Help! How do you remove motor oil from fiberglass??

[vettegirl]

The body of the 1971 has been shoved up against a wall in the garage while frame was being sandblasted and POR-15'd. My husband pulled it out today to start the body work and found a can of motor oil had fallen on it and soaked into the fender.

He is trying to remove it with Dawn dish soap, but afraid the motor oil has permeated the fiberglass. Any ideas???? Please help!!

:cry

 

[Ryan]

That's bad news as fiber sucks grease in. But maybe you can try paint remover on a small area first before going to do the great job. Be carefull with paint remover, because of the agression of it.

Maybe you can also try with a engine degreaser this is normally used on dirty engine. I think this will help. Soap is useless.

Good luck,

Ryan

 

[smurfvet]

The same thing happened to a friend with a boat. There is no way to get it all out, but you may be able to get a fair amount by trying to absorb what is in the fiberglas with paper towel or absorbant rags they sell in parts stores. Somehow try to rig up an attachment (duct tape) to hold the rags in contact with the body.

My friend had some residue left in the fiberglass, even after the best efforts. He kept after it for a month or so, and it got to the point where it wasn't really noticeable, but it was there. Also, it was not a spot where it had to be painted. DuPont makes a good wax-oil-silicone cleaner "Prep-sol" that might help, but will take work and repeated washings.

You might consider some of the new citrus based cleaners, or "goop" hand cleaner. I let it sit for a day or so. It works great on clothes and carpets!

 

[AnytownUSA]

Take it to a detail shop. I have cleaned cars for years, and while I have not run into this particular problem... Don't gasp. Wheel Acid - which is a stronger wheel cleaner than you can get off the shelf, and a hot water pressure washer will do you wonders. You could try laquer thinner or mineral spirits on a rag, I have had great success with these getting oil out of carpet and such as that.
Mike

 

[Eric]

A word of caution! Don't even think about painting that thing unless you are absolutely positive beyond a shadow of a doubt that there isn't even a single molecule of oil remaining.

In case you are unaware of what can happen, the oil may very well appear to have been removed until after the car has been painted. That's when the horror comes as heat and time cause the oil to seep up to the paint and causes bubbles to appear. I have actually seen a car that had paint bubbles that were essentially a human palm print.

To be honest, it's nearly impossible to be sure that it is removed 100% and I would be leary as heck about covering it. I'm sure there are chemicals that can do wonders but I'm always a skeptic. Maybe there's some sort of sealant that can work but, either way, I wish you the best.

 

[vigman]

I'm assuming

That the body was in fact down to the glass....

If that's the case......it's not going to be pretty.

Front or rear fender?

If it's a front..might be easier to just replace the skin.

I would try cleaning as best as you can... then spray some primer on it..and let it set for a few days...see what happens.

The fiberglass is more porus than one would think.... and the oil ( assuming 30 wt ) will seep in.

You need something to break down the oil...

considering OIL & WATER do not mix.. and will not dillute the oil... I would try oxy clean.. or something of that nature....


Good luck

Vig!

 

[Sloepoke]

To remove oil

Vettegirl,

Clean up the best you can with detergent and maybe alcohol, let it dry in the sun for the better part of a day. In most of the discount department stores they sell a little can of spot remover call K2R. Spray this on and let it dry over night. It might take a couple of applications but when the K2R dries to a fluffy white powder the oil is gone. This trick worked very well on Balsa wood Radio Controlled Airplanes fiberglass should be a synch.

Regards

Mike

 

[Yoda]

Re: I'm assuming

That the body was in fact down to the glass....
If that's the case......it's not going to be pretty.
Vig!

If it is down to the glass then try a can of "Brake Cleaner" spray it on and towel dry it, dabbing it dry. Even spray Brake Cleaner on the towel and dab it.

Brake Cleaner dries extremely fast and does displace the oil during the evaporation process. It works really good removing oil stains from concrete. IT WILL discolor paint! I KNOW this for a FACT!

BudD

 

[vettegirl]

Thanks guys!!

I will probably try ALL of these solutions, and if all else fails call Eckler's for a new skin! It is so disappointing, the car has been down since January and I am in a hurry to finish it since convertible weather is almost here - another delay is heartbreaking!

Thanks again for all your responses!

Lauren