Undercoating Removal - The Fastest Method Yet!
 

Having been through undercoating removal on several cars let me just say that it just plain sucks! The standard PVC undercoating will only come off with lots of scraping. I found the best method is the knotted wire brush on the end of my grinder. The same can be said for the tar material on the inner floorboards of a 911. This is a gooey mess that is best done with a scraper and heat gun. Slow. stinky.

I have just found the best method by far to go through undercoating with no damage to the metal surface. Bring on the Harbor Freight Multi-tool!

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1278042467.jpg

I bought one of these mostly to use as a detail sander. I just got it today at lunch. I looked at the metal blade and thought this might have more uses. And if it dies I am only out about $35 (had a coupon).

Watch this! I am absolutely amazed at how fast this works. Don't forget your hearing protection. This current project is my 914. It is getting the full strip down treatment.


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Here is that same section not 5 minutes later. Mostly clean metal that will easily finish with the wire brush. After a quick acid etch and degrease the surface is ready for primer.


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1278042636.jpg

The pile of rubble is impressive. No dust. No stringy PVC flakes. It goes through seam sealer and regular undercoating just as easily.

Here is 20 minutes of work on the DS floorboard. Almost ready for reinforcement welding.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1278042649.jpg

Nice!

I got the cordless craftsman version for my birthday last year. Thanks for this discovery, I'll be using it this fall. I've even got that same blade... Do you thik the saw blades could cut through the sheet metal without mangling it? Or is it better to use a dremel with a cutting blade?

Looks a lot like the same sort of oscillating saw that takes off casts! Gotta look into one of those.

Is that a toothed blade or a knife edge?

Thanks

Dave

Wow!

Holy Crap! You my friend are going to make a lot of people happy with this post.

The pied piper of the tool world.

Wow!

This is why this forum is so great. That idea and the sharing of it just rocks. Thank you!!!

Yes, I realize the significance of the post. This kind of thread really benefits everyone. Anyone that has tried to strip a car will very much understand how easy this method is. I will only use the wire brush for cleanup. This tool even gets corners where a wire brush will not.

This is the knife edge blade, not serrated. It is not really sharp to the touch but has a chiseled tip that will easily cut down to metal. I wish it was a little more squared off such that it would cut a flat section. On the PVC undercoating (wheel wells, etc) it will cut a much more narrow strip. It still cuts as quickly, just not as wide.

The best part is that after it dulls you can resharpen with a few passes with a grinder or file. You can even make your own custom profiles since the blades are cheap enough to cut up.

This is what happens when a patent expires (Fein Vibratory tool). The copy-cats swoop in, drop the price to something affordable and people like me start to experiment. To be honest, I had seen these in magazines and infomercials. I was very skeptical. I am SO GLAD I took a chance.

You rock - I'm about to tackle this mess on my 911.

Thanks for posting!

You can tell a really good idea by the way if seems obvious as you slap yourself on the forehead when you first see it...

where were you 2 months ago.... could have saved me the handful of burn marks from the heat gun while removing the asphalt from my floor.

I'm glad that tool works, I got a pnumatic gasket remover thinking it would work similarly but it does not. i think the gasket scraper has strokes that are too short it really be effective. i like that it is a relatively small tool to get into tight areas.

Thanks Jamie, I've got to strip the passenger's side for refinishing still. No need to put off any longer!

Nice work!

I bought the Mastercraft Powered Scraper Kit for this purpose. I have yet to try it out but I'm hopeful that I experience similar results.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1278086964.jpg

http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/6/Tools/HandTools/UtilityKnives/PRD~0546520P/Mastercraft%252BPowered%252BScraper%252BKit/CROSSSELL~0496525%20Glass%252FTile%2BScraper%2BRep lacement%2BBlade.jsp?locale=en

Tim K

Thanks Jamie!

I've been putting this off and am now glad I did.

I was surprised at the condition of the floor under the asphalt. The raised sections were still in very nice shape with the galvanized coating. The lower stamping ribs were quite rusty under the coating even though it was firmly attached. In some areas the asphalt just jumped off the steel and in some areas it was firm.

I am glad this is all gone and it represents probably 20 pounds from the car. I will see if I can get a weight once its all in the trashcan.

Good stuff, thanks.

Now where's your Texan accent? :D

I am in the Oasis of Austin. Not many original accents here.

Oh and I am an East Coast transplant that is land-locked.

It does have to be a few lbs, my driver's side alone was a few.

I think Oracle of Austin has a nice ring

Thanks for the post Jamie, I'm doing this right now on my 69 - using heat and chemical stripper. Laborious and messy! I'll be going shopping tomorrow...

:)

Thanks for the tip, Jamie.

I have a gas tank I want to strip & recoat.

The body schutz on it is really tough to remove.

I will drive to Harbor Freight today. There is a coupon on it as well.

Great posting.

You Pelicanheads are incredible.

Len

:)

Jamie's absolutely correct. I stopped by my local HF this morning and picked one up. Absolutely the best way to strip the floors! Made quick work of the passenger side floor. And I took a stab on one of the frame rails in the engine compartment (same stuff that's in the wheel wells) and it came off better than anything else I've tried so far.

And the bonus was that the tool was on sale at $34.99 with a coupon from last Sunday's paper.

Thanks Jamie.

Don't forget to p/u the free LED flashlight! I must have 10 or 12 now. My wife has them hidden in every room in the house, it seems.

Ed, you are right. I collect them and we give them away as birthday presents for my Son's friends. 4-5 YOs love flashlights and these don't eat batteries.

Glad to hear other's success with the technique.

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.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1278284662.jpg

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

Great info! Thank you Jamie!

I...MUST....HAVE...ONE! I have almost worked myself into a state of abject dispair after cleaning one fender well and the front bumper. I still have three more fenders and the underside to go. I had resigned myself to laying on my back scraping this scheißdreck from the underside of the car in TOTAL MISERY!

I dunno....maybe 18 hours of scraping, switching between a 2 inch spatula and a stiff wire brush?:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1278296424.jpg

Cinder blocks?

Dry Ice - Interior Floor Sound Deadener Removal
 

-Have been "gone" for a bit here, so this may have already been covered:

With my last '82 SC, I used dry ice and a rubber mallet. I laid pieces of dry ice (wear gloves) directly on top of the sound deadener/insulation, let it get as cold as possible, removed the dry ice and carefully hit the deadener with the mallet. The material cracked, and was easy to pull right of the floor without even scratching the zinc coating below. I am guessing that this would NOT work on other areas of a car, as that undercoating material is more flexible that what I encountered in the interior/floor area.

Caveat emptor however, I may have simply had a car with unusually brittle insulation.

Lindy

yes, be CERTAIN to avoid getting under the car with those there

I suggest you remove the block entirely and use wooden timbers

Wow! what a find! I have the tool and used it many times on trim work and grout removal. I've had to buy the 3 pack blades to get the saw blade... only to come with 2 scraper blades that I didnt need, but now I have use for them! but now they also sell the saw blade individually... I guess it worked out!

the air-powered version of this is on sale right now for $30.

Variable Speed Multifunction Air Tool


coupon

Coupon Display

Well, after I read this I bought one of these for removing undercoating.

However, yesterday, working on the boxster I had to cut through a rubber engine mount to install semi-solid inserts. Guess what, put the narrow toothed tool on and it cut through the rubber like butter.

Then I was installing an under-drive pulley and had to cut an interfering stub off of the block. Again, the toothed tool cut through the aluminum easier and cleaner than a dremel or a cutoff wheel.

I'm sold, keeping this in the shop close at hand.......

Harbor Freight price dropped on these. They are now $34.99 without a coupon. I had ordered one at $40 and just called to get a refund. I don't even have it yet.

And yes, cinder blocks... Note the dunage to spread the weight It was the easiest way to level the frame so I could remove the rocker panels. There are jack stands under the car that aren't in the picture. Nope, I'm still not planning on crawling under it.

I was going to pay a shop to sandblast off my undercoating. You just saved me $800,

THANKS!

Great info! This was using scrapers and screw drivers for the thick stuff, then the metal bristle brushes on a drill. Entire car was done this way, with smaller areas done with roloc pads.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1280251617.jpg
Floor Board Progress

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1280251999.jpg
It's nice to primer over clean metal

Very nice!

Geat Idea
 

well smack me in the head with a 2by4.... Jeee's I work with these things all the time in construction to do everything. ....................Dude you just saved me money
Buster