The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Tar undercoat removal

Hello,
I am working on prepping my front fenders, and some other areas for rust repair on my 58 apache. There is a lot of tar that has been sprayed on in these areas and I have found some surface rust underneath these areas. Anybody have a good idea on how to remove it from the metal other than sandblasting? I have tried sanding and grinding but the tar heats up and fills the abrasive surface.

Thanks,
brian

I use a heat gun and a putty knife to scrape it off.

I've not personally tried it but mkabwe's idea sounds reasonable. That stuff is made to not come off easy so plain old hand scraping is probably what you'll have to do.

Thanks, just out of curiosity how does that flow, quickly or slowly?

If your careful Id try a propane torch and a putty knife. I cut up a cab awhile back with an oxy-acet torch and that stuff fell right off with the heat and scraper.

Ive got a pretty serious propane torch though and Id consider it as long as you didnt do to much at once, you dont want to warp any of the metal!

Thanks guys, I will give it a shot tonight!!

A heat gun works fine and it comes off pretty easy.

Thanks Mkabwe,
One further question, can I use laquer thinner to remove the residue for clean up?
Thanks,
Brian

The main problems with lacquer thinner are it dries to quickly to be much good at that and it can mess with your innards when it soaks into the skin. I would try a wax & grease remover or parts cleaning solvent.

Hey Tiny,
Thanks for the heads up. Can you recommend a brand that you have used?
Thanks,
Brian

Don't know if this'll help, but I tried to use laquer thinner to remove vynal graphics and it didn't work. It never even touched the glue, and I ended up scraping anyway. Looks like I'll hafta get an eraser for my grinder.

Mineral spirits(oil based paint thinner) or kerosene are much better solvents for this type of material and usually much cheaper also. Then you can take the residue from them off with wax and gease remover.

Kerosene, I also use one of the spray can brake cleaners.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

I think kerosene or a close relative is what is used for parts cleaning solvent around here. Ask a garage where they buy their solvent. The garage may even sell you a gallon if they have extra. It isn't cheap but nothing petrolium is anymore.

Did someone say Turpentine??? Kerosene was what I meant. That costs about the same as a gallon of gasoline.
Denny G

You guys rock! I did not have a heat gun, but a small propane torch and the putty knife worked really well. I just made sure I did not work one area for too long. Finally and old towel and the paint thinner cleaned it up rather nice.
Thanks a bunch,
Brian

Another method is to use dry ice. about 10# of dry ice in a cheese cloth, let sit over a section of tar. Once the tar is frozen, smack it with a rubber mallet and it shatters, then vacuum with a shop vac.

OK GUYS what about using mineral spirits to remove the residue ? won't that work ok and not be as harmful on your skin? i would and do still use latex rubber gloves for jobs like this where i use solvents to work on the truck and don't want to wear it the solvents that is ... later Earl

Eastwood sells a fairly good undercoat remover, although use it for the resudue problem, it really doesn't budge the main layer.

Paint stripper will work too. Auto parts here sell "Aircraft" paint stripper in quarts, maybe gallons & aerosol I think. About $7 a quart and I've used that to loosen it up. It's been a while but I seem to recall being disappointed with the aerosols.

Are the fenders off the truck? I stripped one of my rear fenders and had one media blasted. The later is allot easier, just find a place that won't use sand or won't warp it.

I agree with the guys who said paint thinner. The onlything I would add is to put it in a spray bottle fopr ease of application.

Lou

add on note after stripping some new areas:

a wire brush on a grinder works niiiiiccce!!

I used the wire brush in a grinder method on an old Willys jeep tub. It worked, but I was still picking tar globs out of my carport 5 years later when I sold that house. Be careful where you do it, all that tar doesn't just evaporate, it goes somewhere.