Rust and underseal removal??

[monty400k]

Started stripping the underside of my car in preparation for some welding I'm going to get done, armed myself with an array of different grinder and drill wire brush attachments and got stuck in, unfortunately as I am working under the car I am struggling with the various wheels that Ive got, what are other people using for these jobs, can anyone make any recommendations? Also most of the underside is covered in ancient underseal which is proving a nightmare to chip off, are there any products out there that soften this stuff to make it easier to scrape off? Cheers!

[peanutsc]

Hi, if the underseal is very old bitumen like stuff i'd use a narrow scraper (inch or so wide) to chip it off - it's by far the cleanest way i've found. Otherwise i've used a plumber's blow lamp to soften things up and then scrape it off. That method does stink and there's an obvious fire risk but if you're going to be welding I guess everything is stripped back. With the rust, wire brush attachments seem just to polish the surface of it and not take it off. I have though had some success with an attachment for the end of an angle grinder - but it is vicious! I generally use a standard grinding disk to prepare an area for welding and bring it back to good shiny metal. Another handy attachment for a grinder is a rubber backed pad and 80 grit disk - great for flat areas but be careful with sharp edges. I found to my expense some years ago that the rubber disk can snag quite easily and the rotary motion can rip the grinder straight from your hands! Always operate at arm's length if poss rather than close to your body...

[composimmonite]

See if you can scrounge a power scraper as makes it a lot easier than doing by hand. I was cynical about them myself until I borrowed one off a mate and am now a convert.
The one I used was a Bosch but this is the cheaper sort of thing i mean -
www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/multifunction-grinder?da=1&TC=SRC-scraper

Paul h

[monty400k]

Thanks for the tips, yea, was using an old chisel today which was getting through it, if slowly, its a pain as I'm on my back arms stretched out above me, no pain no gain!!

[peanutsc]

Definitely no gain without pain, the odd bruise and skinned knuckles! But certainly satisfaction at the end of it all!!

[pantera2075]

I use an array depending on what works:

Paint scraper used belligerently - but you tend to lose your knuckle skin.
Hot air gun and paint scraper
Power drill and poly wheel - good for flat panels but get expensive on edges and holes.
80 grit disc on flexible backing pad on grinder.

[Bob the Fish]

Heat gun and scraper here, also air chisel on really low air. Also made a scraper for it by welding a DIY scraper blade to a cut-down chisel bit. Weld heat makes it brittle so go easy with it and wear goggles just in case... works well.

[gurnersimps1963]

warm it up and scrape most of it off with scraper then twist knot brush on grinder to finish..bloody hard work though...heres my results...


keep at it mate its a great feeling when its done plus you get stronger forearms!! ;D

[foxy99]

gurnersimps1963 that is one sound looking Imp body. Looks like the original bitumen type underseal did a good jobs of protecting the body!

monty400k this might sound like a crazy request but....can you sell me your underseal once its all chipped off? I have an Imp & a Jag and want to replicate that type of underseal. I reckon you could soften it up and re-apply it and aim to do so. Or at least try. The rear parcel shelf on Imps seems to be a good source for nice thick clean bits

[composimmonite]

Lidl have power scrapers on offer next Monday -
www.lidl.co.uk/cps/rde/xchg/lidl_uk/hs.xsl/index_28323.htm

I'm buying one as after borrowing similar I know how good they are.

Paul H

[monty400k]

foxy99 - You are welcome to the old underseal once its removed, I cant guarantee what it'll be like though, no doubt mixed in with most of the floor and chassis rails from my car they way things are looking!

[foxy99]

monty400k I'll pay you £10 plus freight lol. I have considered asking this before, when seeing Imps on this forum being scraped bare, but always thought it would be binned by time I made the offer.

Looks like I might have caught you in time

[skozra]

Jan 30, 2012 10:59:02 GMT composimmonite said:

Lidl have power scrapers on offer next Monday -
www.lidl.co.uk/cps/rde/xchg/lidl_uk/hs.xsl/index_28323.htm

I'm buying one as after borrowing similar I know how good they are.

Paul H

Thanks for the heads-up, i'll be grabbing one of these while they are on offer at Lidl as well

[composimmonite]

Jan 31, 2012 1:01:45 GMT skozra said:

Jan 30, 2012 10:59:02 GMT composimmonite said:

Lidl have power scrapers on offer next Monday -
www.lidl.co.uk/cps/rde/xchg/lidl_uk/hs.xsl/index_28323.htm

I'm buying one as after borrowing similar I know how good they are.

Paul H

Thanks for the heads-up, i'll be grabbing one of these while they are on offer at Lidl as well

They aren't just scrapers. With metal cutting blades you can get into normally difficult to access places to cut off brackets, bolt heads and all sorts of things.

Paul H

[gurnersimps1963]

Jan 30, 2012 10:49:21 GMT foxy99 said:

gurnersimps1963 that is one sound looking Imp body. Looks like the original bitumen type underseal did a good jobs of protecting the body!

I didn't think so at first but yeah it did its job,the car is "C" reg (1964!!)

this is it now....

[foxy99]

gurnersimps1963 amazing! get some bitumen based underseal on it. quick






Mines is a bit rustier

[composimmonite]

I seem to remember Imps were made in two places and on reflection one was better than the other. I wonder if the main reason was factory applied underseal ? My 1968 G reg was relativley rust free even when I broke for spares. BTW the reason it got scrapped was I found massive poorly done accident damage - 2" thick filler type and at the time the cars was common / worthless anyway. Now It'd been an easy repair to do properly

Paul H

[gurnersimps1963]

Jeez thats going to take a while to repair! The shells were all made at Linwood then shipped down to Coventry to have the oilly bits fitted,cost cutting on later shells caused rust problems!

[mikezed]

Hi Fellas, I'm sorry to put a dampener on things, BUT, Iv just finished an Asbestos course for work, and was told that some car underseal contains Asbestos, this depends on the age of the underseal of course, but as Asbestos was"nt banned untill1999 its a risk you must consider, if you are going to strip the underseal i would consider trying to do it with little of NO DUST,

[composimmonite]

Feb 4, 2012 9:42:33 GMT gurnersimps1963 said:

Jeez thats going to take a while to repair! The shells were all made at Linwood then shipped down to Coventry to have the oilly bits fitted,cost cutting on later shells caused rust problems!

That's where I'm getting confused. Shell made in Scotland but car assembled in Coventry.
I wonder how the shells were stored at Linwood and if that could affect whether you had a good or bad one of similar age.
With my 1968 model I found the 1970's onwards in scrap yards were the one that donated parts and often very rotten so that ties in with what you say about cost cutting.

Paul H