Remove tar paper patches on inside of body??

[22george]

Is there an easier way to remove the pieces of tar paper on the inside of the

body than chiseling them???

Thanks

Reid

[Bhigdog]

Depending on how apart your car is and therefore the fire hazard, and whether or not you are worried about the finish, a propane torch or heat gun will soften everything up enough for a putty knife to peel it off............Bob

[Rusty_OToole]

They could be factory equipment. I have seen this on many cars especially the more expensive GM models. It was a way of deadening sound and giving the doors a solid 'clunk' on closing rather than a tinny clang.

In the fifties a GM body engineer described the desired door slam as sounding like a ripe pumpkin being dropped into mud lol.

I would leave it alone if possible. If it must be removed to repair the panel I would try heating from the outside with a heat lamp for half an hour then scraping the tar paper off.

[Guest WEB 38]

Be very careful using heat it will hurt the paint. Better off with a solvent like goof off. Bill WEB 38

[msmazcol]

Soda Blast will remove undercoating and most likely your tar paper, too.

[Fred Zwicker]

I doubt if Soda Blasting will do much, as any type of blasting does not work well in removing anything soft, such as undercoating, or in this case the tar paper. Soda breaks up on impact and cannot be re-used, so even if it did work on the tar paper, it would be extremely expensive. I have years of experience with abrasive blasting and can assure you that I am correct in my observation.

I have run into the same thing on the tar paper, which I like to remove so that the sections inside the door and especially on the floor boards and inner trunk panels can be taken down to at least close to bare metal and painted as was done originally, and also to be sure there is no rust or holes under the tar paper. Once in awhile I get lucky and the paper pulls off easily. Most times I have to use a putty knife or old screwdriver and pry the stuff off, followed by a wire brush and sometimes by a rotary wire brush. After that, I use solvent to wash down the entire surface. Once I get the tar paper and crud off and have the areas primed and repainted, I like to add a stick-on type sound deadener to keep things nice and quiet - this is inside the doors, floorboards and inside the trunk. The carpet and trunk lining covers the sound deadener, which does not show.

Using a heat gun to remove the tar paper might be better than a propane torch, as it is not a good idea to use the torch method around the gas tank. I try to stay away from using a torch in a body shop environment, as there are too many hazards in the area. I also have fire extinguishers in our shop at all times.

In my opinion, there is not an easy answer.

Fred

[22george]

I guess there is no easy way. The paper aprt is coming off pretty easy, leaving the tar. I'll use a scraper on it with a propane torch to soften it.

Thanks for the feedback

[Rusty_OToole]

Has anyone ever seen rust under these? I have not and I live in the rust belt. Same with the sound deadener applied inside the rear fenders. The fender will rust away to nothing and the tar is still there.

[Seldenguy]

I had a four door convertible ('36 Buick) and between where the tar stopped on the quarter panel and where the top had rotted out and leaked water it was rusted thru. But not where the metal was protected by the tar. Makes a good case for tarring the inside of the body shell?? --Bob

[22george]

On my 36 chevy, where the tar didn't stick, there is rust