I don't know if there is anything I can do about this but I figured I'd post just in case some one has a solution. The former owner painted grey pinstriping on the black finish. It didn't bother me so much when I bought the car but I'd really prefer the clean look. What are my options (if any)?

 

If it were me, I'd just swing by a reputable body shop and ask them

 

Thanks mrm,
I've got a shop I trust- maybe they can pinstripe black over it, if they cant remove it.

 

if this is a thin stripe you are taliking about and it was put on over the clear you can buff these stripes off with a light buffung compound, we used to do this all the time on our motorcycles....

 

Yep ... as long as there is no clearcoat over them it will come off with no damage.

 

I've easily removed enamel pin striping from clear coat finishes on custom painted show cars (no clear over the top of the stripes) with denatured alcohol.
This was the manner recommended by a well known pin striper in AZ trained by Von Dutch. Soak a clean cotton towel and it'll slowly dissolve it. Follow up with your favorite paint sealant/polish/wax. Be careful it's flammable and it will literally freeze your hands.

 

Wow - thanks for the posts - I'll try both techniques. It's definately over the clearand they are thin grey stripes with small crossed flags on the door.
Is there any particular brand of buffing compound that works best? Again, thanks for the replies, I thought I was going to have to live with them... love this forum!

 

I am professional striper from north Jersey and here is my opinion. If they have been on for quite a while, leave them alone. The clear coat on Vettes is very thin and if you break thru it, you'll be repainting your car. Also, you might have a ghost stripe where it was when it is removed because the UV rays will affect the exposed paint that was not hidden by the stripes. If you try to buff it off, unless you are very experienced, you will be buffing down the exposed paint while you are reducing the thickness of the striping. If you still want to try, I would suggest either usnig enamel reducer, which is different than paint thinner, or an old timer's trick that works is to carefully use Easy-Off oven cleaner. You might think this is insane but it works. If you should be successful in removing it, the next step would be to have your car's paint totally buffed by a good detailer. I've done cars for new car dealers where the customer decided they wanted to remove the striping afterwards. On a few occasions they wound up repainting brand new cars. Be very careful on what you decide. I deal with this stuff daily.

If you were interested in driving to New Jersey for me to give you a visual opinion on what's best to do, don't hesitate to let me know. I know where Floral Park is, I once got a ticket there on my bike. Years ago a I worked out of New Hyde Park. It'd probably take you a couple of hours to get where I live if interested.