[Rugratman]

O.K. The engine and trans are out, and I want to paint and detail the undercarrige, It is a sludgy mess. The engine compartment was done last year. I want to redo the firewall and the tunnel and the frame etc... Any tips for scraping this sh*t off?
My plan was to use a wire wheel on my drill and scape off that junk.
For paint, I was going to prime everything with Eastwoods Rust encapuslator and then use Black enamel paint. I really have no rust. I have a lot of overspray from the paint job.

Any suggestions?

[Rugratman]

O.K. The engine and trans are out, and I want to paint and detail the undercarrige, It is a sludgy mess. The engine compartment was done last year. I want to redo the firewall and the tunnel and the frame etc... Any tips for scraping this sh*t off?
My plan was to use a wire wheel on my drill and scape off that junk.
For paint, I was going to prime everything with Eastwoods Rust encapuslator and then use Black enamel paint. I really have no rust. I have a lot of overspray from the paint job.

Any suggestions?

[goatseeker]

Spray on full strength degreaser (I use Simple Green) & let it sit for 30 min or so. Then hit it with a pressure washer at low setting. That will get most of it off, then attack the rest with a scraper & wheel. Be careful with the scraper & wheel - even tough you may not see any rust, the metal in the floorpan is thin & you can punch through if there is a pin hole there that you don't see.

http://kurtspontiac.homestead.com/TimSimpson66GTO.html

[skyntback]

A great tool to use is a stripping wheel, they are made by Irwin and come in a 5 pack and you purchase the arbor seperately, or you can buy them at home depot as one piece for about $7. Buy a sack full, they clean everything but the last layer of undercoat which you clean off with laquer thinner. They also take of most surface rust and dont bite too hard into the metal. They also take of old paint, I started out using liquid stripper and tossed it after using these. Good luck, Rob

[RicksGTO]

I just finished stripping the underbody to bare metal on my '69 GTO from back to front. Mine had a combination of heavy undercoating, grease and oil that made it tough. I tried the 3M sponge-like paint stripping pads and had decent luck until I got to any heavy undercoating or grease. Then they got all clogged up and I went thru them too fast. I tried paint stripper and that was too much fun worrying about getting any of it on the cars good body paint. I tried undercoating remover, didn't hardly do anything but make a mess. Got a good 4 1/2" grinder with the 5/8" x 11 threads and a few knotted wire wheels. One was a 3" knotted wheel cup and then a 4" and 7" circular wire wheel with the knotted braids. The wire wheels and cup cut thru it all better than anything else on my car by far, never got clogged up at all. I've looked like pigpen every weekend now for 3 months cause that grinder slings the powder everywhere. I agree, if your floor/trunk pans are thin or heavily rusted, these might be damaging. My car had good solid floors and pans everywhere, so I never saw any damage at all from the wire wheels. Get a couple of good linen drop clothes from Lowes or Home Depot, your garage floor will thank you. And make sure you wear good eye protection and a charcoal mask if you can, the effects of eating/inhaling that dust can't be good. Good luck on it, Rick.

[rexus31]

I did the undercarriage on my '64 a few months back. I used industrial strength oven cleaner with a pressure washer. I tried all types of de-greasers but the over cleaner was far superior. Be careful not to get it on any painted surfaces you want to keep painted. Also try and use gloves up to your elbows, eye protection and a respirator. The stuff burns when it gets on your skin.