I am working on restoring a 1946 school bus. It has asphalt impregnated fibergl*** mats stuck to the inside of the body for insulation. I want to remove and install something that works. My question is what will remove the asphalt tar. Thanks
heat gun and a s****er to get most of it. Then lacquer thinner to get the rest of it. Thats how I would do it
A good putty knife after softening with mineral spirits should do the trick.Make sure you do it in a well ventilated area and dispose of the residue in a sealed container.
I don't remember where I heard it , maybe here. http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=65700
As said above to remove the bulk then try kerosine it will remove the rest.its what we use in the industry.good luck Rob
I am doing the same thing on my 47 chevy. A good heavy duty s****er to get the big chunks. If you have an air conditioned shop that would be the best place to do it. Cold tar asphalt is not as sticky. The kerosene does work well but definately need to do it outside.
I used to have to drill post holes in asphalt , I softened it with g***.I don't know how that works on fibergl*** though.
Pour diesel on it. Will be a mushy mess in a few minutes. Also a good way to get rid of speedbumps, but you didn't hear that from me.
Dryer sheets. Take several dryer sheets, wave them over the tar. Within minutes the tar will turn into moonshine and cigarettes, and some mushrooms. If its the old school tar, it will turn into peyote.
I gave the kids some s****ers and challenged them to see who could get the biggest chunk off in one piece. Not really child labour as it is such a ***** of a job you will welcome all the help you can get! Petrol or thinners to clean off residue works well, but as others have said remember to do it in a ventilated area. Unless you like the little pixie helpers.
I've also heard that yelling "DRYER SHEETS" a few times at the tar and it will turn into rust-free clean sheetmetal with glossy paint. I tried it on my daily driver hoping to cure my bald tires and faded paint, but I guess it only works on tar.
once you get the bulk of it off, look for a product called aerosolve 2 from Zep products, I love the stuff, lots of other uses too and it's non flammable. I just used it to remove tar spots from the upholstery in my stepdaughters minivan. ask my 4 year old grandson about that , but it's a great solvent and will dissolve tar easy.
here's a link, I think ZEP is based somewhere right near you, I use this stuff everyday and it's awesome. http://www.superkleendirect.com/zepaerosolveii.aspx EDIT they are in Atlanta so you can just pick the stuff up
asphalt tar is a by product of oil distilation process, as diesel is a product of the process. Diesel is what disolves tar. If you buy a can of "Tar Remover" it is 90% diesel. B
Thanks Everyone I will give them a try. I think since I have to work overhead to remove some of this, I will put a couple of dryer sheet on my head. That will do wonders for my hair and should cure the bald spots as well. Then I will keep the the peanut ****er for lunch and help catch any of the fibergl*** that I might swallow. Thanks Again.
Thanks for that, I had thought that might be what they were. I think I will stick to using fuel to dissolve any tar I find.
I did this: Grind the front blade of a 1/2' wide flat screwdriver to a chisel edge and round off the corners a little. If you are right handed, put leather glove on left hand. Hold chisel edged screwdriver with left hand against edge of tar at about a 30 degree angle and hit handle end of scredriver with a ball peen hammer - chipping and thereby creating a 1/2 inch wide path thru the tar. Then go back and repeat this process until tar is removed a litle at a time. Removing smaller pieces at a time is a lot easier than trying to s**** off large areas with a s****er and it's easier on your hands.
Due to the age of the bus, I think you might have asphalt-impregnated ASBESTOS mats there rather than fibregl***, so be careful what you do. It is harmless unless released in the air so the idea is not to break it up so fibres become airborne and set up housekeeping in your lungs.
Thanks for the heads up. I thought of the same thing and had it tested. It is fibergl*** in this case. I did find some around the heater core. I took extra precautions and removed and disposed of it properly.
I don't know if its the same stuff thats on your 46 bus, just finished cleaning a 57 Bel Air. The 57 is on a rotisserie and was turn on its side, then we used dry ice on the outside and let it sit for about 5 minutes, it will just fall off.
My wagon had 50 years of undercoating on the inside of the hood and under the body a buddy told me to try Kingsford Charcoal lighter fluid it works you probably have some now at home try it, it will disolve the tar and you can wipe up the goop when its soft .................
i think 19fordy is close. take an air chisel and make a 2" wide paddle for it , make sure you round over the edge and have no sharp corners.turn your air pressure down to about 15-20 PSI , hold it at an angle and rattle it off. i thought it was crazy the first time i heard it too , but has worked great for me
Peanut ****er works great, just spread it on and leave it on a few days and then should wipe right off without hurting surface. I have used it to take tar off of paint without hurting the finish
i forgot about the dry ice, it would just be hard to do on a vertical surface,on a horizontal surface it's magic. i used it to remove those tar soundproofing mats, lay dry ice on it,then wack it with a hammer,shatters into sheets.
I took tar board off a car using a s****er, a slow job but it went better when cold than hot. I think Ive seen that bus before!!! Hope you have fun with her and good luck.
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