Ken Sungela

I have 2 small areas (1"x1" and 1"x3") on a '59 body that have grease/oil on them. The glass is darker than the rest of the panel. How can I remove it before painting? I won't be painting for months, so any long slow process is OK.

DUB

You can try acetone in a well ventilated area. Automotive grade lacquer thinner will work also.

A lot of it depends where the oil stain is and if you know how long it has been there.

NOT being able to see the actual spots and the surface of the fiberglass...I am not a fan of putting water on raw fiberglass...but you can also try DAWN and water and rinse it off well. I would not do it if the surface of the fiberglass is all hairy and open fibers. But...then again...you as you wish and seeing how you are going to be getting into the body work later...it should be able to dry out well before you start.

Also....if you cannot get the staining out....you can always fall back on grinding it out and filling that area in. SO...you do have a back-up plan that can be used.

Applying heat to the spot will help also...which is why knowing where it is located can make a difference.

DUB

TWINRAY

My .02 FWIW, I had no luck with acetone and I wiped oil spots on my '67 for 3+ years. I ground down the whole top d/s top surround and cowl, then put about 4 layers of matte with West epoxy.
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...nd-repair.html

DUB

I agree...acetone flashes off so quickly...it often times gets the really thin coat on the surface.

Getting oil out of fiberglass or SMC that has been saturated. It is 'tricky' and my only success is when I can remove the panel...such as a hood. Use lacquer thinner and apply heat on the underside and get the oil to drip out of the fiberglass when it is set up on a support stand.

And YES...I agree...the majority of the time the fiberglass/SMC will need to be ground down drastically and re-laminated.

DUB

CF6873

I had a spot on the door of my 73 years ago from someone spraying penetrant at the window tracks. The body was bare glass for quite a while and almost daily I would wipe the spot with a rag saturated with Dupont Final Clean 3901s. The spot finally became hard to see and I went ahead with primer and paint and never had a problem.

Good Luck,

Craig

Ken Sungela

To follow up, the oil was on the top edge of the doors, so I removed the doors and guts, laid the door on its side and poured SPI Wax and grease removed over the edge and let is drip onto a rag. I wiped off the excess and repeated. It was hot out, so it dried within minutes. Where the fiberglass was a darker color because of the oil, it is now all the same light color as the rest of the door panel. I'll probably repeat again just for good measure. Thanks for your help.

DUB

I would use acetone myself for the final clean. Wax and grease remover is some good stuff...but it can leave behind a residue that 'might' have actually wicked into the fibers.

DO what you feel comfortable with...and if using acetone....make sure you are using it in an environment that will not cause for ANY problems due to it being FLAMMABLE.

DUB