Deadener in the wheel wells

[Hilderbrand1983]

(This isn't a question -- just venting some steam. Though if anyone has any advice, I'm open to it!)

Sweet Jesus. I'm a Catholic priest. If I weren't a religious man already, I would be now.

I'm stripping my 1967 Dodge Dart 270 back to bare metal to prepare for a new coat of paint. The old paint couldn't be salvaged. It wasn't stable enough to hold a new coat. So, armed with a DA sander and a wire brush attachment for my power drill, I got to work a few weeks ago. I've managed to strip back most of the big, flat surfaces. Yesterday, the time came to start attacking the deadener material in the wheel wells and in the rear quarter panels.

Did they use concrete for this stuff? Because it feels like they used concrete for this stuff. The answer has to be "no," though, because it melts under sandpaper.

About the only thing I've found that works is to hack at it with a sharp carpenter's chisel. That shaves most of it off. Then I go in with my sander to clear out the more flat surfaces and finish up with the wire wheel.

Again, sweet Jesus. And I haven't even started on the "nooks and crannies" of the doors. And I haven't even thought about the nightmare that will be the underside of the car.

</rant>

 

[Mopar Al]

A heat gun or propane to
rch and a good scraper should be in your congregatioun

 

[Sedanman]

Take a paint thin scraper and heat it up with a hand held propane torch and it comes off like butter. If it's in good shape I would leave it alone

 

['Cuda_ragtop]

Torch and putty knife.

many hours and days later... ready for media blasting.

 

['Cuda_ragtop]

Started with a heat gun, don't waste time and go straight to FIRE!

 

[1968FormulaS340]

Unless you are building a show car or dealing with rust, a good pressure washing followed by a fresh coat of undercoating is a much easier option.

 

[TrailBeast]

Not recommended unless you are comfortable with it, but I put a 5" wire wheel on a 4 inch Makita hand held grinder.
It's a bit like holding a pissed off Badger by the tail, but man it tears it up.

NO LOOSE CLOTHING, and welding gloves highly recommended.

 

[GeorgeH]

Not recommended unless you are comfortable with it, but I put a 5" wire wheel on a 4 inch Makita hand held grinder.
It's a bit like holding a pissed off Badger by the tail, but man it tears it up.

NO LOOSE CLOTHING, and welding gloves highly recommended.

and some safety glasses. It's a messy job using either method.

 

[GTXperience]

When I was younger and had an abundance of energy, I stripped the entire chassis with Jasco/Aircraft strippe (brushed it on) and scraped it off with a putty knife. Finished with a wire brush on the drill.

 

[Alaskan_TA]

Steam pressure washer, some tool outfits rent them out.

Do it outside though, huge mess.

 

[Hilderbrand1983]

Not recommended unless you are comfortable with it, but I put a 5" wire wheel on a 4 inch Makita hand held grinder.
It's a bit like holding a pissed off Badger by the tail, but man it tears it up

My DA sander is a Makita. I love their tools. I have a wire wheel attachment I've been using for rust in the floor pans ... I'll give it a go underneath the wheel wells!

 

[Hilderbrand1983]

Unless you are building a show car or dealing with rust, a good pressure washing followed by a fresh coat of undercoating is a much easier option.

My 225cid slant-6, four-door sedan with bench seats up front ain't gonna be winning any shows. I'm doing a stock, daily-driver restoration. However, the paint is that crows-footed on the car. It couldn't take another coat of paint without ruining the new stuff in a year or two.

Most of the paint is original. However, in some spots (especially the hood), there are nine coats of paint and primer. I'm not gonna be that guy and paint over it all again.

(Of course, I want to take your advice. In my present situation, though, it isn't possible.)

 

[zkx14]

Basically what has already been said. If undercoating is adhered well and looks ok, I would leave it. Torch to warm it just till it softens and just starts to blister. will peel right off with a putty knife. once cool the residue should wire brush off easier and leave a fairly clean surface. Be aware of what is on the other side of the metal if interior stuff still in place.

 

[Hilderbrand1983]

Not recommended unless you are comfortable with it, but I put a 5" wire wheel on a 4 inch Makita hand held grinder.
It's a bit like holding a pissed off Badger by the tail, but man it tears it up.

The wire wheel works quite well! I've got a long, messy road ahead of me, but I think it will turn out fine. Thanks!

 

[TrailBeast]

The wire wheel works quite well! I've got a long, messy road ahead of me, but I think it will turn out fine. Thanks!

After a couple of hours on A arms, rods, hubs and brake calipers I looked like somebody of another nationality.

 

[Hilderbrand1983]

After a couple of hours on A arms, rods, hubs and brake calipers I looked like somebody of another nationality.

When I was in seminary, I went out on a service project with some of the guys. Among them were a couple of men from Nigeria. We went to help Habitat for Humanity strip down a house in St. Paul, MN. And it was an old house. My job was to remove as much of the siding as possible, getting all the way down to the original wood slats on the exterior. I spent all day on one side, removing vinyl siding to reveal shingles. Underneath the shingles was kerosene paper (which I had never encountered before). Under the kerosene paper was the wood slats I sought.

That kerosene paper was so old and nasty that it turned to dust in my hands. I got covered in the stuff. At the end of the day, one of the Nigerian guys said, "Hey, you look like one of us!"