This morning I finally worked up the courage to attempt this project on my engine. Like billbarmen noted above, the solvaset tape method does not work for MTH tampo lettering. I gave it the full college effort, reapplying solvaset and tape multiple times over the course of an hour without any removal. I then thought I would try nail polish remover as recommended in a number of videos on the internet. Fortunately, I had the good sense to try this out on an old, broken shell i found in my parts drawer before attempting it on my engine. The nail polish removed the under paint and seemed to slightly damage the underlying plastic so it was quickly ruled out for the engine. Next, I cut some 2000 grit sandpaper, let it soak in some water with dishwashing soap, and then rolled it over a small piece of quarter inch wood to make a little sanding tool. Gently working this in a circular fashion over the “LIRR” letting under the cab window slowly and easily removed the lettering. I dipped the sandpaper in the soapy water few times during the process and used a napkin to keep the water from accumulating, but other than that, this was a piece of cake and anyone who is in a similar situation should not hesitate like I did. I noticed a slight removal of some of the surface gloss on the first side I did, but on the second side, when I had a better handle on how gently I could work my sandpaper, almost no surface gloss was removed. In any event, I always tape and spray on some gloss spray before decaling because I notice this hides the new decal edges better. Then, when everything dries, I give a light dull coat over the decal to better seal it in.
Here is how it looked after the first 30:seconds of sanding in a circular motion -
And here it is prepped and ready for a base coat gloss spray before decaling (you can see the small sandpaper and wood piece I used) -
Once everything dries, I’ll place my MTA decal - hopefully tomorrow. Fortunately, I kind of like the unprotypical numbering on the number board and the yellow “Long Island” on the hood, so I’m going to keep those, although it does not appear to be that difficult a job with 2000 grit sandpaper if I change my mind. Don’t hesitate to go with the sandpaper technique and good luck to all attempting this type of removal.
