Front TVR badge - help!

[SGirl]

Hi guys!

Well, the good news is that my shiny new TVR badges are ready!!

The bad news is, I have to get the old ones off so that I can get my sticky mitts on the new ones. No problem with the rear one AFAIK, but the front one is another matter entirely. The numberplate is on the bonnet and the badge is where the numberplate should be.

So the question is, how can I find out how the original badge has been stuck on? Presumably just pulling it and seeing if it comes off in my hand isn't a good idea... There are no nuts to the rear of the crossmember and there's not really any clearance between the badge and the body to be able to see what the situation is. And if it is stuck on with an adhesive, how best to remove it without removing anything I want to stay on the car??

I called the original suppliers of the car and they swore they wouldn't have badged it up like that, so they couldn't give me any info?!

Or should I just live with my tatty old stonechipped badge on the front and get the whole thing resprayed eventually?

Any and all assistance gratefully received!

[mel]

You might as well leave it there as if the studs that are normally used to mount it have been ground off and its been stuck on it's going to be no bloody good for the "returns" basis on which the new (decent ones) are sold. But if you do where do you intend mounting the new one ??? as the odds are the number plate has been stuck over the mounting holes

[SGirl]

I was planning on just replacing the badge where it was (is!) for now and then eventually going for a front-end respray and moving the numberplate to where Mr Plod would like it to be. But if I do that, the studs will have to be ground off the new badge so I won't be able to remount it on the bonnet eventually....

Hmmm. Requires some thought, this one. Maybe a shiny new badge for the rear and leave the old one on the front for now?? Would that look really bad, do you think?

Why is everything in life so complicated....

[Podie]

Sounds like you need to fabricate a holding bracket for the front badge...

[SGirl]

Podie said: Sounds like you need to fabricate a holding bracket for the front badge...

How do I do that???

If I ever meet the original owner I'm going to thump him for causing all this trouble.

[raceboy]

How about drilling 2 new holes in the cross member after you pull off the old badge and bolt the new badge on, then when you get round to taking off the numberplate, I presume it's stuck to the front of the bonnet, just unbolt it and move it to the proper place, then the new number plate will cover the 2 holes you've drilled, sorted

[SGirl]

Smart thinking, Raceboy! That's a good idea, I'll do that.

But how do I get the old one off? If it's just stuck on with adhesive then presumably it'll come off with the application of heat (out with the hairdryer again!), but if it's bolted on somehow, how can I tell?

[Podie]

I've never seen a front TVR badge when it's not on the car... so I'm guessing that there are two bolts that extend from the back of the badge... is that correct?

[raceboy]

What sort of profile is the cross member, if you can get your hand around the back, if it's bolted you will be able to fell the nuts if theres no nuts it stuck on, a hairdrier or any other form of heat source will make removing it a bit easier

Edited to say Yes to Podie, 2 studs about 20mm long and about 80mm apart

>> Edited by raceboy on Tuesday 17th December 12:39

[SGirl]

Well, I did try to feel for its nuts (oo-er!) and there aren't any! The badge is just hanging there as if it's a part of the crossmember. So it's a fairly safe bet that we're talking adhesive and not bolts here, I should think. Do you agree?

But if it takes me as long to get this badge off as the numberplate did, then I'll just shunt the car into the nearest wall and get the whole front end rebuilt! Easier in the long run...

Edited to add: That last paragraph was an (admittedly lame) attempt at humour - I don't do insurance fraud!!

>> Edited by SGirl on Tuesday 17th December 12:44

[raceboy]

At least on the cross member the paint finsh isn't as important as the nose cone so you can 'help' the badge off with a thin blunt instrument, a wall paper scraper or something similar, good luck with it

[pilot_ian]

Hi SGirl

Nothing to do with badges - although my own view is 'if it ain't broke don't fix it' - but more to do with the Mark Adam's Magic bit.
I emailed you with a couple of questions but haven't received a reply.
Did you not receive my mail or have you just chosen to ignore me
Perhaps I transgressed the unwritten law by not posting on PH before emailing you directly.

If so, what can I do to redeem myself

[SGirl]

Hi Ian!

my own view is 'if it ain't broke don't fix it'

So's mine. But the front badge is seriously tatty! Stonechipped and 'orrible. It has to go!!

I emailed you with a couple of questions but haven't received a reply.
Did you not receive my mail or have you just chosen to ignore me

Noooo! I don't ignore people, I try to be nice. If anyone sends me mail I try to answer within a couple of days, but I don't seem to have received a mail from you. Do you want to send it to me again? The address is sgirlx at Hotmail dot com. I'll look out for it this afternoon.

And speaking of which - Graham, if you read this I mailed you via your profile but the mail just bounced back!

Perhaps I transgressed the unwritten law by not posting on PH before emailing you directly.

Not at all! I didn't even know there was such a law. Pop the message over again and I'll watch out for it!

[RichardR]

raceboy said: How about drilling 2 new holes in the cross member after you pull off the old badge and bolt the new badge on.

If you do decide to drill two new holes, you should check that there'll be enough space inside the crossmember (assuming it's somewhere between a V and a U shape in cross-section) to turn the bolts, either at all, or enough to tighten them properly.

I just thought this was worth pointing out as I'd normally take the approach of drilling first then discovering that I couldn't bolt the new badge on.

Good luck!

P.S. If you can find a means of attachment, it's definitely worth the hassle to replace the badge. I got two new badges for my S and they look great.

>> Edited by RichardR on Thursday 2nd January 14:08