Dried Tree Sap on my Corvettes...

[Martin N.]

Re: Dried Tree Sap on my Corvettes...

I live on a property which has mostly 50' high, mature oak trees covering the entire piece of land. I always keep my 2 Corvettes in the garage but I like to keep the garage doors open during the nice weather. Well, it seems that has it's consequences.

In the spring, the oak trees have all the new leaves coming out and of course that flowery stuff that falls all over your cars with all the pollen in it. A couple years ago, I realized that tree sap also drops or flies down and gets on my cars in the garage. It's actually fine, wet drops, smaller than the head of a pin and invisible when it lands on your car and dries up.

Today I washed the '67 outside with soap and water, thoroughly hosed it off with the hose and then drove it back in the garage and hand dried the car with cotton towels. After it was dry, I rubbed my hand over the painted areas of the car and could feel all these tiny, invisible specks of tree sap.

So anyway, I knew that was coming. A few years ago, I figured out what it was and tried just about everything, including carb cleaner, to remove the sap and nothing seemed to work. I have catalyzed urethane paint so I'm not too worried about messing it up with petroleum solvents like bug removers, etc.

I was at the end of my list trying how to get this sap off the car. Then I got to thinking...tree sap comes from trees, so why not try turpentine, which is made from trees? Well, I bought a quart can and that was the answer. Pour some on a cotton cloth and go over the whole car once to soften it up. Then go over the whole car again with a new soaked cloth and pick up all the sap and it will dry quick. Then I run my hand over the car and the finish was smooth as silk; all those specks of sap are gone.

Just thought I would share this experience for you guys that live in the woods. PT

PATRICK-
Leave the trees alone and use (todays technoligy) a "Clay Bar", a lot cheaper and it won't leave frickin' sawdust all over the place!

(A Northern IL. boy with Oaks, Elms, Maples, Pines and God knows what else is growing back there)....Marty

[Patrick T.]

Re: Dried Tree Sap on my Corvettes...

If anyone knows a way to do it let me know. A black plastic construction size trash bag got sucked under and metled on my ceramic coated headers. I would like to get the melted thing off without "reheating" the headers. I feel like Forrest Gump on a bad day. Steve

Ok, while we're "talking trash", Carroll Shelby had a special AC Cobra built just for him in '66 with an automatic transmission and twin turbos. He mentioned once that he was driving the car shown below on a Texas Interstate at 80 mph, when a Texas turkey buzzard got sucked up into the radiator opening with the twin fans running! Bet that must have been quite a job cleaning up that one. PT

[Clem Z.]

Re: Dried Tree Sap on my Corvettes...

back to trees. mrs clem just heard from her sister and it turns out her former husband just called to tell her that a very large tree just went thru the roof of his house as we just had a bad wind storm blow thru. the neighbor has a tree that is close to my house and i have told her i will pay to have it taken down because if it falls my way it will damage my house. if a live tree falls on your house your homeowners will pay but if a dead tree falls on your house the property owner where the dead tree was located is responsible for the damage

[Michael F.]

Re: Dried Tree Sap on my Corvettes...

Steve, you live anywhere near Mt Pleasant? I have family there. Love east Texas, out west texas it is minimum trees, dirt, wind and more of both wind/dirt

Mike

[Ralph E.]

Re: Dried Tree Sap on my Corvettes...

PT,
Wash the car first. If you still have some sap suggest you try mayonnaise. Put in on like a wax and wipe it off. Won't hurt the paint.

Ralphie

[Steven B.]

Re: Dried Tree Sap on my Corvettes...

Ok, while we're "talking trash", Carroll Shelby had a special AC Cobra built just for him in '66 with an automatic transmission and twin turbos. He mentioned once that he was driving the car shown below on a Texas Interstate at 80 mph, when a Texas turkey buzzard got sucked up into the radiator opening with the twin fans running! Bet that must have been quite a job cleaning up that one. PT

'And Cosby got the sister car but didn't keep it long. The twin chargers made them go real fast---too fast for a subsequent owner driving from Calif. to Vegas. Ron Pratt has the remaining car IIRC.

I know a guy here (TX) who was on vacation in West Texas with kids and wife in a VW Bug in the summer. 'Hit a buzzard, the windows went up real fast and you know the rest. The windows stayed up until he got to a spray car wash---

Steve

[Pat F.]

Re: Dried Tree Sap on my Corvettes...

Here are photos of before and after. It is at this after stage that this stuff is like rock solid. I am at a point were I am stopping my attempts to further clean this mess. I have tried everything.



Thanks for any suggestions

Charlie, aka Pat Fullam

[Chuck G.]

Re: Dried Tree Sap on my Corvettes...

Here are photos of before and after. It is at this after stage that this stuff is like rock solid. I am at a point were I am stopping my attempts to further clean this mess. I have tried everything.



Thanks for any suggestions

Charlie, aka Pat Fullam

I had the same problem, Charlie.

Mine was on the "down" pipe from the ext. manifold to the area beside the transmission on the passenger's side.

I was able to use lacquer thinner to get it off. My pipe was aluminized, and maybe that made a difference.

I'm surprised it "cooked" so much on the muffler. It doesn't get that hot there.

Chuck

[Chuck G.]

Re: Dried Tree Sap on my Corvettes...

OOPS. Just read the entire thread. You have a 95.

My "issue" was on my 63. As I studied the pictures you posted further, it didn't look like a Solid Axle, Midyear, or Shark.

Chuck