Stripping seam sealer

[Apu]

Not MX5 but I'm sure a few of the guys here have done it!

I'm stripping out my Integra and want to get rid of all the seam sealer. Not keen on using a wire brush as that makes a huge mess and is very hard to clean up.

I chipped a bit of it away with a chisel and this appears the easiest way to contain the mess...but is of course painfully slow. Side effects - sore back, sore joints, sore everything and very unhappy wife (for spending so much time on the car).

The other option I have heard is to use paint remover as it apparently softens up the sealer sufficiently to just scrape off. Side effects - brain damage?

Other options?

[Magpie]

Dry ice method?

[Apu]

I did think about that but in many areas, too thin or too narrow to be really effective...unless I can get the dry ice into a tubular type plastic bag.

I'll probably have to use a combination of dry ice and paint stripper...but with the weather warming up, my timing with dry ice isn't great!

[Mr Morlock]

I am at a loss to understand what you are actually doing and what does it achieve? What does the term stripping out mean?

[gslender]

Weight and removing it - simple really

[MattR]

Are you talking about the bitumen sound deadener inside the car or the actual seam sealer in the body joins????

For the bitumen type sound deadener, dry ice is by far the easiest method. Other methods I have used include:
Heat gun and scraper
Wire brush
Plastic stripping wheel
If you are getting the actual seam sealer out from between the two pieces of metal at a joint, then a small pick, similar to a dentist's pick will get in between the metal and scrape the sealer out.

Be prepared to spend some time. I spent over 24 hours to strip my S14 shell inside and out of all sound deadener and to prep the seams for welding and that was having the shell on a rotisserie so I wasn't bending too much. By the sounds of it you are only doing the inside and there isn't really that much weight to be saved if the rest of teh car isn't going to Jenny Craig. It doed make the interior look neater though, but only if you get every last piece of it out completely.

[Apu]

Thanks MattR.

I am talking about the seam sealer. The car has been stripped - redundant brackets have been cut out with a spot weld cutter, aircon out, etc etc. It will be stripped bare as I have time.

Cheers,

Bryan