Tailgate Panel refurbished?

[texjake]

Has anyone had any experience refurbishing one of those rear tailgate panels? I have one that is wood grain but want to change it to black. Is that just a wood grain vinyl decal? I wanted to paint it black but is paint going to stick to it? As you can see from the pic below I am missing one of those letters, the letter "L". How do you replace those letters or remove them & reinstall them after painting it or putting black vinyl down? Because I notice on the back of the panel the letters have been like riveted on. Not sure how to remove them & reinstall them without damaging the panel or the letters. It looks as if I could take a small flathead screwdriver bend the tabs up to remove the letters & to reinstall them take a pin punch or dowel and bend the ends back down to the panel? Any help on this project will be greatly appreciated. Also, if anyone happens to have a letter "L" for the tailgate panel just laying around please let me know. I would hate to have to buy a whole letter set for just one letter. Thanks!