Removing soundproofing, seam sealer questions

[joshkrahn]

I'm in the middle of removing all the soundproofing from inside the car. Ugly job, but I digress. There are two kinds of seam sealer used under the asphalt. One is a beige mastic that looks like it's used to glue the drain plugs in place. The other is a flexible gray rubber, kind of like RTV, that is used where panels overlap. My questions are two:

 

1. Do you guys remove all this stuff when you remove the asphalt? It's kind of hard to remove one without disturbing the other, if that makes sense. But both sealers are impervious to chemical removers and heat.

 

2. If you do remove the seam sealer, do you reapply before paint? I'm probably going to use POR-15 or Rust Bullet, something like that.

 

Thanks gang!

Josh

 

Edited February 12, 2017 by joshkrahn

[TobyB]

1- yes, but only if it needs it, as in, there's rust under there.  If it's intact and ferocious, I leave it.  Why mess with success?

 

2- after paint.  Or rather, after first primer.  Reason being, the stuff itself may be mildly corrosive.  It's not SUPPOSED to be,

but for example, a lot of the lime- carrying 3M stuff has water in it these days.  Also, etch primer is the last word in adhesion-

NOTHING will bond to metal better at the slightly- higher- than- molecular level

I've done it several ways, and after the first primer/sealer layer seems best to me.  And in Jenn's car, is at 18 years and counting...

 

t

 

[joshkrahn]

Thanks Toby, it's amazing how much I've learned from you, just from lurking on this board.

 

I'm thinking I'll leave the beige cement alone, but remove as much of the rubber sealer as I can. Right now it's just kinda flopping around loose at the edges like gray boogers.

 

Josh