The previous owner of my car put a Trans Am tail light centerpiece(not exactly sure what the proper name for it is) on my bird. Since the decal had faded for the most part, I wasn't really concerned about it. But I have decided that in the spring I would take care of it. So this is my question. Is it possible to sand off or somehow remove the Trans Am on it? I still want the bird that's on it, but I was thinking that just having the bird on it might give it a cleaner look. Or should I just buy the normal Firebird one? Thoughts, observations, how-to, opinions are all welcome. I am in the process of coming up with a to do list for next spring/summer and this is on my list.

(NOT the one that's on my car, but just putting this here for reference/ if I am way off on the name of the part.)

They are just decals, you can buy replacements online in a variety of designs and colors. Your best bet is to remove the ones on there now and wetsand it because there are embossed areas on the panel itself. Then put new decals on.

 

You can get new decals here:
Vinyl Overlays, Inserts, and Graphics for the Camaro / Firebird / Trans Am

scroll down to Firebird.

 

Actually, if its a stock piece from a Trans Am, the lettering is paint. Alcohol and a cotton ball will get it off. There will be an imprint in the plastic where it was painted though.

 

The lettering is raised slightly in the plastic. The stock paint will fade over time.
Honestly, I'd sell that one and buy a replacement for a Firebird.
I really cant stand the fact that Trans Ams came with the 3rd Gen looking bird.

*Edit* I forgot that you have the same style bird as a decal on other parts of your car. If you like that style and dont want to swap those decals out, then leave the centerpiece you have there.

I'd probably sand it all down smooth, and then by replacement decals to put on it.

 

I do like this style bird. I know that its not for every one, and I don't want to turn this thread into a hate fest.
But my next question is how would I sand it so that it still looks the way it "should"?

 

No hating, just voicing opinion.
Here's some useful info:

'Search' function is your friend, ..., 'Center taillight', 'polish' or 'polished', ..., etc., ...
Follow the directions & you should acheive what you're looking for.
Many people have done this & you'll get a similar response to this shown below.
Motorized tools will complete this job much faster than by hand also.

(From some of my previous posts, ...)
I've done literally DOZENS of these things over the last couple years, ...

Yes, nail polish remover will remove the leftover red fading ink first.
I start with a 600 grit, keeping it wet, using a small 1/4 sheet sander.
Then on to 1200-1500 by hand, then finish by hand with 2000 grit, keeping them wet while sanding to wash away the contamination.
Then I use an old Black & Decker orbital polisher with Zaino's Glass Polish first, then finish with Zaino's Plastic Polish.
You'll get the same/similar description by most anyone else who has done it. Although some may not put that much work into it, .... You can also use other brands of polish. I've tried others, but didn't get the same quality results as I do with the Zaino process. As Nine-Ball mentioned above, a good coat of wax may also help improve the final glow. Yes, Meguiars also makes a plastic polish that will probably work for ya.
Good Luck!

(By the way, I do all this with the units screwed down to my temp workbench work surface. Not on the car.)

And yes, you can buy them from GM without the text/bird, or even other colors of the text/bird already. But they'll cost ya a lot more depending on the style you want.

All from GmPartsDirect.com
Firebird tail filler panel (from 93-97 Firebird V6) = 5977293---------------------$105.60 w/s&h&tax
Firebird tail filler panel (from 93-97 Formula) (plain black - no logo) = 5977294--$102.13 w/s&h&tax
Firebird tail filler panel (from 94 25th Anniv TA) (white logo) = 5977296--------- (Not available anymore)
Firebird tail filler panel (from 93-94 Trans Am) = 5978095----------------------$100.72 w/s&h&tax
Firebird tail filler panel (from 95-97 Firebird 3800 GT V6) = 5978095-------------$100.72 w/s&h&tax
Firebird tail filler panel (from 95-98 Trans Am) = 5977286-----------------------$95.65 w/s&h&tax
Firebird tail filler panel (from 99 Trans Am) = 5978095--------------------------$100.72 w/s&h&tax
Firebird tail filler panel (from 99 30th Anniv TA) (white logo) = 16525477--------$97.70 w/s&h&tax
Firebird tail filler panel (from 00-02 Trans Am) = 5977286 ----------------------$95.65 w/s&h&tax
Firebird tail filler panel (from 02 CETA) (silver logo) = 10312725-----------------$108.09 w/s&h&tax

And for decals, I'd also recommend,
bfranker.badz28.com/vinyl/vinyl.htm
Although there are some sponsors who also do decals.

Another:

First i used isopropel alcohol (im sure you could use laquer thinner too) to get rub the red bird off. (this take alittle bit but once it starts coming off then its not to bad.) Then i took some 1000 grit and wet sanded it smooth followed by 1500 and finally 2000. Finally use maguiar's plast X and polish it to a shine.

Good luck.

 

No hating, just voicing opinion.
Here's some useful info:

My comment about hating wasn't really directed at you, I just didn't want people to turn this into what bird is the best and blah blah blah...
But anyways, thanks for the info:icon15:

 

I Personally like just having the bird symbol, no lettering. On a side note, anybody know where to get the same type of PONTIAC fill in as Firehawk has in his picture there?