How to remove herculiner?

[Hazegray]

After 13 years, I finally decided to strip the herculiner outta my tub. Went over it with a knotted wire wheel on my grinder, but it still has this tar like substance that is hell to remove! Tried acetone, goo be gone, paint stripper, finally resorted to those paint stripper wheels, but only get 1 square foot done an hour to get down to bare steel. There has to be a better way! I hear xylene might work, but has anyone tried it??:?

 

[MrT]

Look on youtube about freezing it.

 

[Master Chief]

Fortunately, I discovered a rotted bed floor and wheel wells hidden under some roll on bedliner crap so I just cut them out and did not have to deal with it.

However, the inner quarter panels were solid. I tried wire wheeling it, sanding, ect. Figured that I would try removing it with heat and it worked like a charm. Heat the liner with a heat gun, you should see it bubble slightly as it pulls away from the metal then use a putty knife.

 

[hyghlndr]

I recently tried the dry ice, didn't work at all. I can say the lining I have is very rubbery, might have worked if it wasn't so flexible.

 

[Hazegray]

Thank you for the replies! I'll just dedicate 1-square foot a day after work to get this done. :-[

Word to the Wise: Herculiner has it's place, however, I would think twice before using it. When they say it's "permanent", they mean it!

 

[Rustytruck]

Maybe try some WD-40 on the sticky stuff. as for scrapping off the Herculiner if you have an oscillating tool it might help getting under it.

 

[taipeichris]

That stuff is the worst brand of bed-liner ever! I've had it in my 66 for 15+ years and recently I started pulling at it with a 1 inch wide sharp wood chisel, a rubber mallet and pliers! I've scrapped it and removed it like a painful scab. So far it comes off clean in long plasticy strips.
Good luck!

 

[clintonvillian]

Aircraft Stripper or KBS Stripper...…….let it sit in sun, apply it warm, and reapply, and reapply...…….

 

[xltboy]

Did you try one of those Brillo pad type paint removers on a 3.5 inch angle grinder? It made quick work of the original undercoating on my tub when i stripped it. i think i used like three of them for the whole job. Made a mess with the stuff flying everywhere but nothing a good shower didn't resolve.

Xltboy

 

[Hazegray]

Yea, one of the brillo pads on a drill. The issue is it has a sticky, tar like substance that kinda just flows around when hitting it with wire cup brush on a grinder. Unfortunately (?) they banned the chemical that was originally found in paint stripper...might have killed a few people or so that couldn't follow directions regarding ventilation, Darwins theory comes to mind. Anyway, the the new Aircraft Paint Stripper does not work as well as back in the day.

 

[377]

The tar type substance sounds like the original undercoating with Herculiner applied over it. Tomorrow I’m hoping to have the under coating removal finished on my 70. I have used lacquer thinner, 3m adhesive remover and lastly gasoline removing the undercoating. They all pretty much worked the same though. The one thing that helped me remover most of the undercoating was a heat gun and putty knife. The used a wire brush on a grinder then one of the previously mentioned chemicals. Not sure how the herculiner would react to heat but if there is undercoating under the herculiner heat will be your friend. I hope this helps you make more then a foot a day progress. Oh and the “new” aircraft stripper isn’t the same stuff it used to be. I found that out while removing the paint from my interior.

 

[Master Chief]

Heat gun and a putty knife.

 

[jmangi62]

Heat gun and a putty knife.

I'll second that.;D

 

[Rustytruck]

Heat gun and a putty knife.

Using a heat gun on polyurethanes can create harmful fumes wear a respirator.

 

[Hazegray]

Well, it's not undercoating since I was the dumb*ss who rolled it on years ago!

I finally resorted to Industrial strength Goo B Gone from Lowe's. It doesn't remove all the bedliner residue, but it's better than nothing right now. Still have to go over it with wire wheel to remove..

 

[Timmy390]

Well, it's not undercoating since I was the dumb*ss who rolled it on years ago!

I finally resorted to Industrial strength Goo B Gone from Lowe's. It doesn't remove all the bedliner residue, but it's better than nothing right now. Still have to go over it with wire wheel to remove..

On the bright side.....you did one hell of a good job "prepping" before you rolled it on....

Tim