From the title you can tell what I have. So my idea is to strip all the chrome myself and send it to get a semi-cheap paint job(I drive the car all the time I dont want to shoot myself over a scratch in a $4000 paint job). The thing with stripping the chrome is should I buy new chrome or get it re-dipped? Aslo most of the chrome looks pretty self explainitory for taking off but I would love advice on ways to do it or if there is special tools needed. Also its got two coats of old paint on it. Would it make sense to strip it all the way down for a new paint?
Thanks,
Alex

 

even a half professional job is not cheep anymore. if you strip the paint, that in itself will not be cheep.

 

Welcome aboard

Often the chrome just needs to be polished, depending on how bad it is. After you get it off you'll have plenty of time to work with it. With a couple of coats of paint already on your car, you might be disappointed with just adding another layer. I'd vote to take it all the way down to bare metal. Unfortunately, your days of "Driving the car all the time" may have an extended vacation.

One "special tool" I've used to get the chrome off the back of the hood is a wooden paint stir stick. Lay it flat and slowly tap the chrome strip back one side then the other a little at a time.

 

I've heard alot of people say that you don't have to strip a car completely for a good paint job. A friend of mine in college resotred numerous "weekend warrior" classics and just sanded the original paint before shooting new paint on top of it. He said it wasn't worth it to take the body down to bare metal if the car wasn't going to be a show car or frame off restoration.

I am going to start primering my 71 Olds 98, and then I hope to paint it myself next spring. I don't plan on removing the original coat of paint all the way to bare metal.

 

Welcome. If the car just had the original paint, you could probably get by without stripping it down to bare metal. With two repaints I think you have to take it down to bare metal. Jamesbro is correct in that your days of driving the call all the time are going to be on vacation. Be prepared to find some filler when you strip the car, At least you will know what you have. If you were planning on getting rid of the car, you could probably get by with just sanding it and doing some primer in rough areas.

 

How would you recommend stripping the body down? I've seen a lot of people say it takes all this time blah blah blah. I have time I'm not to cocerned about that I am in no rush to do anything with this car and if it saves me money then that's the goal. Anyways I figured an electric sander would be best but someome told me doing this wrong could result in body damage. I have also read a little about chemical strippers but I don't think I want to go that route.

Thanks for all the advice so far!

 

Alex, welcome to Classic Olds.

Well, there's a few methods of stripping your paint. Before we get to that, I'd like to amend a bit what some have been saying. If the paint on your car is the original lacquer paint, if you plan on shooting modern paint, I'd absolutely strip the paint off. The two systems--enamel and lacquer--do NOT mix. You'd just end up with peeling paint. In any event, I'd strip it just to be safe and make sure there's nothing you want to repair.

Having stripped several cars of their paint, I can probably put these in the order of ease, with #s 2 & 3 being debatable:

1) media blast. This is by far the absolute best way to remove your paint. It gets everything to bare metal, removes any rust, and lets you know what you have. However, it's generally quite expensive (i'd say it's at least $1000 to do an entire car)

2) aircraft paint stipper. You can buy this at your local Home Depot. I think it's something like $17 for a gallon of it. It'll take 4 or 5 gallons, I'd say. Downside is, it makes a mess. You really have to wash off the remnants before you're ready for paint. Also, you'll still have to sand down the metal, as, while it gets most everything off, there still will be some spots that need sanding.

3) sanding. Now, some people prefer this to using the paint stripper. I've heard some people say they've done an entire car in two days. Now, maybe their paint was thin and this is possible, but mine was thick, and in no way, shape or form, could I have removed it with a polisher and a stripping disc in two days.

You'll want to use a polisher, as you're able to adjust your speed. You really don't want to go over 1500-1750, as you'll heat the metal up to the point of warping. Also, you need to move the disc around quite a bit so it doesn't heat up. I used these discs. They're not cheap, but all in all, it's cheaper than media blasting. http://www.eastwood.com/cleaning-disc-7.html

If you can't afford #1, I'd use the combination of 2 & 3. The stripper removes the hard stuff, and then the cleaning disc will get you down to bare metal with east. If this is not a show car and you don't have rust issues, steer clear of the door jamb and other tough areas. It's really hard to scrape the paint out of those areas and even harder to get a stripping disc in there. If you choose to do so, I'd get a 3.5" disc for removal. Might work a little better.

Do one section at a time, and take your time. Also, make sure you have good ventillation and protective gloves when using the paint remover. And have water ready in case you get any on your skin. That stuff is POTENT.

Oh, and don't handle the bare metal without gloves. It'll definitely start to rust.

Anyway, this has been my experience. Hope it helps you some.

 

An electric dual action orbital 5 or 6 inch sander and tons of 80 grit discs will do it. Buy the discs in bulk, smartshoppers has really good prices on all the body supplies. You just have to keep the sander moving like anything, don't want to heat up the steel too much. It is a dirty job, I stripped my Vista Cruiser by panel then primed as I went so I have no idea how long it took, all summer for a couple of hours a day probably. You'll need lots of dust masks and wax and grease remover too.
I used 2 part epoxy primer over the bare metal, they have Kirker at smartshoppers and a lot of pro body guys use it, inexpensive and good believe it or not.

http://www.smartshoppersinc.com/index.html

 

Listen to 68Tom. Don't try to put moder paint over original laquer. You are asking for trouble if you do. As for removeing trim get a factory assembly manual and a fisher body service manual. You will be glad you did.

 

Over the years, I have stripped several cars with aircraft stripper. I don't remember it taking 4-5 gallons though. Seems like 1-2 gallons did the average car. But as pointed out, it is nasty. You need plenty of ventilation. I used bondo spreaders to scrap the paint off. It usually took two applications depending on how many repaints it had. After I had scrapped all I could off, I used laquer thinner and steel wool to get the rest and then wiped it down with a rag and laquer thinner. You will use lots of rubber gloves. The newest thing is supposed to be soda blasting but as mentioned it is expensive.

 

Don't forget to wear safety glasses and a decent mask - preferably with filtration.