The guy that put the black out or undercoating what ever it is must have been paid by the gallon.This 65 I have is covered with this stuff. It is not to bad to get off if you can get underneath it with a putty knife and the peal it off in strips.But if you can't get underneath it then its tough stuff.I have been using brake cleaner and brushes to get the excess off after removing the heavy stuff. Any other tricks I might try. Tom
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Re: The guy that put on the black out/undercoat!
If its the tar-based stuff, I went through that on another car where the entire engine bay got treated (i've never seen rust in an engine bay unless it was associated with a battery tray, but I guess up north they are kind of paranoid - they even removed the underhood insulating blanket to cover the underside of the hood and inside the braces, amazing). Anyhoo, tried most every solvent that was readily available and found that the most effective, vs least toxic was acetone. I was able to carefully rub off with a soaked rag all of the undercoating while leaving most of the original paint (tho it was considerably dulled by the process) and never burned through the primer. Still it was the most unpleasant restoration task I have ever dealt with.
Later I read reviews on the Vintage Mustang Forum of a paint stripper product called Peel-away 7 which was reported to work great on undercoatings and was supposedly considerably less messy than traditional paint stripper methods.
Next project I plan to try this stuff rather than go through again what I did before.Last edited by Phil D.; May 19, 2010, 06:15 PM.Comment
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Re: The guy that put on the black out/undercoat!
I sparingly used a heat gun with no problems
(Never used any volatiles until I was done with the heat)Comment
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Re: The guy that put on the black out/undercoat!
try 3M adhesive remover. it should be safe on your paint. try it on a rag first or spray on using a spray bottle to let it soak. it will be messy. have fun and good luck.Comment
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Re: The guy that put on the black out/undercoat!
Kerosene is the way to go. After heating & scraping off as much as possible, spray on kerosene and scrub clean with scotch-brite pads.
Kerosene applies well with a spray bottle, has slow evaporation (a good thing), the fumes aren't as bad as LT/acetone, and it has much less explosive vapors. And less than half the cost of LT/acetone.Comment
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Re: The guy that put on the black out/undercoat!
I remember in the old days when I bought a new Corvettes from Grabiak Chevrolet in SW Corner of PA. They used to undercoat the crap out of the new Corvette. They had a dealer prep sticker on the windshield and one of the big ticket items was the crappy undercoat. Old Starry used to pour the tar on big time. You would bring a new car home and the tar would be dripping on the garage floor. Yuk.
I am sure Clem remembers that from his old hangout. JDComment
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Re: The guy that put on the black out/undercoat!
John,
I'd rather be scrapping off this undercoating, no matter how hard it is to get off, than cutting and rewelding new sections of a frame.Steve L
73 coupe since new
Capital Corvette Club
Ottawa, CanadaComment
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Re: The guy that put on the black out/undercoat!
I laid the bottom part of the spare tire carrier out in the sun for a couple hours. Then took a screwdriver and pushed theough it. Then took a small putty knife and scraped it almost bare. It took a couple hours, but it was worth it. It came out almost like new. I am going to get some kerosine or diesel fuel and wash it real good. Thanks for all the help. TomComment
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Re: The guy that put on the black out/undercoat!
On a cost per gallon the diesel fuel wins and is pretty close to the kerosene.Comment
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Re: The guy that put on the black out/undercoat!
I have had great success with cheap mineral spirits, I don't like the smell of Kerosene or Diesel fuel, but they also work well and are cheap. It will be tough and messy working under the car to do this. I have soaked rags in the solvent and then wrapped them or attach them as best you can to the areas and let the vapors work on the undercoating to soften it. You could even cover up the rags with some polyethelyne drop cloths to trap the vapors and make them more effective. Of course any parts you can remove and clean off of the car is going to help. Just be careful with what you do wih the rags when you are done. Make sure you put them in a bucket of water when done. A house about 1/4 mile from me burned down a few years ago from improper storage of oily rags. They WILL spontaneously ignite if left in a pile exposed to air. When I cleaned all of the aftermarket undercoating off I had a brand new looking chassis! The undercoating protected it well.Comment
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Re: The guy that put on the black out/undercoat!
Oily rags can spontaneously combust if the conditions are right. This does'nt happen very often but it still happens. I usually lay mine out in the air for a while (preferably in the sun) to drive off the volatiles. Then they're either reused or washed. Solvent soaked rags are classified as hazardous waste by EPA, and airing rags was an accepted treatment for many years. You can also put solvent/oil soaked rags in an old tin, as long as it seals well.Comment
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Re: The guy that put on the black out/undercoat!
I have been washing mine out in the utility sink which is in the garage. Then I hang them out in the sun . I have been able to use some of them several times. TomComment
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