decals will almost always leave a gost shadow where they were. if the car ever gets repainted tell the painter. the spot where it is needs to go down to fiberglass or it might come back after repaint.

[Oliver B.]

Re: Decal Adhesive making laquer swell?

There also has been a "Fasten Seatbelt"-sticker on the center console between the two PW-switches. (Not too bad looking, actually, still not original.)
That one, too, left such a raised "ghost", after I removed it... I thought the console was solid plastic - not painted. Seems to be the same there, too.

[Terry M.]

Re: Decal Adhesive making laquer swell?

Some of the parking brake consoles were painted -- depends on the interior color and the year of your car. It sure sounds like yours is one of the painted ones.

[Oliver B.]

Re: Decal Adhesive making laquer swell?

Terry, I know the parking brake covers usually were painted. (Just like mine...)
In case of the 77's, the PW-switches were located in the rear portion of the horizontal center console - behind the shifter and in front of the pb-cover... So they are "laid into" the black plastic console.

[Terry M.]

Re: Decal Adhesive making laquer swell?

Sorry Oliver -- I am more used to the earlier PW switch location in the parking brake cover.

[Oliver B.]

Re: Decal Adhesive making laquer swell?

Good to see it IS poosible to teach old dogs new tricks.......
Never mind!