Sticker adhesive has me unglued!

[Charles P.]

Cosmetics question:

I have replaced a large danger sticker on my fan shroud two or three times. Either the glue is inferior or there is some silicone or oils present that are interfereing with it sticking. Also I have noticed that engine heat speeds the process. I have cleaned the area sufficiently before applying to no avail. Anyone have any tricks for getting these to lay nicely in a semi-permanent fashion. I have an original sticker on the low miles car that is happy as a clam after 35 years! Go figure.

[Joe L.]

Re: Sticker adhesive has me unglued!

Cosmetics question:

I have replaced a large danger sticker on my fan shroud two or three times. Either the glue is inferior or there is some silicone or oils present that are interfereing with it sticking. Also I have noticed that engine heat speeds the process. I have cleaned the area sufficiently before applying to no avail. Anyone have any tricks for getting these to lay nicely in a semi-permanent fashion. I have an original sticker on the low miles car that is happy as a clam after 35 years! Go figure.

Charles-----


The adhesive used on every reproduction sticker or label I have any experience with is FAR inferior to that used on the original stickers. I believe that most of these stickers and labels are printed on, what amounts to, office-quality, pressure-sensitive, self adhesive labels. These are not designed to withstand the heat and environmental conditions in an engine compartment.

I just do not understand why the reproduction sources for these labels and stickers cannot obtain and use pressure sensitive, adhesive label material designed for the application. Certainly, it must be available. There are underhood labels used on cars in production today which have no problems, at all, with long term adhesion.

[Paul H.]

Re: Sticker adhesive has me unglued!

The same applies to air cleaner stickers and valve cover stickers. I cannot get any of them to stick for any length of time. Hopefully someone in the aftermarket community can get this right.

[Mike M.]

Re: Sticker adhesive has me unglued!

You are correct Charles - inferior adhesive.
I can't recall the number of times I have judged '67's with "DF" stickers absent from the fan shroud. The Owner's would say they knew they were present, or "I just put them on". Some felt they came off somewhere between the Operations Judging and placement on the Judging Field.
Buy them by the bunch (perhaps that is just good marketing or "planned obsolescence")
Good Luck!
HaND

[Dale C.]

Re: Sticker adhesive has me unglued!

Charles, I to agree with Mike, when I judge, I very often see none, one or two. I don't know how well it would work, but the thought that came to my mind would be to turn it on it's face with the adhesive side up and spray it lightly with some spray on contact adhesive, 3M, Locktite are two that I have used on other things. Unless someone has a better idea, thats I would try. LOL Dale

[Joe L.]

Re: Sticker adhesive has me unglued!

The same applies to air cleaner stickers and valve cover stickers. I cannot get any of them to stick for any length of time. Hopefully someone in the aftermarket community can get this right.

Paul-----


Definitely. In fact, those are the worst offenders, probably because they get hotter than most of the other labels. Like I say, though, it's all part of the problem created by the use of pressure sensitive adhesives designed for office use and not automotive use.

The root of the problem may lie with a factor that's the bane of many reproduction parts. In this case, it may be impossible to purchase the sort of pressure sensitive label sheet stock used for automotive labels without purchasing the kind of quantities that no reproduction source could justify. When a label supplier to GM purchases the stock, they are purchasing in quantities to produce hundreds of thousands of labels and, perhaps, millions considering all of the different labels they may be manufacturing. So, they're able to buy the "right stuff".

The vast majority, if not all, of the labels used in the automotive industry today are plastic material rather than paper. However, even some of the old labels were done on plastic, not paper. For example, the emissions labels as far back as 1969 were plastic. Some of the reproductions of these labels are paper, though.

However, it would be just fine with me if they were to make all of the reproduction labels out of plastic material for even those that were originally paper IF they would use material designed for use in automotive, underhood applications and NOT stationary store stuff.

Some of these labels are produced under the GM Restoration Parts Program license. Just another example of the lack of oversight of the program to ensure that the labels are manufactured to original specifications. The labels sold by reproduction sources would NEVER have been accepted by GM for use in PRODUCTION.