How do I remove weather stripping caulk without damaging the paint?

[TC]

I had a topper on my truck and the company that installed it used weather stripping and black caulk. How do I get this caulk off without damaging my paint?

[Lawrence]

Very carefully. Seriously, whatever was used will probably not damage your paint. Spray it with wd-40 at one end. Use a scraper to get under the edge and then try to gently pull on the mat'l with one hand while coaxing with the scraper. Use more WD if yuou have trouble. Use a plastic style scraper since it's the paint you are worrried about. You should able to pull it off in one continuous strips. If it damages the paint then you could:

1. forget about it. Damage like that does not reduce the value of a pickup like it does a car. or...
2. buy some of those chrome protectors which fit over the edge of your pickup and look cool.

The best thing when you have a topper is to leave it on there. Taking it off and on never does the topper or the truck any good. If you need the extra capacity then consider installing a trailer hitch. Then you can buy or rent any kind of trailer and turn your truck into a real hauler. My hitch and trailer totally changed the way I use my truck.

[Goedjn]

I'd use a plastic putty knife, as opposed to a windshield scraper. I dunno which lwhaley meant. Also, if what you try leaves bits behind, you can probably scrub the residue off with a rubber eraser.