If I try and remove the tailpad with a hair dryer do I risk ripping the paint off?
yes. better to use a chainsaw. Cut vertically to remove.
KM, he make funny!
Use a thin metal scraper, heat it to untouchable, and scrape 4" at a time, working from the rails inward.
Something like a drywall knife, or a mudder’s scraper, from the construction world.
Use contact cement to re-apply, read instructions…and abide by…