Removing old wraps from food truck

[MHoppus44]

My sister has an old food truck, and we're trying to give it a new look. The wrap on it is about 8 years old, and they waited too long to change it. Now the vinyl is faded, cracked, and really hard to take off.

I've used heat guns and glue remover before, but these trucks are big and the wrap breaks apart easily. Has anyone found a good way to handle this? Do you take off all the old wrap or just clean it and put the new one over it?

 

[squ!dgeee]

I hear you, old baked-on vinyl is a nightmare, especially on a large surface like a food truck!
You definitely want to remove all the old material, no exceptions.
Sticking new vinyl on top of cracked, degraded wrap is a recipe for a bad finish and premature failure of the new wrap.
You're on the right track with a heat gun, but the trick is patience and technique.
Instead of just blasting it, try to find the sweet spot where the vinyl gets pliable but not brittle or melty.
Use a plastic razor blade or a specialty vinyl removal tool to get an edge up and then pull slowly at a low angle.
If it's cracking and breaking apart, you're either not heating it enough or you're pulling too fast.
Then use a good citrus-based remover or 3M Adhesive Remover for the glue residue.
If the heat gun isn't working, or you're afraid to damage the paint or if it's just too much work for you, there are also dedicated vinyl removal tools like some from MBX that attach to a drill.
They basically rub the vinyl and adhesive off the surface without needing heat.
It's a bit messier and creates a lot of dust, but it can be a lifesaver on really tough jobs and might be faster for a large area like a food truck!