Removing undercoating

I also saw that in the new catalog and I was hoping that some will try it to see how it works. I don't need any undercoating removed at this time or I would try it myself.<P>Dan

The propane torch heating the opposite side and a putty knife worked great for me! I didn't try the liquid nitrogen idea.<P>jnp

My first thought was, here's another miricle in a can sales gimick. <BR>But, if I could just get Ron to spot me $10. I'd try a can!<P>Rick

What is undercoating ? I have read threads about it but have never understood exactly what it was or why you may or may not have it. Is it good or bad ?<BR>Bill<BR>

Those who live where there is a misguided notion that salting the roads is good are plagued with rust. In an attempt to slow down the process many people (and dealers) coated the underside of the cars with gunk to provide a barrier to the road salt. This gunk is/was "undercoat".<P>Zebart (spelling?) was a big undercoating chain that was around in upstate New York in the 1970s. So, at least in some areas, "Zebart" was synonomous (sp? again) with "undercoat". Kind of like saying "Scotch Tape" when you mean transparent tape. Or Xerox when you mean photocopy.<P>I am not sure that undercoating ever did much good, but it sure made a mess.

A bunch of threads ago there was a discussion about how to remove undercoating. Just got the Eastwood catalog and they are advtising a new undercoat removel process in a spray can. Eastwood products are usually very good so this may be a new solution (pun intended)!

I lived on an island 3 1/2 miles long and 1/2 mile wide in the missle of the Pacific Ocean for 5 years. The average life of a car or truck (mostly vans) was about 3 years before it completely rusted away - floorboards in about 2 years max. We started a Ziebart program where that undercoating was applied before the vehicle was sent to the island and extended the life of the vehicles to well over 6-7 years. It really worked but was very messy. This is the kind of stuff this thread is addressing. The only reason to apply undercoating to a restoration is if was done at the factory or if you plan to drive in a "salt the roads" area. Otherwise just use a prudent primer-topcoat technique.<BR>Rick, maybe Dan will spot you $10 for a trial - my mommy didn't raise no dummies!<P> <P>[This message has been edited by ronbarn (edited 08-11-2000).]<p>[This message has been edited by ronbarn (edited 08-11-2000).]

Ron,<P>I only look stupid. <P>Dan

Another Dumb question... Why would someone salt roads ? Was it to melt the snow ?<BR>That has to be the dumbest thing I have ever heard of, around the Gulf coast, we try to keep the salt away from out cars.<BR>Is this why cars from up north look like they have body cancer ?<BR>BTW I got my Eastwood Catalog today and it looks like removing undercoating could be a messy business.<BR>Bill<BR><p>[This message has been edited by Bill Stoneberg (edited 08-11-2000).]

Bingo, we have a winner. Yes, the salt was to help melt snow and a lot of times it is mixed with sand to help for some traction. the problem is all that mess gets stuck is all the little (where is my spellcheck? ahh found the dictionary)crevices on the car then without a really good wash job, includling hosing the bottom off, it starts rusting away.<BR>The cars from the north have more body cancer the from the south because of this. I now live in North Carolina and we use very little salt here in the middle of the state. you see more rusted car if you go to the mountains or if you go along the coast in which case you get the rust from the "salt air". <P>As for removeing undercoating I found using oven cleaner and letting it sit for a while the sraying it again letting it sit another 15 min. or so the pressurewashing works pretty good at getting the bulk of it off. just repeat as nessacary.(peter, where's the spellcheck button?!!)

I took my 39 Buick front fenders to one of those "dipping" outfits who advertise in Hemmings. I guess they still advertise. We had two in the Washington area back around 1980. Anyway, the dipping was supposed to remove rust, tar, and anything else. However, it only dried out the undercoating. That did help in our hand scraping it off in little chunks like black concrete. I don't believe there is any way that is a good way to remove this stuff. I also can't imagine somebody putting it on a restoration if it wasn't already there.

There is a product called Road Guard. It is essentially colorless to a creamy color. It works to undercoat and apply paint over it. However, no matter what Eastwood professes, undercoating is a difficult item to remove on any surface. Heat is tricky, as you are asking to ruin painted surfaces easily.<P>I made a huge mistake in undercoating a frame and firewall on a '42 Chevy coupe. It would not come off, even with a sandblaster and nothing much left to do, but reapply as it wore down. Gasoline affected it quite a bit and it seemed to never dry completely. I could have used a dip of the car for removal, but I chalked this stupid human trick on learning the hard way. Stay away from undercoating if possible, also stay away from spray cans of bed liner sold in Walmart stores and such.<P>Just an opinion, but I ain't ever been wrong yet, except for that one time.......Ha!<P>Huey

Believe it or not when I took my 61 Impala conv. body (mounted on the rotisserie) to the sandblaster he had no problem removing the undercoating that was on the underside of the floor panels. He said he just sandblasted it off. Of course I didn't allow him to do the quarter panels because of warpage. Today I bought a gallon of aircraft paint stripper and easily removed the undercoating on the inside of the quarter panels. I tried the oven cleaner but it didn't work because the sandblaster got epoxy primer overspray all over the undercoating and the oven cleaner wouldn't touch it. I let the stripper sit about 1/2 hour and all the undercoating easily came off with a putty knife.<BR>impala

How hard it is to find and buy aircraft paint remover? And, how dangerous was it to your hands, skin, breathing it in, etc.? Just wondering....I can't imagine where to buy aircraft paint remover.

I bought it from my local automotive paint supplier. The gallon was 25.00 and worth every penny.<BR>The product is called Klean-strip, mfg. by W.M. Barr & Co. Memphis, TN.<BR>Yes, the fumes can be a problem. I used a box fan to blow across the work area. The other precautions would be goggles (preferably a full face shield) and rubber gloves.<BR>Since I am using a body rotator I can do everything upright so I would imagine using this stuff upside down requires more caution.<BR>impala

Impala, thanks for the info. You're a good man

I really think the key to any coating is finding what will work for the particular situation.<BR> <BR>I live in a place where salt is as abundant as snow (every day I drive by a pile as big as my house - ok my house isn't that big <BR> <BR>In 5 years of weather proofing coatings (not as long as some) I have learned one thing..<P>There are as many (or more) coatings in the world as there are products to remove them. It may take a few hit and miss tries before you find the right tool for the job, but keep trying a few test patches and ultimately you will find exactly what you are looking for.<P>cj<BR>5 miles from the Great Salt Lake City

Undercoating is not easy to remove at all, but you are right that after a few attempts you will likely find something that works better than other porducts. The old Falcons are a tough nut to crack in removal of true undercoating. <P>Aircraft stripper is found in almost every parts store and is relatively safe when used as the can says. Not any worse on hands and such than say, pool acid. You have to use good common sense and good safety glasses and gloves, but the stuff is good. I generally apply and then cover the area with clear plastic wrap to hold the fumes in on the metal. Works pretty well in most cases, but undercoating is one tough nut to handle in most cases.<BR> <A HREF="http://hometown.aol.com/coupe1942/myhomepage/index.html" TARGET=_blank>http://hometown.aol.com/coupe1942/myhomepage/index.html</A> <BR>Huey