1258771 | 1978-1979 Buick Century Chrome Front Hood Ornament Header Panel Emblem

Fit In Five Steps

How to replace a Buick Century Chrome Front Hood Ornament Header Panel Emblem?

1.Clean the Work Area

Use a soft brush if you have one available, as this will get any little pieces of dirt or grit out of the nooks and crannies of your old emblem. I know it may seem counterintuitive to clean something that you’re about to happily chuck into the garbage can, but this is an important step. 

2.Mark the Location

First be sure the area below the emblem is clean and dry. Remove a piece of blue masking tape at least 2 inches longer than the emblem. Align the top edge of the tape with the bottom edge of the emblem. I like to leave a millimeter or two of space between the tape and the bottom of the emblem.  Now mark the left and right edges of the emblem. This will allow you to easily center the new emblem using those edge marks as guides. 

3.The Seldom Used Tool

 Spray the emblem area lightly with window cleaner. This just acts as a lubricant to further protect your paint. Pull your string saw tight and begin to saw the foam adhesive layer that’s attaching your emblem to the vehicle body. You may be tempted to saw as close as possible to the car body in an attempt to remove as much of the foam as possible, but don’t do it. You’ll never get it all off with the string, and the more you rub against the paint the more likely you are to add some scratches that will have to be removed in future steps of this job. 

4. Remove the Adhesive Residue

Before you can install your new emblem, or completely eliminate the emblem and all evidence that it ever existed, you have to clean away all of the foam, adhesive and other residues of the old emblem.

5.Prepping the Area for the New Emblem

Now you have to decide whether there’s enough there to hold it in place for years or you need to order a new one and start over. The hard part is finished, so don’t despair if this is the case.