Just an idea of an approach would help...........................

[Gino]

Gave two quotes to a customer on doing a complete wrap on a trailer or a partial wrap. He showed me pictures of the trailer with his artwork on it. We discussed the the two possibilities and he just e-mailed me.... as I had told him without seeing the trailer, I'm going on his word that it's rivets..... it now turns out it's torx/star headed screws. He knows it's gonna cost extra, but in all honesty, what's a realistic price hike to do them. I don't think we've ever done a trailer with them where we were covering it in vinyl. It's a 14' x 7' tall trailer and we're doing the rear doors, also. It's loaded with them and although we're doing a partial wrap, it will cover 3/4's of the two sides.

I wanna be fair, but don't quite have a handle on removing these and putting them back in for a time frame. Any help would be appreciated.

Gino
​

 

[Christian @ 2CT Media]

We just did 2 trailers full wrap one 8' x 18' and the other 8' x 20', we tacked on $233/ea for removal and replacement of screws.

 

[Baz]

I think it's faster to take them out/put them back in than installing over actual rivets.

Either you will be lucky that you have the actual drill bit for the screws or you can use the square Robertson bits (you know .... the screws us Canadians use). Either a number #8 or #10 works very well. Using the square bits, if you find it is slipping and not gripping well. Use a screw driver and give it a tap with a hammer will do the trick.

 

[Gino]

Yeah, I think I'm gonna tack on $225 to do it. I was talking with someone else and they mentioned too it might just be faster than going over rivets. We'll see.

​

 

[Gene@mpls]

We have taken them out for years... if the trailer is newish it will go well, if it is old and rusty it is a pain-in-the-arse. Gene

 

[signcrafters london]

We have taken them out for years... if the trailer is newish it will go well, if it is old and rusty it is a pain-in-the-arse. Gene

That's what I was going to say. Unfortunately, I usually get the latter instead of the former.

 

[Gino]

It's brand spankin' new. Hoorah !!

 

[klingsdesigns]

i have used a vice grip if you can get a bit on it and turn it that way when they are stubborn to get out.

 

[Tony McD]

I would much rather take them out, than have to work around them all.

Did a 14' box trailer not long ago that had rusty screws....told the customer if he would pay for the screws,
I would put new ones back to keep rust from running down the decal.

I try to push hard on the drill when removing them to keep from stripping them out..so far, no problems.
Might have a couple backup bits just in case. My bits are probably cheap ones, and they seem to lose their edge after while.
Don't remember what size, but the ones I've done take a square bit.
Even though it looks like a torques bit, it isn't.
First trailer I did years ago that had these, I tried all my torque bits and none fit them, then found out it was
made for a square bit.

 

[johnnysigns]

good lord, why wouldn't you just go over them?

 

[GAC05]

For those that remove them before installing the material:
How do avoid twisting the vinyl under the head of the screw when you re-seat them?

wayne k
guam usa

 

[ddarlak]

I always remove when possible, never even give it a second thought, takes no time at all, looks brilliant when done

 

[Tony McD]

GAC...put new screws back in for the last trailer, so I would put a few in my mouth and being wet, they just spun on top and didn't twist the vinyl.
I also had my drill set to just snug them up, so it wasn't putting too much pressure on them anyway.

With cut vinyl where it's just a few screws, or old screws, I've smeared a little chapstick, soap, or whatever's handy to make them slip a little on the vinyl.