C2 Undercoating Remover

[Tony C.]

Hi
I have to remove some undercoating that was sprayed on the under side of the fiberglass body. What can I use to remove it?
Thanks Tony

[Joe R.]

Re: C2 Undercoating Remover

Hi Tony:

I had the same problem. In my case I was able to soften the undercoating with mineral spirits, which is a mild petroleum distallate often sold as paint thinner for oil based paints. Just make sure the label says the contents are "mineral spirits."

What worked best for me was to simply brush it on and let it soak into the undercoat for a while. Then I could scrub it off using a rag or one of those scrubbing pads that I think are used for removing paint. It was tempting to use a putty knife, but I found that doing so tended to leave scratches in the fiberglass finish. I did make some use of a plastic scraper that is sold for use with paint remover.

For me, the key element was patience. The mineral spirits did soften and dissolve the undercoat, but it worked slowly. The nice thing was that the end result looked great, with no damage to the fiberglass. I even found the body job number in yellow marker under the undercoat on the passenger footwell.

There may be some other solvents that work better, so you may want to experiment with a few before you tackle the whole job.

[Dave S.]

Re: C2 Undercoating Remover

Tony,
Kerosene is worth a try as well. Undercoating varies. I did a 72 that was fully covered and found the kerosene to work best. Joe's right on with patience and possibly a plastic scraper. Don't forget latex gloves, rags etc. Good Luck

[Rick S.]

Re: C2 Undercoating Remover

I started with a propane torch to warm things up prior to scraping and that helped to remove the majority of the undercoating. As Joe and Steve said, be patient, it took me 3 months a few winters ago and I thought I wore out my right shoulder socket. It's amazing how many nooks and crannies are on the bottom-side of a car!!!

[Alan Drake]

Re: C2 Undercoating Remover

I use Brake Cleaner. It removes it with just a spray and its relatively cheep. Remember to vent the area.

[Floyd #21606]

Re: C2 Undercoating Remover

I agree with Alan, I use brake cleaner too and it is not as labor intensive as scraping the old undercoating off.

Floyd,
65 Fuelie

[Jon S.]

Re: C2 Undercoating Remover

Floyd or Alan, the brake cleaner didn't harm the glass? Thanks jon

[Floyd #21606]

Re: C2 Undercoating Remover

Jon, I didn't have any fiberglass problems while removing the
undercoating from my vette using brake cleaner. I wouldn't leave
it on and walk away. I put news paper and a pan under the area
that I was spraying and I would wipe off the undercoating with
paper towels and spray again until I removed all the undercoating.

Hope this helps
Floyd,
65 Fuelie

[Jon S.]

Re: C2 Undercoating Remover

Floyd, did you do a final wipe down with anything after you had the under coat removed from a given area? Thanks! Jon

[Floyd #21606]

Re: C2 Undercoating Remover

Joh, I just wiped the area with water on a damp cloth.

[Jon S.]

Thanks Floyd-I'll give er a try! *NM*