Factory undercoating?

[Monte M.]

Re: Factory undercoating?

Well,
I started on the spare tire carrier last night. I know going in removing the undercoating was going to be a job.

I took a little different approach than I think others , as far as I know.

I removed the spare tire. After washing the tire carrier, I heated the inside of the tire carrier. Just enough to get the undercoating loose on the outside. I lifted one edge, burning my fingers a bit, and started pulling. It came off in small sheets leaving a minimal amount behind.

On an area that cannot be seen, I tried as number of products to see what removed the residue the best. On an area without paint, brake cleaner worked excellent. It evaporated off in an instant. Solvent worked great where there is paint. It did not bother the paint at all. The only problem was, you have to keep using a cleaner and cleaner rag.

I am still going to try a number of products for final clean-up, but heating things from the inside cuts the spraying and wiping over and over again completely out.

So far, so good. I might have to make a pipe extension to get on the inside of the frame in awkward places. We will address that issue when we get there.

This will be an ugly project. Thank goodness for the few kids that still live at home.

Thanks guys,

[Bob D.]

Re: Factory undercoating?

Monte Undergone is a real product made by Eastwood. My '71 was undercoated and I used both Undergone and mineral spirits to get all of the undercoating off. They both worked well. I put the mineral spirits in a spray bottle and soaked the undercoating. I then used a plastic putty knife and rag to remove the undercoating.

[Monte M.]

Re: Factory undercoating?

Bob,
Thanks for the input. It looks like I am going to need it.

O.K. guys. I think of myself as a pretty accomplished guy when it comes to cars. I build my own engines, I build my own gear boxes. I build my own differentials, I have painted about half of my cars. Bla, Bla, Bla. That being said: "HELP"

I was a roofer as a kid. So, I dealt with tar a bit. Every day was a chore to get clean. I thought this undercoating was going to be tough, but I have underestimated it very much.

Any help you guys can give, any hints, would be appreciated very very much.

I know this is going to take a while, but so far it has been very labor intensive and I expect it to continue to be that way.

Along with "Undergone" and any techniques you guys may have, I am going to continue to press on.

I am open to anything you have to offer as advice goes.

Any body that has nothing to do over the weekend, you are welcome to come over and help. LOL

Thanks in advance. Nothing but respect to you guys that have already done this task to your cars.

Thanks guys,

Monte

[Chris H.]

Re: Factory undercoating?

Remember "Ziebart" and "Rusty Jones"? I can still sing the jingles. The Ford dealer I worked at in High School in 1981 really used to push the rust proofing. They had some kid apply it. One time he pulled the gun out of the hole too soon and sprayed half the interior with that stuff. What a mess.

[Monte M.]

Re: Factory undercoating?

You have a better memory than I do. When my 72 was undercoated I was busy trying to get out of elementary school.

Whet I do remember about elementary school the most was when my Uncle Jim showed up outside my classroom in the coolest dark blue car I had ever seen.

He told me what it was, but it was a few more years before I put two and two together and realized that car was a 1963 Split Window Corvette.

I also remember being there the day my Grandma had to pull the car out of the garage to get to the washer. Uncle Jim was still young and lived at home. Back then they had to go do military duty one weekend a month. Of course this was a weekend he was gone.
Anyway, Grandma climbs in, fires up the 340 HP engine. You can hardly hear anything with the rattle of the engine.
She puts it in gear and her foot slips off the clutch just as the car lurches forward and put a huge dent in the garage wall.
Jim loved that car so much. She was so worried what he would do when he got home.
They eventually got the car fixed and everything went fine.

So, as a kid, maybe six years old is when I fell in love with the Split Window. It did take me until 30 to own one though.

Thought you guys might get a kick out of the story.