I'm about to do my first paint removal, and another thread here about making old paint look as good as possible reminded me that I'd better start by asking questions first.

Can you guys point me to something on classicoldsmobile that can save us a lot of effort? Was there a great thread on this topic once, or is there a memorable compilation of tech wisdom somewhere on this site?

If not, then what I'd like to know for starters is can I avoid buying any more power tools for now and get by with a small to medium sized Makita palm sander? If so, then what paper do I start off with and where do I go from there? Is there a better chemical solution?

 

I used a DA (dual action) air powered sander from Harbor Freight (the purple one). Get a package of 80 grit stick-on 6" disks from a 3M supplier (#1213). You will use a full package or more. Don't try the Makita. Both it and your body will suffer too much.

 

I have heard body people say that you shouldn't go down to bare metal if you don't have to. I don't know what constitutes "having to go down to bare metal." If you decide to completely strip the car then you might consider using paint stripper. I know it works well. It might be overkill though.

 

Razor Blade! The kind that has only one sharp edge that goes in a scrapper handle. Did my ENTIRE car in 5 hours. No dust, no huge mess, just paint shavings and a broom to clean up. Don't gouge the body. Body shop wanted $400.00 to do it.

 

That is a good idea!

 

I had to do that to get the vinyl sticker off my Bronco. It worked ok, but there were quite a few spots where it caught the paint, dug into it, and created little bumps in the metal. Nothing too major I suppose, being it's a play truck I didn't worry about it.

Make sure you get a few packages of blades and keep sharp ones on there. Take your time!

 

I have stripped several cars with aircraft stripper. It is the strongest stripper you can buy and is available at NAPA or any store selling automotive paint. It is nasty and you need plenty of ventilation and rubber gloves. I use plastic bondo spreaders to scrap the paint off and then some course steel wool. Then go over it with a rag with laquer thinner to finish cleaning it. It is still a lot of work. Good luck.

 

You know, I also wonder what one would do with the paint once it is stripped off of the car with aircraft stripper. Doesn't it become a gooey, nasty, toxic mush? I guess if you one were contientious they would take it to the local hazardous materials drop off.

 

That mess is one reason I went with the DA sander. You only get paint dust, and you can tell what is happening as the paint comes off--whether there is lead, bondo, low or high spots, etc. coming up to the surface. Not only does stripper make a huge amount of toxic crud, you have to be darn sure to neutralize and remove all residue from the car, to perfection. And where does all that slime go? Onto the floor, where you have a new mess to clean up, aaargh.

 

Run you are correct. I don't know if I will ever do another car with aircraft stripper due to the mess. I will consider soda blasting. I have never used it but from what I hear it is really clean. Then of course it is not as cheap as a gallon of stripper and several sanding sheets of sandpaper and sanding disks.

 

I am in the process of having my 64 dynamic Soda blasted. Not doing the entire car, just the CURVED areas on top of fenders, tail light pan, drip moulds, and jambs. About $400 buck but saving alot of time and effort. The soad also leaves no toxic residue or sand and it won't warp panels.

 

i've heard that paints and primers wont adhere to a surface which has been soda blasted. But it seems to be the cleanest, simplest way to strip paint. I also wonder, how well does soda blasting take out rust compared to other blasting medias?

Ed

 

I saw on MuscleCar where they used a soda blaster on a 60ish chevy truck. It worked great on all the paint except for some of the pitted paint on the hood. They did blast the rust in places like the points of the front fenders and it came out great. It didn't appear to be rough at all. After it has been soda blasted they said it will prevent surface rust just from sitting, and when you're ready to paint it just take some warm water with soap and a sponge to wipe it off. They did say for a soap just to use plain soap, with no additives. I'm really trying to get ahold of that episode so I can rewatch it. The episode name is "OverKill Revisited" I believe.

 

Yeah That episode was alright.
I was razzing the tv like: "YEAH, but's what's INSIDE the panels." and then.... they cut it open haha.
SURPRISE!

I highly doubt that eastwood rust converter is god.
Just a couple sprays and the panel is perfect again......uh huh...

 

I have a small compressor so I used a 5" Dewalt adjustable speed orbital DA sander with #80 discs to strip my Vista, worked fine, just takes some elbow grease. I inquired on the autobody 101 forum and that is what was recommended, the pros say always go to bare metal if you want a good job. I use lead for repairs and transitions (easier than bondo) so it has to go to clean metal in any case. Buy discs in bulk,it will take a few, lots of prep-sol or equivalent for cleaning. I then primed with 2K Kirker epoxy primer, Astro Evo LVLP (low volume low pressure) gun works great with a 5 horse compressor and is cheap, 1.8 tip for primer.

Allan