TheSamba.com :: View topic - Removing glued-down felt (?) on engine deck lid

Mon Apr 23, 2012 11:42 am

This is a weird one, but my engine deck lid had some kind of fabric or felt (furry gray stuff) glued to it at some point i don't know if this was a factory thing, or a previous owner did some aftermarket treatment. but (probably because of the heat from the engine,) it's about half gone and what remains are these glued down splotches of crap that just won't come off. literally baked on to the deck lid. i was wondering if anyone knew about this, and maybe had a suggestion for removing this mess. acetone comes to mind, but it might have to be ground off. i'm planning repainting. any advice is appreciated.[/img]

Mon Apr 23, 2012 11:45 am

I'd try some mineral spirits. It won't dry as fast as acetone and maybe a Scotch Bright BLUE pad, not the green one . PO must have used some adhesive.

Mon Apr 23, 2012 11:47 am

babysnakes - interestingly, i did try that. didn't even have an effect. i hate to use acetone cuz it'll stink up the bus. might be a grinding situation.

Mon Apr 23, 2012 11:52 am

What about Super Clean. The stuff is amazingly dangerous on paint and anodized stuff. It will eat aluminum also. Dilute the crap out of it and pour an ounce or so in a spot and let it sit for a few minutes and see what happens. You said you were going to repaint.

Mon Apr 23, 2012 12:39 pm

it is remnants of the factory carpet. Good luck getting it off I had to sand and scrape it off. You are talking almost 40 years of hardening and the sun baking it. By the time you get it loose with acetone you will be higher than a kite, it will strip off all the paint in that area and just about the time you proclaim success an idiot will walk by with a cigarette. After the mushroom cloud, if you survive the blast, your tears will flood the street watching your bus go up in smoke. Get out the palm sander.

Mon Apr 23, 2012 12:48 pm

Maybe try a heat gun

Mon Apr 23, 2012 1:03 pm

SGKent - put me off the acetone solution for sure. think you're about the palm sander.

Mon Apr 23, 2012 1:05 pm

not a bad idea about the heat gun, though. i might give that a shot. couldn't hurt to try.

Mon Apr 23, 2012 1:10 pm

pcullie wrote: not a bad idea about the heat gun, though. i might give that a shot. couldn't hurt to try.

Heat gun will probably damage the paint. If you don't mind repainting that area then use a wire brush and safety glasses to wire brush it off. Sanding is slow but it lets you control how deep you cut - you can buff it out later.

Mon Apr 23, 2012 2:30 pm

I'd start with a heat gun or carefully applied propane torch and a coarse dish scrubber pad or scraper, if that failed I'd attack with a stripping wheel, little stops one of those.

Mon Apr 23, 2012 4:24 pm

If they used the same cement that VW used to glue down everything in my 78 Westy the only thing that would remove it without lifting the paint was an eraser wheel. It takes time be sure to wear a mask and eye protection. Remember there is more than likely quite a bit of lead in the paint.