Clean under body look

[sc_rufctr]

Hi All

I'm about to take my engine and gearbox out for a major service and gearbox rebuild. And while this is happening I'm thinking about removing all of the black spray on undercoating on my car. It's a 1978 so the stuff is 31 years old...

Some time ago I did some minor restoration under the car and at that time I used raw turpentine to get the stuff off. It was messy and lots of work but it got the job done.

The undercoating has cracked in places and some of it has fallen off over the years so i don't expect it to be a difficult process to do the entire car. It's not a daily and would rarely, if ever be driven in the rain.

After seeing some of the cars here with "clean" under bodies and wheel wells, I was impressed by the results. I've always thought our cars look better like this. I'm also guessing it would be easier to keep the under body clean and make regular inspections for rust much surer...

Please give me some feedback on your own experiences. What did you use to dissolve the stuff? What process did you find most efficient for getting the stuff off? Post some pics if you have them... I would like to see pics of the floor pan especially. Ideally I would like to see examples of "extreme" detailing.

Thanks in advance.

[carrera turbo]

heres a link to a cosmetic restore i did, all three of my cars have body color under. i think its easy to keep clean and the factory or optioned undercoating is a breeding ground for rust once it starts peeling away.

i used diesel and a little paint thinner in a garden type sprayer and let sit on car for about thirty minutes at a time and used very stiff bristle scrub brush once you get it soft it will clean off ok.

you really need access to a oil water trap system as i have. this way your not contaminating the sewage systems with diesel and the tar from under your car.

if you dont have access to a oil trap then you can devise a catch pan that you can then rid of the stuff at your local hazardest waste facility.

cheers ed
1975 911S sporto cosmetic restore

[frankc]

Are you talking about the original cosmoline or some additional rustproofing applied over that? Regardless, I found the fastest method, which is also the least harmful to the underlying paint, was to first use a heat gun to soften it up. The cosmoline will melt with very little heat and turn into a soft butter consistency. I then used a variety of guitar picks (plastic with rounded edges) to remove the bulk of the material. After that I used 3M Adhesive Remover and a toothbrush to remove the remaining material. Follow up with a citrus cleaner and a "cleaner wax" and you're done!

I detailed the process in my thread on the subject:

Removing decades old rustproofing

Frank

[RWebb]

leave it there & touch up bad spots if you plan to drive the car

remove it if you are going to display the car upside down in a museum

[jtratza]

I did the driver's side wheel wells several years ago. It took 3 days and when done looked great. I guess not great enough since I have yet to do the other side. I posted the pics but cannot find them now. Job started with lots of pressure washing, scrapping, more pressure washing, strippers, more scrapping, more pressure washing, and then undercoat primer and paint. I ordered a quart of paint that matched guards red but not official guards red since it was 1/3 the price. I used a spray gun to apply the paint but found a brush works just as well.

Results looked great for a few years and probably still look good but I'm too busy to power wash the side I did let alone do the side I didn't do.