Whats your best method of removing undercoating?

[highspeeddirt]

I'm just curious to everyones methods they like for removing undercaoting.  Mine is heavily undercaoted and it sure would be nice if it was an easy job.      Yeah right!

[moparnut]

easiest way is a propane torch and a gasket scraper,once the stuff starts to smoke it comes right off with a putty knife,slick as snot

[Oldschool]

No real easy way to get it all off.  Unless you want to pay someone else to do it...       

[Total BS]

I don't think there is a best way. I tried that undercoating remover that Eastwood sells and it turned out to be a disappointment.  It worked great for removing the small leftover stuff and I guess it helped a little in softening the thicker stuff but I went back to the old blowtouch and scraper route as it seemed to work best albeit extremely messy.  I also tried bags of dried ice layed inside to help freeze and crack the stuff off from underneath but that proved futile also.  All in all, it is one pain the butt job anyway you look at it.  Good luck in your endeavors.

[Topcat]

Is it better to use the big 5 gallon propane tank or are the small ones better? I've seen on the 5 gallon ones that you can get a wand that attaches. They normally use that to kill weeds. Looks like it would put out a little more flame and heat with a larger area.

[Street_Challenged73]

They actually have a tool called "The Crud Buster" by Snap-On, but it's quite expensive.  I seemed to have good results with a 4 1/2" angle grinder with a couple loose wire wheels and a scraper for the corners or any other spot you can't reach with the wire wheel.

[FY1 RT SE]

The PROPER media will take it right off.

[highspeeddirt]

The PROPER media will take it right off.

What is the "PROPER" media? 

[moparnut]

Is it better to use the big 5 gallon propane tank or are the small ones better? I've seen on the 5 gallon ones that you can get a wand that attaches. They normally use that to kill weeds. Looks like it would put out a little more flame and heat with a larger area.

I guess that depends on how much you have to take off but if it was me,and it was,I'd use the camping bottles since they are more menuverable in tight area's.I dont know why people dont say this is the easiest way,it certainly was for me.I did both front fender wells in under 30 minutes,clean as a whistle.

[Topcat]

So how many bottles did it take for you?

[Super Blue 72]

Sorry, not trying to hijack but to add some thought to the discussion...

I've heard someone recommending Easy Off oven cleaner a couple of times, letting it sit over night.  I was thinking of it under the hood as a torch might singe an important wire or two.

Any ideas/comments?

[moparnut]

So how many bottles did it take for you?

I was lucky the car only had the front wheel wells undercoated(maybe it came off over the years,who's knows),it took less than 1/4 a bottle of propane.I also think the oven cleaner is more work,I have done it that way too and if everyone is like me i dont know if i will be able to get to it the next day if i spray the night before,plus with the propane i can GIT-R-DONE right now.The propane takes the stuff off easy as butter,so i dont reinvent the wheel by trying other methods,this works perfectly for me.

[FY1 RT SE]

Type II plastic media.

[cudagirl4406pk]

Well my husband uses either black beauty abrasive for his sandblaster or if you can get prining press cleaner you brush it on and leave for 5-10 min and it scraps that undercoating right off.He doesnt recommend using a torch to melt of burn off could cause damage to floors and car.

michele

[highspeeddirt]

Well my husband uses either black beauty abrasive for his sandblaster or if you can get prining press cleaner you brush it on and leave for 5-10 min and it scraps that undercoating right off.He doesnt recommend using a torch to melt of burn off could cause damage to floors and car.

michele

Hey cudagirl,
  Brian told me the same thing about the press clener when I picked up the cuda from him.  I work with printing press inks, but they are flexo water based inks, so our cleaner isn't harsh enough for that.  What kinda of cleaner is it?  We have some other different inks in house, so we might have some different cleaners around if I knew what to look for.