13 replies to this topic

[Minuel]

Hi, my car has pretty much been covered in underseal (Waxoyl?), which I suppose is a good thing as it is probably the only reason it's still going.

The problem is I am preparing the car for a respray and am having a pretty hard time removing it as the engine bay, wheel arches etc... are caked in it. I am using petrol and cellulose thinner to weaken it and then chip / rub away at it.

If anyone else has been through this before, any advice would be greatly appreciated.

MK

Edited by Minuel, 21 July 2007 - 04:06 PM.

[mike.]

Blowtorch and a scraper is the only things i'v heard of

[alexcrosse]

scraper/chissel and alot of time.

[Globule]

Blowtorch and a scraper is the only things i'v heard of

A problem i found this way is that it still leaves smears which are a pain as you then either have to either keep working on the same area which takes forever or sand it down!

[mike.]

Can't you just use a paint/rust remover disc? You can buy them as attachments for drills/grinders

[Minuel]

I hadn't thought of that, that might make the panels quite a bit easier. Cheers for that.

MK

[Retro_10s]

unfortunately the knotted wire wheels aren't that great, the underseal sticks to them and rather than getting rid of it,... they fling it everywhere else, a right pain. Also renders the Wheel useless afterwards... Ver messy using the wheels.

I would use a blow torch to melt it away and scrape it off when molten... then Use the thinners to get rid of any of the smears left behind. It's a very labour intensive job to do i'm afraid and there's no easy way around it. Not messy at all this way!

You could always look at getting a mobile sandblasting unit to come and do it for you. I gotta quoe to do the whole underside of my car a while ago of £50. not bad really after looking at the cost of getting a blowtorch and howmuch time it'd take me.

Oh and don't waste celly thinners, use white spirit.

Edited by Retro_10s, 21 July 2007 - 05:46 PM.

[Minuel]

I thought that sandblasting would take it down to bare metal which could be a problem. I suppose that as long as the metal is primed before its painted it shouldnt matter.

I'll get a quote to hire a sandblaster.

MK

[redhotmini]

and once its painted, use Waxoyl rather than underseal. works a lot better, and its much easier to remove when you need to. only thing is you really need to put a coat on once or twice a year, to keep its protection level at its best. do that, and you wont have rust coming through in a few months time.

[Ethel]

Always found underseal comes off most thoroughly if it's hard and you use a scraper. Afraid it's just hard work- use a sharp edge.

[edi57]

Just seen this post and thought I'd post my method of underseal removal. I really struggled until I came up with the following:

You Will Need:

-Hot Air Gun
-Scraper
-Spray Bottle (something like an empty household cleaner bottle)
-White Spirit
-Wire Brush Attachment for drill
-Electric Drill
-Scourer
-Kitchen Towel

1) First, you start off by heating the area with the hot air gun and scraping with the scraper to get rid of the worst of the underseal. Don't worry if it all still looks quite messy.

2) Fill your spray bottle with white spirit and spray the area. This softens the remaining layer of underseal.

3) Use the wire brush attachment on the electric drill to go over the area. For tighter or more difficult to reach areas use the wire scourer and your gloved hands to scrape at the area. It'll all look even messier now.

4) Spray the area again with clean white spirit.

5) Simply wipe with kitchen towel and you'll have an underseal free surface!

Having my mini on it's side to remove the underseal made it a lot easier! It took me a few days to remove the underseal, spending a couple of hours per day. If you were a bit more determined the same job could easily have been done in a day.

[morley]

i just used a blowtorch and scraped it off, then some parafin to get the rest off.. £5 from jet/texaco garage

[Rosslin Racing]

I think it also comes down to how fresh the stuff is if its old and brittle you can get it off with a chisel and brush cleaner for the left overs. I use brush cleaner because you can wash it off with water. white sprit leaves a film with can act as a releasing agent.

Edited by Rosslin Racing, 17 February 2008 - 11:57 AM.

[jayare]

I used a scraper for the most part & finished off with petrol on a rag. I think the most important thing you need is an endless supply of patience!! I know I ran out of patience on a number of occasions and had to leave it for a week or two until my reserves built up again!

JR