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Interior Clean up

JConstable

JConstable

Donation Time
All,
I have started to strip the interior of my series V to perform rust assessment and control. In doing so the picture is pretty good and no heavy duty car cancer has appeared. However, to be sure I need to remove the black gummy sound deadener that I presume was applied at the factory. On top of this is spray-on contact cement used to stick in some carpeting. In order to get this stuff off I have tried acetone, goof-off, a wire wheel, elbow grease, scrapers, oven cleaner, and paint thinner. All marginally soften the stuff and create a temporary goopy mess that is still sticky-as-the-devil. The obvious question - any ideas on how to make this chore easier?

John
 
B

Bill Blue

Platinum Level Sponsor
JConstable said:
All,
I have started to strip the interior of my series V to perform rust assessment and control. In doing so the picture is pretty good and no heavy duty car cancer has appeared. However, to be sure I need to remove the black gummy sound deadener that I presume was applied at the factory. On top of this is spray-on contact cement used to stick in some carpeting. In order to get this stuff off I have tried acetone, goof-off, a wire wheel, elbow grease, scrapers, oven cleaner, and paint thinner. All marginally soften the stuff and create a temporary goopy mess that is still sticky-as-the-devil. The obvious question - any ideas on how to make this chore easier?

John
Click to expand...

I had the same problem. Decided that anything that was adhering that tightly to sheet metal could not have any rust under it and called it a day. It is now covered with carpet.

Bill
 
skywords

skywords

Donation Time
Methyline Chloride. Probably banned in California. Are you sure you want to go down that path of removal? Usually when the cancer sets in the steel and the black stuff part company and reject each other. If I was not going to do a complete stripping of the intire car I might let sleeping dogs lye. Any signs of problems on the underside of the floors?
 
gordonra

gordonra

Donation Time
Did mine, and I don't know that there is an easy way. I used a 4" hand grinder... wore out 2 very stiff wire wheels, but got it cleaned down to bare metal.
 
funsun

funsun

Donation Time
wire wheel on grinder

I spent most of last summer removeing the rust and crud on my 1960 alpine flooring. Used a combination of things. 3 inch grinder with saucer shapped sandpaper flapper wheel. Cone wire wheel on grinder. Saucer shapped wire wheel on grinder. Cone and flat wire wheels on a high speed drill, regular slow speed drills are a waste of time . One of the wire wheels I used on the drill was about an inch around and ended up looking bullet shaped by the time I got done useing it on the grooves and corners. Rubber has little chancer with the ruggit wire wheel on the 3 inch grinder, it's also will leave a nasty mark on skin if you aren't careful. Be sure to use a good dusk mask and goggles, a gust of wind makes the crud swirl up in your face. Keep a vacumn and light handy so you can see the end results as you go. One last note, when you start to cleanup and use whatever kind of solvent, use a dry cloth to sop up the solvent quickly while it is wet for a much cleaner and better surface to bond to. Solvents when allowed to air dry, simply bring the oils and crude to the surface for a lowsey bond.
 
Ken Ellis

Ken Ellis

Donation Time
John,
On many fronts, leaving it alone is a good path. But if you must, you might try a 'thermal' solution: Pick up some dry ice and, using appropriate glove protection, see if it turns brittle with extreme cold. Get a chunk of dry ice, hold it in good contact with a patch of coating for 30 seconds or so, then remove and quickly smack the metal with a hammer. Not enough to bend things permanently, but just to try to break the coating. I know this works on some tar-like flooring adhesives in residential settings, but I've never tried it on whatever is in an Alpine. Also, keep in mind that if you're doing the inside of a floor pan, it'll also affect the other side of the sheet metal, which may not be what you want.

(I've had good luck removing contact cement with a woodworking-style carbide-blade scraper -- about 1 1/2" or 2" wide. Best for flat surfaces...)

Let us know if you try this, so we can find out if I'm an idiot! (Careful, Bill...)

Ken
 
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