Dry ice, ya or nay?

[emac911]

I have a low mile 911 in excellent condition. Underneath still has some cosmoline present. I know it would look really nice if I spent the money on dry ice treatment, but part of me thinks it will take away from the originality.

I see cars on BAT that just look too clean underneath, but I guess it helps the sale price. Curious what other folks think?

[mepstein]

You can diy and still make it nice without being too nice. Then do the dry ice if the diy doesn’t work for you. There’s some dawn professional cleaner ( I bought on Amazon) that does an amazing job.

[AG81]

I did the DIY on my 88 and it turned out pretty nice. It was a major mess and I went thru a lot of rags that were trash after. It literally took a couple months. On the 72 I am currently working on I had it professionally done. It was expensive but in my mind worth it for a 50 yo car.

[EC900]

At the time I explored the service Dry ice detailers were few not easy to find and once you can get an appointment far away, process takes hours to complete, hardly a while-u-wait process. I gave up on the idea. Oh, if they don’t have a drive up lift, I’d cringe leaving if they didn’t know where or how to place the car on the arms of a two-post lift.

I power washed (broad fan, low) the decades of oil infused crud off the engine and bay. Previous owner never done any engine area cleaning. My efforts came out nice enough and certainly helped rid the smell of old burnt oil that would waft once it re-heated up, probably the main reason to keep the engine clean. It’s amazing how a drop or two oil leaky valve cover oil on a heat exchanger can produce so much lingering odor even when cold.

The minuscule oil film vapor that emanates from (my) flat six, the one power wash has been sufficient to mange any more of the oil crud from building up. I don’t drive in rain, so heavy amounts of muck build won’t happen to the undercarriage and suspension. Pre-soak and a garden hose has been enough.

Laying on my back, kneeling, bending, crouching soaked to the bone for hours with a toothbrush and power washer with cleaners back-splashing isn’t fun.
But if I wanted the best like showroom new….I’d let someone do the dry ice.

[emac911]

Thanks for the replies. I think I may give the DIY a try first. I have a lift so it shouldnt be too bad. I wish my concrete guy would have done a better job with the drain. He made it so it would never clog!

I bought an 88 M6 several years ago, the guy had spent a lot of time hand cleaning the underside. He did a really nice job and it wasn't overdone.

[targa72e]

If you want to clean the grime but not remove the cosmoline ZEP citrus cleaner works well. I used it to clean up a 914. You can see some results in the thread below

914World.com - The largest online 914 community!

john

[shoooo32]

Dad and I detailed his 51k mile '83 targa with a cheap Amazon steamer, Chemical Guys citrus degreaser and lots of little brushes. On a lift it wasn't too bad, maybe 8 hours total over a weekend. It removed the dirt and grease, but left a lot of the cosmoline, making the engine and suspension appear showroom fresh. The bottom of the tub looked brand new - I used a nylon bristle brush with a drill attachment to speed things up. Spray, soak, brush, steam, repeat.

[RSTarga]

years ago per washing with diluted kerosene worked great.
Smoked for a bit afterwards but very good results.

[emac911]

Originally Posted by targa72e

If you want to clean the grime but not remove the cosmoline ZEP citrus cleaner works well. I used it to clean up a 914. You can see some results in the thread below

914World.com - The largest online 914 community!

john

That turned out great! Thanks for the reply

[mepstein]

My concern with dry ice blasting is the possibility of blasting grit into places it wouldn’t normally go. Most of it will end up on the ground but some of it will just travel deeper into cracks and crevices.
I used to run a bike shop. We would wash bikes with a water hose, dawn detergent and a soft brush. This generally kept water and grit out of the bearings. The people who used pressure washers (muddy mt bikes) often had sealed bearings that failed prematurely. The pressure washers blasted the water, grit and detergent past the seals. It was even worse on bikes with rear suspension. The bushings for the linkage got their dose of grit as well. So the people who used pressure washers had pretty bikes but it sure wasn’t doing the mechanicals any favors.
I can’t say for sure if this translates directly to co2 blasting in cars but it makes me hesitant.

[emac911]

Originally Posted by mepstein

My concern with dry ice blasting is the possibility of blasting grit into places it wouldn’t normally go. Most of it will end up on the ground but some of it will just travel deeper into cracks and crevices.
I used to run a bike shop. We would wash bikes with a water hose, dawn detergent and a soft brush. This generally kept water and grit out of the bearings. The people who used pressure washers (muddy mt bikes) often had sealed bearings that failed prematurely. The pressure washers blasted the water, grit and detergent past the seals. It was even worse on bikes with rear suspension. The bushings for the linkage got their dose of grit as well. So the people who used pressure washers had pretty bikes but it sure wasn’t doing the mechanicals any favors.
I can’t say for sure if this translates directly to co2 blasting in cars but it makes me hesitant.

Good point. I find the same issue with mountain bikes. Light cleaning or wiping around the shocks and bearings and things last longer. I always get teased about having a dirty bike, but my stuff seems to last longer.

[rpk55]

I've had two cars dry Ice blasted. The first was our 74 914 LE, it had extensive restoration work done by the PO between 2014 and 2016 so the paint is great and just about all of the rust was removed.
The Blaster didn't have a shop at that time so he came to mine. I had the car in the air with the wheels off and the braked removed. Tented the area and put down old carpet.

He did a great job, it cleaned all of the years of road grime off the suspension and underbody panels. I also uncovered a couple of short cuts the restoration shop hid.
I'll post a couple of pictures.

Two years ago we bought an 80SC that had been painted, and rustproofed when it was new. Underbelly was ugly. The Blast guy no had his own facility about an hour away. Sent pictures, agreed on a price and I dropped the car off. Three weeks later he said it was ready. Went to pick it up and it was on the ground and ready to go. A week or so later I went after the brakes. The wheel wells were still lousy with undercoating, and the wheels were not cleaned at all. Even though I paid his extra fee for both. He refuses to answer calls or emails. Never provided me with a promised written receipt or photos of before and after. Oh, and just like the first car, he wanted an additional $300 for the extra work. Never again with this guy.

Now we have an 88 911, original paint and 51K miles. Really nice!, But I want to have it blasted. We're in northern Ohio and the closest shop I can find is over three hours away.
I believe and trust the process. Had lots of printing equipment cleaned during my equipment career over the last 30 years.

The trouble now is finding a reputable service providor. If anyone can recommend someone within driving distance of Lake Erie, I'd be glad to reach out.

[flightlead404]

Every year on my airplane, and somewhat less regularly on my 930 which is tight and only leaks oil when I make a mess doing an oil change or similar, I pressure wash using mineral oil.

I'll put down sheets of cardboard first, and use a compressor fed siphon gun I picked up at harbor freight. Doesn't come with a lot of power, which is probably what you want in an engine compartment.

If its really bad I'll use Coleman Fuel (white gas) but do that outdoors with no smoking or ignition source nearby (no electric fans) as you're making a new fuel/air mixture.

[famoroso]

I like a clean bottom...








I'm off to do my 2003 M5 this morning.

[tdw28210]

A BIG YAY! Dry ice is almost magical in my eyes. If you have an experienced operator they can do wonders. Keep the schutz or remove the schutz, etc. Clean the rubber bits, wheels and even paint. These are the guys to use in my opinion. They do a lot of air-cooled cars. They did a fantastic job on my Mexico Blue car prior to Amelia Island last year. In North Carolina, a few miles north of Charlotte. Merritt Motors.

https://merrittmotorsco.com/dry-ice-blasting/automotive-dry-ice-cleaning-and-restoration/

[PeteKz]

For anyone in the Portland area, the Oregon PCA is sponsoring a dry ice blasting demo on Jan 20th.
https://www.oregonpca.org/event/tech-session-dry-ice-cleaning/