Here's a little pic to illistrate... I'm about to borrow a power-washer... Any help would be great. Thanks, Tim
My frame looked like that when I started. I had to scrape the worst of it off by hand first. Then used a pressure washer and finally some oven cleaner to get the greasy film off it.
Yep, that's what mine looked like too. Years of driving dirt roads with a perpetual oil leak created a petrified rock-like coating that wouldn't budge even with a very high psi powerwasher. Had to take a sandblaster to it to make any progress.
I used an putty knife, flathead screw driver, and a hammer, to break loose and scrap off the worst of it. Then a wire brush to get it a little cleaner. I never did the pressure washer thing, cos I've never really cared how pretty my undercarriage was.
Yours looks like it may still be goo-based, in which case a scrapper & putty knife might suffice. Mine had moved beyond goo and transformed into full mineral status. I mean even a chisel just chipped small bits off at a time - I felt like I was sculpting a new frame from a block of granite.
The trick is to buy it right after the last owner cleaned all that crap off and decided to sell cheap because this hotroddin' shit was too much work! You just didn't time it right! Get it steam cleaned. Any detail shop will do it and it's worth it to not have to clean up the mess at your place.
putty knife, screwdriver, scraper, cold chisel etc etc, whatever you got. Looks like it hasnt fully hardened and crusted over yet so should come off fairly easily. Then when you get that layer off go over it with your pressure washer. It would be ideal if you had a heated pressure washer, it would sheet right off (coming from experience) Briggs
As an official hot rod garage bitch, I know this stuff inside and out. Soak it up really well and just chisel at it. That nasty oil soaked mud sucks...cat piss and dead mice is where its at! You can also soak it up and take it down to the do it yourself car wash...it works well and is relatively cheap. Gasoline, kerosene, and gunk all work pretty well. Once its soaked, it comes off pretty easily. Oven cleaner is good too, but It gives you wicked chemical burns. As Bleed always says, "isnt the world of hot rod building glamorous?"
Looks like my 56 Chevy truck. On the wat home from I happen on a sand blaster who was sandblasting a metal pole fencing ask if would do a frame he said sure bring it here for $60.00. cant tell how fast it took me load it on trailer well worth the money.
If you have access to a power washer use that first. Not the shitty electric ones either, get the gasoline powered one. Hook your garden hose up to your hot water heater and blast away. Then go at the difficult stuff with some sort of sharp scraping tool. Then repeat the pressure washer again. If you care about your vehicle you could also put on a leave in conditioner(get from the wife) and rinse it out after about 20 mins. Good luck
Scrape it off as much as possible then use a power washer. If you can get you hands on one of the power washer you can put soap in, put some "Simple Green" in it. I've used the simple Green in a power washer to take a thick grease spot off of a driveway, don't see why it won't take it off a frame. Also used it to clean crusted over leaky rear axles.
Well since Im soon to turn 40, ohhh that what not the subject. But that is what you will look after some hard hous in the garage... Done that many times, here in Sweden there will also be a few coats of undercoating asphalt as well. Knifes, screwdrivers, and and other objects will work... also, sometimes I soaks it several times in rustpenetrators. Merry Christmas!
Get it steam cleaned. Any detail shop will do it and it's worth it to not have to clean up the mess at your place. [/ QUOTE ]i second the steam clean at a detail shop if possible.any good shop has a high powerd steam cleaner that can cut alot of the grunge.my freind has one that you can get so hot it will burn you if your not carefull.works great on semi tractor frames and fifth wheel grunge on tractors he details,so im sure it would work on that mess if you had access.another thing you could try with the one you borrowed is, if possible, hook it directly to the drain valve on the hot water tank and use the hot water out of it.i did that once with the one i got,worked pretty good but was a pain in the ass to hook up,something to think about though.
... if you can do it... sometimes it works to take a putty knife/screwdriver/razor blade and drag it down through to the metal like your trying to use wd40/razor blade to get a sticker off of a windsheild. Acts almost like exapansion joints in concrete letting you get your putty knife under all that junk! That and... If you can avoid using stuff that soaks into concrete try your best to do it! Or using water if your inside... leaves some killer goop on the floor!
I hooked the garden host to the hot water heater once. The hose couldn't take the heat and split wide open, looked like it was shedding it's green skin. Whatever you do, wear safety glasses when doing it. TZ
you musta got your hose at wal-mart.drj's gonna get you man. like i said only tried it once but i do have a pretty thick hose though.
Oven cleaner? Any brand in particulat? Leave it on to sit? Sounds interesting tell me more... Thanks, Tim
I usually leave that sort of stuff on, never know whatcha gonna find underneath it Slap a good thick coat of paint over it and call it 'patina' Paul
Go to the dollar store and get their cheap oven cleaner...like a buck or so. Spray it on and let it soak for 15-20 minutes. Wear goggles not safety glasses. It is caustic soda and it will blind you. Then hose it off with high pressure. Works good on grimey stuff.
Jonnycola was right about the gasoline....then a road flare. After about an hour, that stuff will just flake off on the ground. The fire extinguisher residue is a bitch to get off tho...
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