Removing Underbody Coating?

[KANE]

Just be careful with a screw driver to not jab the fender well too bad, I removed a tiny bit/scraped sime lines into the non-catalyzed undercoating by accident. Some engine enamel should protect it well once its clean and ready for painting.

So you're saying its not a good idea to smoke while using gas to clean the tar off in my garage with the doors closed?

LOL:biggrin: yes please do not smoke while doing this!

As far as gouges are concerned its going to happen all over the place while stripping the non catalyzed. You just need to fill in the gouges with auto seam sealer before refinishing with 2k auto paint.

After I have completely stripped the area, I wash over it with reducer to remover all remaining contaminents, then sealer, auto base coat, the auto clear coat.

Rav

 

[CL65 Captain]

So you're saying its not a good idea to smoke while using gas to clean the tar off in my garage with the doors closed?

Depends on what you are smoking? :biggrin:

 

[Mac Attack]

catalyzed undercoating-you dont remove this

non catalyzed undercoating-this is the sticky tar stuff that glues dirt to your undercarriage and is completely unnecessary- This is what you want to remove.

Soda blasting will only work on the suspension castings and arms. On the wheel wells etc, its just going to stick on or bounce off.

Thanks for clarifying this.

The catalyzed undercoating must be the white stuff under my red paint that I partially removed in this picture:

I scraped into some of the catalyzed undercoating areas before I started using a dull flat-blade screwdriver to remove the non-catalyzed tar stuff, but it didn't go to bare aluminum. Not enough to go back and seal it. That's why I recommend a dull flat-blade when scraping.

Agreed - media blasting will only work for hard materials. It won't do anything for tar. Still wish I had a soda blaster though :biggrin:

 

[Mac Attack]

Depends on what you are smoking? :biggrin:

Damn, did you have to change your avatar too?

 

[1albagtp]

A Stainless Steel wire brush ( easy find near the paint isle in Home Depot) works well to "polish" up the aluminum suspension. Easy to give a quick touch up with when a wheel is off.

 

[goldNSX]

Reading this post again, I've started to do this tonight. Well after 2 hours, I have about 1/4 of the coat off, it's a pure PITA but if you like the car and have 3 months to wait to drive her again... I've used brake cleaner and in exponated areas. Yes, it removes the red paint a little bit. As in Dave's picture the white undercoat shines through. It's an elastic coat. A friend of mine coated it with an additional plastic protection coat but I think that's overkill and just adds weight. :tongue: In some areas the black coating was that thin that there is almost no protection of stones flying around. So why extra-coating?

Raising the bar again...

 

[Erik B]

Im planning on doing my Integra now after reading this topic! So after you spray them down...what are you using to actually clean it? I plan on doing this in my garage so I was hoping to not have to use my hose in the garage

Erik B: who is such a freaking newbie!

 

[goldNSX]

Finally, I've stripped one fender. It took several steps:

1. Remove loose sand and dust
2. Spray PB blaster on the areas the tar has to get off and let it soak overnight
3. Manually clean as much of the tar off with a plastic spatula (different sizes)
4. Use a toothbrush for difficult areas
5. Finally clean it with brake cleaner

Time (5 hours+) and patience is needed.

Still deciding what additional stone protection should be used before I paint it.

 

[goldNSX]

Nearly ready for painting. I've tried a stoneshield protection spray but it's not overpaintable I'm afraid as it was promissed. My friend sends me some stuff to try which is said to be gunproved.

Underbody soaked with PB blaster. Stones eating up the paint.

 

[Mac Attack]

Wow - that looks great goldNSX!

I hope you're working in a well-ventilated area :wink:

 

[goldNSX]

Wow - that looks great goldNSX!

I hope you're working in a well-ventilated area :wink:

Thanks!

I've painted it black-glossy 10 minutes ago. Let it dry and take some pics then...

 

[goldNSX]

Painted...

The exhaust has to go for removing the rest of the tar on the left side.

 

[stuntman]

I don't know how you guys managed to make your fender wells so perfect.


Check out what I had to deal with (115,000 miles of hell apparently):

In progress: