Dry ice is the bomb...

[KAL7467]

it is for sure the best way to get the nasty old tar mat out of your car in a half hour or less...I was skeptical at first but after the first 10 seconds I was sold... I am being honest when it only took me 30 min to get every single piece of tar mat out only using a hammer, screwdriver and scraper. The dry ice only cost 8 dollars for 15 pounds that was more than enough for the job...thanks to everyone who recommended using it you saved me tons of time...now it is time to start grinding and welding

[Evil Turkey]

mmmhhh... that's not a bad idea, wish I had thought of it when I took all of that tar off!

[sparegolfer]

So how exactly do you do it? Do you just place the ice on the designated area and wait so long, then chisel it off? I'm intrested because I'm getting ready to start this. Thank you.

[503Alex]

I need to get some of this, I've been using the same tools as you with no dry ice and it's taking forever.

[MEZZZ]

I used the dry ice method also and it works great! I was lucky because my company uses the stuff and I grabbed 4 blocks for the job. You simply sit a chunk on the area, wait about 15-20 seconds, you can actually hear some cracking noise. Take a hammer and screwdriver (I used a 1 inch wide wood chisel), tap it firmly and the tar mat just breaks off cleanly with no residue.

Wear goggles or safety glasses, the stuff tends to fly. I did my whole car in under an hour.

[Unkle]

On another note , my GP used dry ice to remove something from my scalp . He had a styrofoam cup with dry ice and a long q-tip , and pressed the ice onto the '' something ''. Holy sh!t that hurt ! It was actually sizzling all the way home , and I could barely drive because my eyes were watering so badly. Advice : wear gloves .

[SteveJ]

Yes, at -70F it will instantly damage skin.

[Casey_z]

It is -17 degrees Celsius or -4 degrees Fahrenheit (in American English) outside.

Left the heat off in the shop and the old tar mat comes off quite nicely.

No dry ice required.

Welcome to winter in Canada!

Casey

[SteveJ]

It is -17 degrees Celsius or -4 degrees Fahrenheit (in American English) outside.

Left the heat off in the shop and the old tar mat comes off quite nicely.

No dry ice required.

Welcome to winter in Canada!

Casey

*Sigh* Don't remind me of that. I have some equipment that I have to work on in various parts of Ontario province. I'm just hoping it holds off until late spring.

[Evil Turkey]

For those who may be interested in another way to "freeze" the tar, I just tried a new method:

I found a few cans of "duster" gas that are used to clean PC's. This gas is also called something 134a, which also happens to be the gas some A/C systems use (I think). Anyway, this gas is sold for around 5$/can in computer shops and when used normally, it just blows compressed air BUT:

If you turn the can upside down, the gas comes out in it's liquid form (VERY cold!) just blow the liquid on the tar and watch it freeze and crack instantly! It's easier to aim than using dry ice, safer and it works pretty well!