Cleaning the underside of the hood
#1
Cleaning the underside of the hood
I've promoted this stuff here before and I'm about to do it again. Works on painted surfaces too.
For reasons that are complicated, when my car was painted the underside of the hood was not done. It was typical 45 year hood. I scrubbed it with Fantastik spray cleaner and got off all the grime and was left with very clean rust. I thought I would go ahead and try the same stuff I used on my chrome. It obviously cannot restore missing paint, but it was amazing how much paint was actually there under the rust.
I did one side for comparison to see if it is worth the effort to do the whole hood. It will be.
This stuff has to stay in contact with the rust for at least 30 minutes so I used some heavy duty blue paper shop towels. I tore off strips of towel, soaked it and "plastered" it up under the hood on the rust. After 30 minutes I rubbed hard with a rough cloth shop towel, then used a little rubbing compound and then a little wax to protect the bare spots. Look particularly around the holes at the top of the hood.
The only real missing paint was at the very peak of the hood. You can see it. The kind of grayish area below that is apparently a reflection from the camera flash. The paint there is actually pretty good.
For reasons that are complicated, when my car was painted the underside of the hood was not done. It was typical 45 year hood. I scrubbed it with Fantastik spray cleaner and got off all the grime and was left with very clean rust. I thought I would go ahead and try the same stuff I used on my chrome. It obviously cannot restore missing paint, but it was amazing how much paint was actually there under the rust.
I did one side for comparison to see if it is worth the effort to do the whole hood. It will be.
This stuff has to stay in contact with the rust for at least 30 minutes so I used some heavy duty blue paper shop towels. I tore off strips of towel, soaked it and "plastered" it up under the hood on the rust. After 30 minutes I rubbed hard with a rough cloth shop towel, then used a little rubbing compound and then a little wax to protect the bare spots. Look particularly around the holes at the top of the hood.
The only real missing paint was at the very peak of the hood. You can see it. The kind of grayish area below that is apparently a reflection from the camera flash. The paint there is actually pretty good.
#2
No freakin way, you serious that works that well? My car was painted but they skipped under the hood just like yours.
I spent so much time trying to clean that thing up, and I have those rust spots just like you. Are they pitted or just smooth surface rust? I have a ~6" section on the top passenger side that is pitted rust that looks like crap and I'd love to get it off.
I first used concentrated simple green to clean the hood, then used Meguiars Cleaner Wax to get off the rest of the baked on junk. There was little specks of tar plastered all over the hood for some reason.
After simple green, before wax:
After wax:
So now I really want to try some of your stuff. I saw your other post about it, and I've tried many chrome polishes with rust remover and I have not been impressed so far.
Any particular place you have gotten the Krud Kutter?
I spent so much time trying to clean that thing up, and I have those rust spots just like you. Are they pitted or just smooth surface rust? I have a ~6" section on the top passenger side that is pitted rust that looks like crap and I'd love to get it off.
I first used concentrated simple green to clean the hood, then used Meguiars Cleaner Wax to get off the rest of the baked on junk. There was little specks of tar plastered all over the hood for some reason.
After simple green, before wax:
After wax:
So now I really want to try some of your stuff. I saw your other post about it, and I've tried many chrome polishes with rust remover and I have not been impressed so far.
Any particular place you have gotten the Krud Kutter?
Last edited by Canary94GT; 08-01-2009 at 05:52 PM.
#5
I thought it was pitted too but it wasn't. Yeah, there are some spots where when the rust came off it was just metal underneath, but mostly what I tought was pitting was crusty surface rust.
#8
Honestly I think you'll like having the original paint under the hood. One of those "Yes, it's the original color paint, in fact I can show you exactly what the original paint looks like too" things. I show people the inside of my trunk all the time as a comparison for the original paint.
I'll also be adding this stuff to my shopping list. Perhaps my bumpers will like it.
I'll also be adding this stuff to my shopping list. Perhaps my bumpers will like it.
#9
Your method of just squirting the strip of paper shop towel and then pasting it on the hood for 30 minutes worked well