How To: Change the Color of Your Blue Oval
 

First you will need to get am emblem. The emblem must the two piece design. If you can get your fingernail between the outer chrome edge and the blue, then you have the right emblem.

You will also need:
Tiny flat blade screwdriver
Heat gun or Hair dryer
Razor Blade
180 grit sand paper
400 grit sand paper
Spray Paint (color of your choice)
Plastic-to-Plastic Adhesive

Next take a heat gun or hair drier and heat the back side of the emblem evenly to soften the glue holding the emblem together. Be careful not to melt the plastic.

After the emblem is good and hot, care fully stick a small flat blade screwdriver between the blue and the outer chrome ring, and begin to pry it apart. Do so slowly so you dont break the inner part of the emblem, but dont go too slow or the glue will cool and the chrome lettering will peel off the back.(it helps if you take a razor blade and slip it between the two pieces to slice through the glue)
http://i454.photobucket.com/albums/q...1025091932.jpg
http://i454.photobucket.com/albums/q...025091932a.jpg

When you get the emblem apart, take some 180 grit sand paper and sand the back side of the emblem until no blue is visible from the front side. Dont worry about sanding the lettering or border off, it is recessed into the plastic, so it wont come off. After all the color is sanded off, you can take some finer sand paper and smooth it up a bit.

The emblem should look like this when you are done sanding. Dont worry about how frosted it looks when you paint it you wont see it.
http://i454.photobucket.com/albums/q...1025091936.jpg
http://i454.photobucket.com/albums/q...1025092019.jpg

Tape the front side of the emblem off with masking tape, and spray the back of the emblem with what ever color spray paint you chose. Do multiple light coats to get even coverage.
http://i454.photobucket.com/albums/q...1025092031.jpg
http://i454.photobucket.com/albums/q...1025092030.jpg

Once the paint is good and dry (time will vary depending on what type of paint you used) take some JB quick or your favorite plastic-to-plastic adhesive and glue the newly colored emblem back into the chrome backing plate. (if you use a dark colored adhesive be sure that you had good coverage with your paint or the dark colored glue will show through.)
http://i454.photobucket.com/albums/q...1025092036.jpg


Now you can install your emblem and enjoy.

You can also change the color of the lettering if you have access to a sand blaster. Follow the same procedure to separate the emblem, but instead of sanding the back side, lightly sand blast all the color off in including the chrome in the recessed lettering and border. (you may need to dig the glue out of the lettering if you sand blaster isnt knocking it out already)
http://www.ranger forums .com/forum2/...g-so-i-can.jpg

After you have removed all the color from the emblem, tape off the front and paint the backside of the emblem and the chrome backing plate with what ever color you would like the lettering to be.
http://www.ranger forums .com/forum2/...nted-black.jpg

Once the paint is good and dry, take some 180 grit sand paper and sand the backside of the emblem until only the color in the recessed letting and border remains.
http://www.ranger forums .com/forum2/...ck-letters.jpg

Now you can paint the back ground the color of your choice. The rest of the procedure is the same as before. Wait for it dry and glue it back together.

-plumcrazy

here is a side by side comparison

http://i454.photobucket.com/albums/q...1031091611.jpg

i did this mod months ago with caspers write up, but took it a step further after i screwed it up trying to remove the ford oval from the chrome frame.

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/l...6/PICT0303.jpg

I knew the background color had been changed before, but I really just wanted to post a how to that included changing the chrome lettering and border (like you did). I used a sand blaster to remove the chrome, I am assuming you scratched it off with something else?

-plumcrazy

yea, i had pulled out a bunch of the chrome lettering when i was trying to get it seperated from the chrome plate, then i took a knife and scraped out the rest then sanded it all down.

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/l...6/PICT0200.jpg

Thats what inspired me to try changing the color of the lettering too. My first emblem actually fell apart on its own.lol

-plumcrazy

What color is that Seth?? And will someone PLEASE do this for '06+ emblems!? lol

Nice write up!! Thanks for the info.

Its yellow, I have seen a write up on doing the big emblems before. The big emblems are different though. The backing plate is all chrome with raised lettering and the blue oval is actually a gel poured into the backing plate. To change the color you have to heat the emblem and peal the gel off. Then take some chapstick and smear over the lettering. then paint the backing plate with your desired color. Once the paint is 100% dry, then you take an exacto knife and cut around the lettering. After you have cut all the way around, you can peel off the paint since because the chapstick prevented the paint from adhering to the plastic. Once the paint is removed form the letting you can whipe off the chapstick. Then you have to pour some sort of resin back into the emblem to replace the gel you peeled out. There is some debate on what resin to use, because some will yellow in the sunlight.

I ll look for the write up.

-plumcrazy

Thanks... I've been looking for the emblem they used on the '05 F150 'cause I THINK they are the same build as the emblem in your write-up..

Here it is.
http://www.fordrangerforum.com/how-tos/4159-how-change-color-your-blue-oval.html

-plumcrazy

AWESOME!! Thanks!!

got my emblems today, they come in boxes now and mine don't have the little nuts on the back to put it back on the truck now even a thread on the posts. whats up with that? any advice?

I took a 1/4-20 die and cut treads on the posts so that I could use a regular 1/4" nut.

how do i find a 1/4-20 die?

and what is it?