29 years of crud

[sidewaysalfa]

Any better ideas on how to clean the underside of an old car? Without a lift, just on jack stands.

My method: With rubber gloves on - Simple Green, scrub brush (like for vegatables), Then my Scunci/Singer steam cleaner. Then more Simple Green, scrub brush/tooth brush. Then more steam clean.

Every 20 minutes or so crawl out from under the car, refill the steam cleaner, clean my glasses, wring the wet crud from my cloths and get back under the car for more.

Very time consuming, but a certain satisfaction involved in making something unclean clean.

[sidewaysalfa]

I have since found some engine cleaner that I use on realllllly thick crud.
More efficient than Simple Green but a lot more toxic to my lungs. And the 15 minutes is about time to have a beer!!!
I would recomend the little steam cleaner. It really works good with whatever degreaser you use. And it is useful around the house to clean up stuff.
Also a spatula may speed up cleaning up difficult to reach places or places like frame rails that accumulate a lot of dirt and grease.
With no running gear you will be able to get a bunch of the bottom clean.
That way any new fluids you see later are new problems, not something from the past.

You may not stain the driveway any more than your normal oil leaks stain now. Since you are diluting the mess you wash off just washing the driveway from time to time should keep things pretty clean.
I do most of the cleaning in the garage where the concrete is sealed so no stains are left behind.

And also watch out for any Polution Control people in your town. The amount of toxic waste that washes off your car could be a potential problem.

[Mikes4C1300]

Another option, from the Restoration forum:

Dry - Ice Blasting to remove undercoating

[60sRacer]

Try renting a real steam cleaner at your local rent-all. It's like a low pressure washer with a big heater. This will clean EVERYTHING that's soluble off the car without any chemicals draining into the local water, and do a better job of it.

Robert

[60sRacer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by msiert .... I was going to throw them away but I am afraid they will burst into flames?

[sidewaysalfa]

Robert,
Good idea about the real steam cleaner. Time saved in cleaning would be worth the $$ and the trip to the rent-a-center.
I was surprised how little water mess there was from my little steam cleaner. It only uses 9oz of H20 in 15 minutes. Mostly pieces of crud are left behind.

AND if you do steam clean WEAR PROTECTIVE EYEWARE. That crud blows everywhere!!!!

[60sRacer]

The steam cleaner I rented allowed me to adjust the pressure - I put it on the lowest setting to clean most stuff. On its highest and hottest, it would strip the undercoating off too. That gets VERY messy!

Still, a lot less water than a cold pressure washer, and a lot cleaner.

Robert

[Vivace]

I usually go to the car wash with several cans of foamy engine cleaner, a big floor jack, goggles, some scrapers, and the worst clothes I can find. I jack it up from one side as high as it will go so you get a pretty good angle on the whole bottom. People wonder who the nut is laying in the wet muck under his car, but...

The other plus - all the gunk goes into the car wash drains which are SUPPOSED to have grease separators and filtration systems before it goes into the city sewer. In the driveway you don't have that. Also, very high pressure at my local wash.

[alfa63]

Paul - I can't say I have a better idea because I'm doing exactly the same as you, although I've got an extra 10 years of crud to contend with. I'm currently working on the rear end due to the suspension rebuild, but the front is next on the list.

Isn't this crud and oil supposed to be good rust prevention?

[sidewaysalfa]

The crud and underseal are considered a structural part of the Alfetta.
Remove it and the body begins to flex!!!

I am getting the '76 ready for Willow Springs this weekend. Now that I have spent the time to clean most of the undercarriage I was able to see how much the FI pump was dripping. And A LOT easier to clean up with a little Simple Green and a light scrub brushing.
My hands are a lot cleaner when working on it now.

[sidewaysalfa]

Hmmm, black Rustoleum. Not a bad idea for the wheel well area. Lots of flying debris there and the black paint would give the wheel wells a nice look.

A lot of the undercoating on the Alfetta peeled off with a putty knife and I have not thought about re-coating it on the frame and body parts.

[Touringspider]

Murray:

Nice job on the underside. Now all you have to do is to periodically give it a light cleaning to keep it up. I did the same thing on our owned from new 92 Spider when it was about 7 years old to prep it for the 1999 National Concours. It had never been driven in any particularly bad weather but like you it still took me the better part of 40 hours. It still looks good 7 years later with just minor upkeep.

If the top is in good shape, don't use anything harsh or apply any sort of sealant!!! In fact, when I wash the car I usually don't even use soap on the fabric to prevent any sort of buildup. If I were you, all I would do is rinse the top off with water, gently scrub the top with some carwash soap and water (actually it is best just to use the suds and limit the water). Then rinse as thoroughly as you can. You don't want to leave soap residue. Let it airdry fully and then take a lint brush to it to remove any annoying white lint from towels or whatever. Some mild plastic polish on the rear window and you are done.

I had a bad experience with a sealer and top rejuvenator (Renovo) on a previous top. It gave an uneven appearance, especially where the top was more worn (like around the bows). It may be an improvement if your top is far gone and leaking, but if the top is in good shape as yours appears to be, just clean it and leave it IMHO.

Arno Leskinen
AROC-USA National Concours Chair
102
115
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[Il Serpente]

Cleaning the underside of any car is a horrible experience, especially those that are low slung. A variety of scrubbing brushes and toothbrushes, along with plenty of detergent and t-cut and a rubber caving suit just about does the job. Although, it's very difficult to get all areas. For a real clean, maybe its just best to find a garage that does steam cleaning from a pit?

[msiert]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Il Serpente Cleaning the underside of any car is a horrible experience, especially those that are low slung. A variety of scrubbing brushes and toothbrushes, along with plenty of detergent and t-cut and a rubber caving suit just about does the job. Although, it's very difficult to get all areas. For a real clean, maybe its just best to find a garage that does steam cleaning from a pit?

[msiert]

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