I noticed that stuck to the floorpan are some pads that seem to be made of a heavy tar-like substance. I take those are for noise absorption and to collect and trap any water that ends up there between it and the pan. How do I remove it without resorting to paint-damaging scraping?

Hi,

I’m curious about why you want to remove the tar like insulation from the whole interior?
Was the car found in a swamp bottom or something?

There’s a purpose for it besides sound absorption or like you say to keep moisture trapped that would form in between the carpet, the carpet padding and the metal otherwise.
It’s the seamer joints that are crimped and spot welded instead of roller welded in bends that needs a sealer and a back up coating.
What is your plan in those areas?

If you ever worked or played (a man cave of sorts) in a pole barn metal building you will well know that they do sweat moisture from condensations of humidity when it’s colder outside.

The same is thing happens in cars with the addition of humans giving off moisture from breathing or respiration. Then there’s our shoes with rain water or snow clumps.
A foggy windshield is a great example of a cold sink only second to metals. Metals conduct more readily than glass but glass has mass density to resist heat changes.
It’s First to get damp as it’s higher up but to get those vapors it’s coming from everywhere.

The underside of a vehicle is warmer most of the time than the rest of the car.
Just observe rodents and a cat’s second desire to be there.

We notice a windshield sooner but a vehicle is a vessel and as sound proof as it could be made, you need it to still breathe like or actually with us.
Makeup air is essential for it to be used as a healthy device despite possible accidents.
Some people are living in them and that’s not healthy even short term.
Imagine the accumulation of those vapors?

With all of that picturing painted out above, imagine what the trunk would be like if not for that tar mass and the fuel tank for protection.
Very little ventilation or heat from the heater makes it back to there, except through the back seat materials.

If you want to see something rust or get mildewy, leave it in a trunk, out in the weather of seasons.

I can observe a recent model Camaro left in a neighborhood last November.
It was left on a private road in the easement of the road. Not claimed by any one living on the road so far?
Probably due a tow bill liability involved?

I checked law enforcement. Since it is On a county private road, the state patrol doesn’t do anything about it.
The State Plates are gone but I doubt any creditors know where the car is.
I talked to a person just after the plate looked to be missing.
Here say, Supposedly a female put it on a voluntary repossession. Low wages and a marriage with child fell apart. No words since?
Plain olé abandoned.

That car has deteriorated to having moss on the paint, flat tires and rusted rotors. Covered with pine needles in places the wind hasn’t blown them off.
The interior won’t be worth a plug nickel with it half full cup of something in the center with some trash and food wrappers abound else where.
I just don’t know what the world is coming to?
Just throw the car away to be someone else’s problem.


Seeing your thread makes me feel better that you have more caring in your soul.

Phil

I've always been curious how best to do this. Apparently most simply start with a hammer and chisel or use a scraper blade, such as a moderately narrow blade in a recip saw held at a shallow angle, then follow that with solvent, like on a scrubbie, to dissolve and remove the remaining reside, either paint solvent, kerosene and if that doesn't work then try acetone. Another tip I've heard about is freezing it with dry ice left to sit on top of it then hammering up under the floor pan to fracture and loosen it, followed by scraping a now much more brittle and less gooey substance. If there's surface rust then the pad should come away much more easily in those areas. Please post back with how you make out on those fairly thick Volvo pads.
--
Dave -still with 940's, prev 740/240/140/120 You'd think I'd have learned by now

Well, I ended up using a heat gun. It really looks/feel like sheets of tar with a nice non sticky top layer. To scrap it I used a putting knife and "mid sized" flathead screwdriver. The putting knife had a~10cm wide, thin, and rather flexible blade. Most of the time I was rather successful heating the pad up and then sliding the putting knife under the pad an just lift the now hot and flexible tar right off the floor, leaving barely anything (there is still probably something there; I have not finished). Sometimes it would not work ( there are some areas that bump down or just felt they were not melted enough for the knife to lift it. At this times, it was better to use the screwdriver; it was also great to create "channels" with high enough edges the putting knife could come behind it and now have some purchase.

Full disclosure: I started on the floor of the passenger seat and am still about halfway done removing the pads; there were other tasks I needed to do and I switched to them so to make good use of the daylight.