our trunks

[RedDaemon]

as i was washing my car today i saw in my trunk how much gunk has collected up over the years in the water canal surrounding the waterseal

what is the best way to get this gunk off? it doesnt scrub off with a regular sponge and car soap

should i take the trunk lid off?

hopefully other people have this problem

 

[2000fordstanggt]

ive had that with both of my new edges, but never tried to really clean it, other than getting leaves and stuff out. so id like to know how to clean it too.

 

[Matt's 03 GT]

It is a painted surface on my '03. I typically wash it out once every 4 or 5 carwashes (about once a month) and that keeps it clean.

I think to clean it up if it is dirty and nasty you may want to wash while washing the car and then try claying the surface followed by a cleaner wax or something similar. It should help.

Do you have any Pictures of how bad it looks?

Matt

 

[bakos24]

I know what you mean. Mine is like that also but I never tried cleaning it. Maybe try some of that goo gone stuff. It does wonders

 

[LaserSVT]

I just cleaned that in my Cobra. What I did was use the George Forman car detail spray (im sure Meguiers or Wet look will work too) and sprayed that area, let it sit for a min, then wiped it off with a micro fibre cloth. Came off just fine but it was pretty thick and gooey.

 

[Matt's 03 GT]

It is most likely just built up junk from not being cleaned regularly. I would not do anything to the trunk that I wouldn't do to the exterior paint on the car. In other words don't attack the dirt with 409 or comet....

I would wash, clay, cleaner wax (color x or something similar). It should work great.

 

[Green&GoldGT]

use a pressure washer

 

[Crzyhrse]

Shame on you. I clean that crap out everytime I wash my Mach.

 

[RedDaemon]

Shame on you. I clean that crap out everytime I wash my Mach.

well, long story short it was like it when i got it 3 years ago...i figured it was a glue/clear sealant that turned black that ford put in (the area was a lot smaller at the time i first noticed it) now its been 3 years and its gotten really bad and is starting to rust (pretty sure its surface) tht area RIGHT on the other side of the trunk mechanism

basically i need to take the whole trunk off..along with all of the hardware

anyone have experience doing this? i took a look at the assembly and the part i need to take off isnt attached by regular bolts

 

[Matt's 03 GT]

Can you post pic's? I think you will work wonders with a very thorough cleaning...

If the rust is on the surface the clay bar should remove most of it. I would think you could even spray some "Rust preventative" paint in that area (Properly masked of course!) to keep it from getting worse... Just a thought.

 

[DCjuggalo]

mine is like this 2. i tried steel wool and the junk still wouldnt come off

 

[RedDaemon]

i need to know the proper way of removing the whole trunk assembly...brakets and all...anyone have any info?

 

[DTNODYA]

Man, you will not get it all off. When took my trunk off to paint my new one, I tried to clean that crap .. I used everything under the sun and couldn't get it totally clean. I wish I would have cleaned it every few months, over the years ... But if you want to try then:

Open the trunk, have a friend stand on the other side, loosen all the bolts, remove them and hold the trunk steady, remove the two struts (you do one, have the person on the other side do the other while supporting the trunk), thats it.

This is how I did mine anyway, 10 bizillion times...

 

[screamin gt]

tooth brush and simple green got most of it off. if you want it as shiny as your car, then good luck. let us know how that goes. in ten years. when your done. good luck

 

[RedDaemon]

Man, you will not get it all off. When took my trunk off to paint my new one, I tried to clean that crap .. I used everything under the sun and couldn't get it totally clean. I wish I would have cleaned it every few months, over the years ... But if you want to try then:

Open the trunk, have a friend stand on the other side, loosen all the bolts, remove them and hold the trunk steady, remove the two struts (you do one, have the person on the other side do the other while supporting the trunk), thats it.

This is how I did mine anyway, 10 bizillion times...

sounds to me like ur saying the trunk is heavy

ill go out and take a pic in a few minutes...im on the phone with xbox support

 

[RedDaemon]

i had to take the pics with my phone so sorry

i did take a better look at the whole assembly...apparently there IS sealant down hiding a few of the screws...which makes sense

what sealant should i put back down and where do i get it from?

thanks so much

 

[gtstangau]

mine is a white gt and that area under the trunk is like solid black, it is nasty! I,ve never been able to get it off so I just gave up and never pop my trunk haha!

 

[mity2]

i do clean the channel every car wash. But i can't get my hand (Or sponge for that matter) around hinges, and that part are pretty nasty on my car

 

[RedDaemon]

i do clean the channel every car wash. But i can't get my hand (Or sponge for that matter) around hinges, and that part are pretty nasty on my car

yeah and the result is rust...i basically have to take everything regarding the trunk lid and hardware off...scrape off the problem area paint and remove the rust and put some protective sealant over it to prevent it from rotting through

 

[DTNODYA]

i had to take the pics with my phone so sorry

i did take a better look at the whole assembly...apparently there IS sealant down hiding a few of the screws...which makes sense

what sealant should i put back down and where do i get it from?

thanks so much

Well, first off .. the trunk is not that heavy but it is bulky and would be extremely difficult to take off by yourself. That's why I said have a friend ....

The funk you have is slightly worse than mine was but yeah, it isn't going to come off completely. I tried simple green, purple power, steam cleaner, I mean you name it. What doesn't come off is the spotty areas. But ya know, at the time, I didn't know anything about the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. That thing might do the trick (though it says not to use it on your paint .. duh).

As for the sealant .. I don't really know but a heavy duty silicone would be my guess.

FWIW, what I did was, since my trunk was off I put a tarp over the trunk opening and pressed the molding down onto the tarp to hold it in place. That way I could get buckwild with spraying water and it wouldn't get in my trunk. I did get about 90 percent of it off ...

And for the rust, if it's accessible, you can use a little dab of naval jelly to get it off. You'd have to be careful not to get it on the paint but just thought I'd throw it out there ..