What cleaning methods products to use

[Andrew Henrickson]

just bought a 62 cj higgins and there is excessive tar on some parts of it how do i safely remove the tar because other wise the paint is in Really good shape , also whats a good way to bring the paint back to life polish techniques ect....chrome tips are welcomed also

 

[HIGGINSFOREVER]

Dupont had a tar and bug remover.Dont know if its still in the auto supply stores.Get yourself some oooo steel wool and WD40.Spray the wd40 and use the steel wool,Go lite on the decals and any striping.TAKE YOUR TIME.Then a lite coat of car polish or wax.

 

[Andrew Henrickson]

will give it a try but i mean THICK tar

 

[Old-Bikes]

I don't know if Varsol would harm the paint, but it would help removing the tar for sure. It's always good to have some for cleaning greasy stuff anyway (the bearings from you bike, for example). A plastic scraper could be a valuable tool too. 0000 steel wool is the only way to go for chromed parts.

 

[HIGGINSFOREVER]

will give it a try but i mean THICK tar

If its a realy thick tar,Try using a hair dryer to soften it up.Or a heat gun.

 

[MR D]

I agree with Old-Bikes on the 0000 steel wool for the chrome. If it's badly rusted I scrape down the worst parts with a sharp knife first, then hit it with the wool and a little spray of WD40. After that I use a spray wax on a wool pad, this gets right into the hard metal and polishes it perfectly...filling in the microscopic scratches.

The tar issue is a little more complicated. I would try mineral spirits to remove the heavy stuff. Use the 0000 steel wool & WD40 to remove the lighter stuff. A small amount of rubbing compound and then light wax will spiff up that good old paint. Just take your time and watch out to see if you may be removing anything you don't want to. Stay away from the decals if possible.

MR D

 

[ericbaker]

I'd try some acetone on a rag, just try not to scrub the paint much with it. Its not gonna fall off or anything but you can rub some away if your not paying attention

 

[rocketman]

good bye tar....

Diesel! It works great, even better with an agressive saturated rag material like burlap. Follow up with always wonderful WD-40 which is nothing more then glorified kerosene.........

 

[Barry's Bikes]

Its not gonna fall off or anything but you can rub some away if your not paying attention

Funny! that's the same thing I was told when I was about 13, been paying attention ever since.

 

[Balloontyre]

Gently

On good paint I use Mothers prewax cleaner, then glaze, and end with carnuba. All by hand and only applying pressure nessesary to remove imperfections, all cleaning and waxing strokes are done in the same direction in order to minimize fine scratching and swirl marks. No shoe shine style buffing.

GoofOff will get the tar and not damage your finish,

Steelwool or brass wool are more agressive and may not be required if your paint is nice.

On chrome without rust, Mothers chrome polish,
Rusty chrome... Steelwool and wd works well