Undercoating Removal - The Fastest Method Yet!

[911 tweaks]

what tool bits do you all like ~ have had success with using to get the undercoating off the flat surfaces & the nooks & cranies...??

I almost bought the tool a week ago, but the blades were in a pk of 3~5 different ones and they cost just as much as the tool...

I realize the tool will save mega time , frustration & cost compared to other ways to strip the undercoating off, but, maybe the tool comes w/ 1 blade or I was rushed away by my wife (probably...) or you all bought 1 or 2 particular bits...??

Any feedback would be great so I can get a strippin' a 72' E tub...

Thx,
Bob

[Quicksilver]

Harbor freight has this scraper on sale this weekend for $29 bucks! (8/27/10 thru 8/29/10)
Sale Flyer 8/27 to 8/29

[70SWT]

One more plug for this tool/technique...Jamie, you may have saved my marriage here.

I almost sold my project car because the soot and dust from removing undercoating and floor coatings with a heat gun, scraper and grinder was covering everything in the garage (read: my wife's car, bike, gardening tools, etc...). I had a separate site lined up to move the car to because of this, or was going to sell the car and say the he!! with it. This tool has made finishing the project at home possible. Much less grinding now needed, and the work is 3x quicker. You are the man...

Another echo: if you are tackling a body project, "while you're in there," always remove all the relevant undercoating and paint you can. It is amazing how much rust can hide under perfect-looking coatings. You may find another area that needs repair and that saves you $$$ down the road.

[jpnovak]

Bob,

The tool will come with 3 blades. I used the flat blade included. I did not buy additional blades. This one will get all the way down into a corner. You can rotate the position of the blade relative to the tool to reach those small sections. There will be a slight residue left that comes off easily with a wire brush.

Al, Glad to help. When are you going to spill the beans on your project? btw, aren't gardening tools supposed to be dirty? Otherwise, there is little gardening going on.

I certainly agree with the last statement. I was working on my 914 and "thought" I had fixed all of the rust holes. I just removed the last section of undercoating from the rear firewall. I found a section that was held together with undercoating. This went un-noticed from the backside. AHH now I have more welding to do.

[70SWT]

The spillable beans are minimal...just a rough 72 T non-sunroof coupe I am slowly putting back together as an ST tribute (Kremer-ish with 11" steel rear flares). Still need a better nose/latch panel and cowl with A-pillar corners, and a windshield to make it complete. I am fiercely arm-wrestling with myself over making it a rain gutter delete car at this point...

[pksystems]

AWESOME TOOL!!!! Wish I had this like a year ago before I started stripping this crap manually.

On Sale till Friday at Canadiantire for everyone up north. $40 ... I got mine for $35 on the weekend with the scratch card $5 coupon.

Mastercraft 2.5A Corded Oscillating Tool with 18 Accessories | Canadian Tire

I figured I'd test it out, and I stripped the 1/4" goop off the entire top of the dome on my old '66 gas tank in a couple minutes. Seems to have no prob with some rubber undercoating I had on the front, and ashphault stuff in wheel well came off pretty quick. (Where a mask/glasses...etc.. )

I'm sure it's not meant to be used continuously like I plan on using it.... but they have 3 year straight exchange warranty on it, so no biggie

[Tim K]

Good score. There was a cordless version on sale a few weeks ago (more $). I thought seriously about it, but I didn't want the hassle of battery power when I'm working in the garage so I bought the Dremel version (on sale but still more $ ). Now the corded version comes out! Arg.

Any pics of it in action?

Tim K

[pksystems]

I didn't take any pics..... I got all the thick goop off, but it leaves a oily/tar residue, that a wire wheel just smears around. This is the 60's ashpault stuff, I don't know about the rubber undercoat.

I sprayed some cheap deodorized brake cleaner from Princess Auto (on sale next week for like $3/can) onto the residue, and it started running off the second the cleaner hit it. The cleaner didn't seem to have any effect on the primer under the undercoating.

[combatic]

BUMP

Jamie, I stumbled on this thread poking around for better undercoating removal methods! I thought I had discovered the magic of the oscillating miracle multi-tool working on my car! ha ha. I am a dope though b/c I bought a Bosch. I am sure it will last forever but the Harbor Freight version is so cheap you can spend the rest of your money on different and more blades! It is a must have tool guys! and not just for car resto. The cutting blades are awesome for trim work, sheet rock...anything really.

btw- it zips off the tar based sound deadening lickity split.

[jpnovak]

Bryan, These tools are great. Don't apologize for buying the Bosch. There is no substitute for good tools. Besides, I bet your hands don't vibrate for days after using the Busch. Something tells me they have much better isolation in the case housing.

yes, the tools works great on the car and lots of other places around the house. I am a believer.

[zippy_gg]

That tool worked great for the car - I removed the "tar" from the inside of the car in record time - and around the house - I used it to cut through the chicken wire inside my bedroom wall and through sheet-rock when I installed a French door.
Now I just need a couple of new blades...

[armandodiaz]

Man, bought this tool from Harbor Frieght almost a year ago and still haven't had a chance to use it, on my race car. Maybe all these posts will help to motivate me.

[combatic]

Originally Posted by jpnovak

Bryan, These tools are great. Don't apologize for buying the Bosch. There is no substitute for good tools. Besides, I bet your hands don't vibrate for days...

Yeah I believe in buying the best tool you can afford...and my hand's do not hurt or go numb after using the Bosch so you might be right about the balance.

I will say however, I bought 3 grinders from harbor freight (on sale) one for $19 bucks and the other two at a later date for $10 each!!!! They supplement my Makita grinder I have had since 1999. It is so nice to just switch tools and not have to swap grinding media on one grinder. These 'cheapies' are working great!!!

[RWebb]

get a Fein (they "invented" this tool -- adapted it from medical saws for plaster casts)

[bullethole]

For my floorboard gunk, I put dry ice on the floorboard.. and then when it all was gone, whacked it with a hammer, it all broke up nice and clean. It should work with the rubberized undercoating, but it would be a hell of alot of dryice.

[bullethole]

the HF Air tool is now 16.99

[70SWT]

These tools are great, and kudos to Jamie (again) for pointing them out.

One caveat: think twice about using one of these on a galvanized car. Or, as in my case, if you are using donor parts from a galvanized-era car for a quick repair on my 69. If you do, use the tool gently and sharpen the blade frequently.

The longer you use the blade the more you start digging into the metal instead of skimming along under the undercoating. It doesn't take long. Then you take away chunks and strips of the zinc layer (the galvanizing) and you turn your rust-resistant panel into a rust magnet. If afterward you are POR-15ing it with good prep, it's probably less of any issue.

Why do you need these tools in Austin anyway, Jamie, when you can sit outside and use the heat gun to your heart's content? Up here in the sub-arctic, anything that doesn't generate smoke in the garage is a plus.

[1-ev.com]

Originally Posted by STflared72T

These tools are great, and kudos to Jamie (again) for pointing them out.

One caveat: think twice about using one of these on a galvanized car. Or, as in my case, if you are using donor parts from a galvanized-era car for a quick repair on my 69. If you do, use the tool gently and sharpen the blade frequently.

The longer you use the blade the more you start digging into the metal instead of skimming along under the undercoating. It doesn't take long. Then you take away chunks and strips of the zinc layer (the galvanizing) and you turn your rust-resistant panel into a rust magnet. If afterward you are POR-15ing it with good prep, it's probably less of any issue.

Why do you need these tools in Austin anyway, Jamie, when you can sit outside and use the heat gun to your heart's content? Up here in the sub-arctic, anything that doesn't generate smoke in the garage is a plus.

Hey Guys!

What if use dry ice PLUS this advice with Oscillating Multifunction Power Tool?


Big Thanks Jamie, by the way!!!
I would Recommend this thread for the PelicanWiki ...
My 2c..
-Youri

[germanfan]

Originally Posted by tabasco

This thread needs its daily bump !
It's going to save lots of energy and time for many people.

Just bought the tool for $35 as well, and did the whole gas tank in ~ 1 hour.
I'll finish with a wire wheel, but it should be much quicker and cleaner than if I had done the whole tank with the wheel as I intended.



BTW I found more rust than I expected under the undercoating.
I worried the same thing would happen in the wheel wells, were the undercoating sometimes cracks and is a nice opportunity for rust to hide.


-Guillaume

if you still have that pile sitting around ....weigh it. i am lightening my car and am using the high value target system to decide on each step.

[CabMike]

There is a coupon in today's paper to get this tool for $19.99 at Harbor Freight. I think I will stop in and pick one up tomorrow.