Classic/Antique Car Repair: removing old pine sap off vehicle., auto detailer, witch hazel

Question
Hi Mr Benjamin,
I know you are not a paint and body man but you may have run into this situation in your dealing with older cars
 I have a  vehicle that's been sitting under the pine trees for a few years. A fairly thick layer of dark, sap  stains cover alot of the hood and  roof. The rest of the car looks fairly nice. I tried Turtle Wax's Bug+Tar remover (says it also removes tree sap.) doesn't work very well, but that was just rubbing in with a sponge.
I can borrow a buffer machine, was going to try that along with the bug-n-tar remover next, but was wondering if you might have a better approach? I don't really wish to sand and re-paint.
  Can you give me some better  ideas on procedure and a sap-remover substance? What would you do in this situation? Thanks very much,
                   John Crawford

Answer
This sounds like a real mess!  First of all, don't use the buffer on it, it will only make matters worse.

Solvents for pine sap are Mayonnaise, denatured alcohol, bacon fat and witch hazel.  I'd try the mayonnaise first, as I'm sure it will do no harm.   The denatured alcohol is most likely the best, but make sure it won't harm the paint by trying it in a place you don't care about first.  I don't think it will, but some paints are very much easier to damage with solvents.

Avoid digging at it with any tools, even your finger nails, that will certainly mar the paint.

The older the sap is, the harder it is to remove, and this may be a hopeless cause, but at least give it a try.

You could also ask an auto detailer in your area what they use for removing the local sap, although they probably don't have to deal with really old stuff.

I wish you luck - I think you are going to need it!

Dick