Underseal, and getting it off.

[DaveDorson]

Right.. I've been in the workshop restoring a 1200 beetle.  I know, I know, VW, hiss, boo, scene etc, but I love them so I don't care.

 

Anway, it's coming along alright.  The car I've had forever, and with the advent of MOT exemption I decided now was the time to do a full on nut and bolt restoration, because once it's done, it's a free car to use, and I'll KNOW it's as good as it can be, done right, not full of bog, unsafe and generally horrible.

 

Also, its the car I've owned longer than any other, and I've never used it.  I need to sort that out really.

 

It has, in the past suffered a bit of pineapple modification.. a smooth dash, it was slammed, and it's had a twin carb 1600 engine in that's long since gone.. I've sourced a period correct 1200 engine for it, which someone took out to put the obligatory twin carb 1600 unit with a badly fitting after market exhaust and crappy brazilian distributor with the wrong advance curve, which i'm sure will overheat and leave them stranded somewhere, wishing they'd just left the 1200 in and given themselves a bit more time to get to places...

 

I'm reversing a lot of this stuff, it will be lowered, subtly, it'll have steel wheels, detailed properly, the smooth dash may have to remain.. I've not gone full on restoration numbers matching licker just yet, but I appreciate stock looking cars that are a bit lower more than I used to, besides I want to enjoy it.

 

However, I'm really getting tired of removing the bitch that is bitumen based undereal, which I'm worried might be concealing some bad repairs from the 1990's, as many 1970's beetles that made it this far have suffered.

 

I discovered (as I had one in the workshop) the wonder of a grinder mounted unwoven polycarbide cleaning disc.  These things are the absolute nuts, they'll remove all manner of horrible stuff and leave lovely undamaged steel underneath, however, they're also a tenner a pop, and I managed to utterly destroy one doing just the front quarter last night.

 

I'm sure there's a better way to get this crap off, ideally I want to achieve a bare finish, so I can see what I need to repair, dress, fill etc before I point the paint at it.

 

So I wondered if anyone on here had any experience of getting this gunk off, so I can get the car looking ship shape.

 

Pics might.. might.. follow..

 

 

 

 

 

[Captain Furious]

A few years ago a couple of friends and I did a nuts and bolts restoration on a 1969 Beetle and faced a similar problem. We used wire wheel attachments on an angle grinder, dirty, filthy, horrible, hateful job that made me wish i'd never even started the friggin thing.

[sierraman]

Heat from a hot air gun and a scraper will get the thick of it off.

[lisbon_road]

With Sierraman, make sure area is well ventilated.  Hot weather like now helps too.

[Des]

Thirded for hot gun and you're certainly on the right track with the poly discs, shop around and they should be more like a fiver, or at least they were, but the best thing is to get all the flat areas done before going near any sharp or jagged edges or even corners as they'll nom away all the poly irregardless of whether it's a new disc or a scabby old baldy one.

[DaveDorson]

A few years ago a couple of friends and I did a nuts and bolts restoration on a 1969 Beetle and faced a similar problem. We used wire wheel attachments on an angle grinder, dirty, filthy, horrible, hateful job that made me wish i'd never even started the friggin thing.

 

Aye, I've a feeling I'll probably feel a lot like this once I've really got stuck in, but I'm sure it'll all be worth it when I'm cruising the mean streets of Stamford with that little 1200 at the back chirping happily away.

[jonny69]

Yeah you'll have to get the bulk of it off with a hot air gun and scraper first. I haven't tried your polywotsit disc but a knot wheel in the grinder gets the last bit off.

 

All of these shitty jobs look like they are 1000% easier if you can get the car upside down. If I ever do another complete resto I'll definitely get the car up on a spit to make stuff like this less of a headache.

[DaveDorson]

a few people have said heat and scrape the most part off and then clear the rest with a carbide disc.

 

Guess that's on the agenda then.

 

As for ventilation.. big slider door at the front of the unit.  No one bothers me about noise, I can work with that open fairly late into the night if I have to.

 

I try not to take the piss though.

[DaveDorson]

Yeah you'll have to get the bulk of it off with a hot air gun and scraper first.

 

All of these shitty jobs look like they are 1000% easier if you can get the car upside down. If I ever do another complete resto I'll definitely get the car up on a spit to make stuff like this less of a headache.

 

I keep looking at rotiserie type affairs.

 

Thing is the next one in the que is that brown and beige t25 van I've had for an eternity.

 

Then I've got a W124 merc to tackle, so I'd need something ferquin oooge.

[Momentary Lapse Of Reason]

Heat and a scraper for a lot of it

I tend to use my roofers propane torch

 

Alternatively

"I say we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure. "

[sierraman]

To be fair unless you are looking for a mirror finish under there, I'd scrape off what you can, then use flap discs to prep it for repairs or a subsequent coat of something like Gravitex. Flap discs work out a lot cheaper when you aren't concerned about scuffing the surface, the strip discs you are using are ideally for panels etc where you don't want excessive stock removal. A lot don't like this idea as when it gets breached in say 20 years time it will allow rust underneath. However you won't find anything like as tough a finish with anything else in the meantime. Like any rustproofing, it needs occasional inspection and remedial action.

[Dippy]

As said heat and scrape is good but you can also try spraying WD40 on as it softens it up ready for scraping

 

When most of it is off a wire wheel in a grinder is great but also can be a bit dangerours if your not careful

[Mike D]

I'll echo the heat gun and scraper, then I used a knot wheel on a grinder when I took the factory underseal off my 85 mexi bug.

[DaveDorson]

To be fair unless you are looking for a mirror finish under there, I'd scrape off what you can, then use flap discs to prep it for repairs or a subsequent coat of something like Gravitex. Flap discs work out a lot cheaper when you aren't concerned about scuffing the surface, the strip discs you are using are ideally for panels etc where you don't want excessive stock removal. A lot don't like this idea as when it gets breached in say 20 years time it will allow rust underneath. However you won't find anything like as tough a finish with anything else in the meantime. Like any rustproofing, it needs occasional inspection and remedial action.

 

To be honest I don't plan on showing the car at anything massive, nor do I plan on selling it any time soon once it's all done, I'd like to use it, but I actually like smooth, non textured finishes in inner arches and on floors.  I know it's sad AF, but I'm a fan of that kind of thing.

[Crispian_J_Hotson]

Heat gun and scraper. I've tried anything else without sending the shells away. Its an unforgiving, unrewarding, up hill battle from hell... Especially on the deck, just beating welding up wheel tubs with your head up in there on a hot day.

[Uncle Jimmy]

Nowt rong with VW Beetles, 1200 or otherwise. My mate always said the twin port engines were crap, a little more powerful but at the expense of being unreliable.

As for the underseal, I keep an old wood chisel and it peals off easy enough dry, a sharpen on the grinder now and then, no problem.

[Scruffy Bodger]

My mates just bought a finger sander for the ZX 16v I've been repairing. As recommended by a couple of the pros on here. It's been excellent for ripping off under seal and the factory seam filler stuff. The sandpaper doesn't seem to clog at all which is the main problem of using a flapper disk on a grinder.