I am having car repainted in the spring. Previous owner thought it would be a good idea to install all the weather stripping in silicone caulking. How do you get this stuff off? It has been on the car for about 20 years. I have tried laquer thinner, paint thinner, gasoline, MEK, fingernail polish remover, Goo-Gone, and nothing has worked. I am trying to keep from removing the paint. If the paint becomes dull, no big deal.
If anyone has any suggestions on what I can use to remove the caulking and residue, please let me know. Thanks for your help.

I hate to see a question go un-answwered. Just don't seem right.

Sounds like you have tried it all. Can you pick it out or sand it?

the only thing that will remove silicone is called mehtylene chloride or dichloromethane,, the problem with it is that it is the main ingredient of paint stripper, your best bet is a dremel with a very fine bronze brush and a lot of time


sorry

I have used a heat gun with a plastic scraper. Not fun, tho.

If it is truely "silicone" based, you a no choice but to remove the paint with it - to bare metal. Any silicone that may have leached into the paint underneath will render the surface unpaintable. It must be taken to bare metal & heavily prepped after that. Here's how I know....

Had my 914 stripped & repainted in late '79. All's well for about a year, then a fisheye developed on the side of the front passenger fender. Painter said "no problem, we'll fix it" (it WAS a $4,000 repaint in 1979!). Asked if I'd been using any wierd polishes & told him I'd used the same polish on all my cars for 15 years. He sanded & sprayed & called me - "you need to see this". Went over & he presented me with a 2ft square piece of dried red paint that had fallen off of the fender during the night - just slid right off!

Turns out, the mf'er of my polish had switched to a silicone-based solvent & we all know the primary purpose of silicone - not boobs! Non-stick, slippery, slicky......

Had to take the entire fender down to bare & beyond. Prepped with one of his witches brew & resprayed. Still looks perfect & is a perfect match after 25 years. He admonished me severely about using silicone-based ANYTHING on, or near the car again - I obeyed!

But, ask your painter. Maybe mine was wierd, though I don't think so. He now has a lock on Mercedes jobs in Cincinnati & is very highly respected.

He didn't even want to do my car, because it as a "914", but a very good friend (his lawyer) begged him. After that, when the car started beating Ferrari's & the like in concours, he was always around, telling people he did the "restoration" (it was only a paint job!

My thanks to all for the replies. I sort of figured it wasn't going to be an easy thing. 70 Sixter, someone else told me about the heat gun idea. I think I will give it a try. At least I won't have to worry about what to do all winter in western PA.

And if nothing else the heat gun will help keep your fingers from freezin' to the metal!