Underside fender color

[J Witt]

My '36 phaeton has a black, lumpy coating that looks like some kind of old undercoating on the underside of the fenders. This stuff has gotten rock hard and as a future project I may start trying to remove it.

I recall from childhood days that this stuff was some kind of asphalt type compound. My dilemma is this: I don't want to repaint the car, so stripping the fenders is out of the question, even if stripper would get this stuff off. Likewise glass beading or sand blasting is also a non-starter.

I was thinking of trying wire brushing with an angle grinder to see how resistant the coating is. Suggestions?

What would be the color of the underside of the fenders, I assume that would be body color?

Thanks,

John

[alanwoodieman]

soak them with kerosene, it usually softens up the crud and then you can scrape it off with a plastic bondo spreader. to soak them use a towel that will hold the kero and apply to the crud. If you take the fenders off you can turn them upside down. as a second way--use a heat gun to soften and then scrape--we just did the same thing to a 36 sedan fenders

[DavidG]

You might try lacquer thinner which if used sparingly won't affect the underlying original enamel paint (which was body color) but will dissolve most old-style undercoatings.

Reading Alan's note, I like his kerosene suggestion as it is less aggressive than lacquer thinner.

[JR48]

Here's a question - What was the original under 34 Ford fender finish? Body colour or black underseal type crud?

[51 MERC-CT]

Originally Posted by JR48

Here's a question - What was the original under 34 Ford fender finish? Body colour or black underseal type crud?

The ones that I remember (at least in the US) were red oxide primer.
The undercoat was a dealer applied option (at extra cost)

[J Witt]

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Good info as always, you guys. I'll start with the kerosene and see how it goes Maybe just clean a little spot.

[FlatheadTed]

Body colour on under fenders ,

Originally Posted by JR48

Here's a question - What was the original under 34 Ford fender finish? Body colour or black underseal type crud?

[DavidG]

I second Ted's motion.

[Frank Miller]

While the heat gun can be effective it can also do more damage than the lacquer thinner.

[Jack E/NJ]

>>>as a future project I may start trying to remove it.>>>Suggestions?>>>


Future? May start trying?

Sounds like this project might be near or even at the very bottom of your list of priorities. So my suggestion is to start trying harder to keep it at the bottom, lumps and all. 8^)

Jack E/NJ

[J Franklin]

Since the undercoating was a dealer option and you are not planning to repaint the fenders maybe just clean and spray a light coat of more undercoat to freshen things up.

[J Witt]

Started spraying on a coat of mineral spirits with a hand sprayer and letting it soak. This stuff is very crusty and lumpy, looks like a layer of mud on the inside of the fender, but it does appear to slowly start to loosen.

I think it will be one of those chores that gets worked on when nothing else is happening, but there's no way it will come off without bring some of the original paint with it. In actual fact I'm curious to see if Cordoba tan was the original color.

The other thing I did today was pull the starter and just take off the brush cover cause she'd been cranking slowly. The starter is beautiful inside, looks like a new one or fresh overhaul.

I put it back on the engine, cleaned and tightened the cable. Now spins the motor over smartly and starts almost instantly. Not sure what I did other than tighten the cable, but I'll take it.

Thanks again for the suggestions.

[Jack E/NJ]

Prolly inadvertently cleaned up the ground and feed connections. Way to go!

Jack E/NJ

[Viv W]

Hi,
There have been several articles in AACA forums about dry ice blasting to remove underbody sealer. It removes all the sealer and rust, but does not remove original paint, check it out.
Viv.

[J Witt]

There is availability of that process (CO2 blasting) here in Atlanta. I'll give it a check, thanks for the suggestion.

John