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I think I have found a relatively inexpensive way to remove the old cracked black tape on the doors of our 240’s and replace it with an inexpensive, very close to original black tape stripe. To remove the old tape, I ponied up around $35 for a 3M Stripe off wheel. This is like a hard rubber eraser wheel that you mount in your electric drill and it does a very quick job of removing the old cracked tape and does not damage paint if you happen to move out onto the paint near the stripe. You can watch a few You tube videos to see the wheel in action. Each door tape removal took less than five minutes including taking off the outer scraper. The wheel can get almost all of the driver and passenger door tape off by moving the outer door mirror back and forth. The small bit under the mirror that can’t be gotten by the wheel can be scraped off after applying ‘Goof off’.
The replacement tape I stumbled on a few years ago for my 1993 and found the tape to be very close in finish and appearance to the original tape, but has to be cut to size. Trim Brite part #T9021 black paint protecting tape ($21) was designed to be stuck on lower doors and rockers as a stone chip guard. It is 5 7/8” wide and has a fine grain pattern to it, similar to the original Volvo tape. It comes in a 12’ roll so cutting it in half means you can easily do two vehicles. Cutting down the middle also leaves the precise edge facing out and the hand trimmed edge tucks under the scrapers or quarter window trim. It is self adhesive and fade resistant. In over 6 years, there has been no fading and no lifting of the tape. I found the tape a few years ago for my 1993 (that was stripped down completely for a repaint-the discovery of the 3M wheel was recent so I can remove the old tape for a clean surface).
Amazon.com lists the black tape from various sources but shipping and handling can add up! But if you have a Cabela’s store near you, they stock it on the shelf. I hope this sparks more folks to replace their old cracked tape and really improve their 240’s appearance! Post back if you try it!
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