# the dreaded underseal



## Brinny (Sep 18, 2012)

has anyone any top tips for stripping the underseal from a car. many thanks for any help as i am dreading this job!!!!!! lol


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## mattsbmw (Jul 20, 2008)

Brinny said:


> has anyone any top tips for stripping the underseal from a car. many thanks for any help as i am dreading this job!!!!!! lol


never tried this but i would have thought something like a tar remover would do the job.


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## tones61 (Aug 21, 2011)

warm it and scrape off :thumb:


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## justina3 (Jan 11, 2008)

why would you want to remove it ?


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## Ross (Apr 25, 2007)

To give the new stuff a good bast to bond with.


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## lowejackson (Feb 23, 2006)

I looked into removing my underseal a while ago. After reading lots of threads I decided it looked like way to much work. Heatguns and wire brushes seemed to be the most popular technique and I _think _white spirit was used by some

I am fairly sure Autosmart sell something which would remove underseal

Is all this work for a show car


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## Chimpchoker (Apr 3, 2013)

It's there for a reason. If you want to tidy it up then put more over the top but you will not get it on as good as in the factory ( imho) so if it is for a show car then wouldn't black paint be better?


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## Brinny (Sep 18, 2012)

it is on a low mileage xjs that i want to keep. i am going to renovate the front and rear axles and while there is so much access to the underside i want to strip it back and finnish it in epoxy mastic for that better than new rust proof finnish and look. thanks for the interest, i know its a big job but once its done i wont be doing another lol


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## lowejackson (Feb 23, 2006)

lowejackson said:


> ...I am fairly sure Autosmart sell something which would remove underseal....


Just remembered it, it is Preptone, I do wonder if Tardis would also do the job. Might be worth asking on the AS section


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## steveo3002 (Jan 30, 2006)

if its factory underseal then it will want scraping off with a wood chisel and heat gun

good for you wanting it stripped ...no point in caking more over the top when there could be problems lurking underneath


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## Brinny (Sep 18, 2012)

thanks for the input lads any recomendations on a heat gun?


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## Sh1ner (May 19, 2012)

Firstly you have my admiration for taking on the challenge. Don't let me put you off.
If you are going to do an XJS, if the car is any good and worth doing you really need to do the body cavities. All the underseal in the world will not stop one rotting from outside in. They all rot from inside out.
Having trained on Jaguars and having worked on them for years and still owning three I have long ago lost count of the number I have welded back together.
The sills, the rear suspension tie bar mounts, rear arches, rear floors, boot floor, chassis rails, doors, rear panel and rear floors either side of the rear exhaust boxes the rears of the front wings over the sill ends the radiator support panels and side mounts. In fact the whole car has the ability to bubble up before your eyes even the rear buttresses and the bonnet.
They are not an easy car to dismantle because so much of the interior is glued into place and the body has so many internal cavities and these are the problem as condensation and water leaks all get trapped.
Having experimented over the years I find that waxoyl sprayed into every cavity and then the seams gently warmed with a heatgun to get the wax to suck into the seams works quite well. Even spraying WD40/Duck oil into any cavities and seams helps enormously but you have to live with the smell for a while afterwards.
It can also be worth drilling some extra ventilation holes in strategic places to allow any condensation to vent/drain away.
I genuinely wish you the best of luck.


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## Sue J (Jan 26, 2006)

lowejackson said:


> I looked into removing my underseal a while ago. After reading lots of threads I decided it looked like way to much work. Heatguns and wire brushes seemed to be the most popular technique and I _think _white spirit was used by some
> 
> I am fairly sure Autosmart sell something which would remove underseal
> 
> Is all this work for a show car


We do!!!! Best product would be Power C


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## PaulaJayne (Feb 17, 2012)

Rebuilding a XJ6 at the moment - wire brush off the loose stuff and give it a fresh coat.


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## james_death (Aug 9, 2010)

Bilt Hamber Could well advice, its coatings they specialise in so imagine they will know what strips what.

I have all there cavity waxes ready to do our car when weather is fine enough.


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## Brinny (Sep 18, 2012)

once again thanks for the help. the car has only done 30k from new and is very solid. i like the finnish and protection of epoxy mastic and while rebuilding the front and rear axles i have decided to sort the chassis. i intend to drench the box sections in bilt hamber products and make sure it lasts until im an old boy lol


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