Just starting to get down to tackling the paint and auto body work on my 55' olds. I was curious if you guys had any suggestions on where to start. I was going to purchase a small angle sander and get going on the engine bay and firewall and i dont know what kind of grit to start and end with as well as what kind of paint should i use in there, i would like to do black but not sure if i need high temp paint or a spray can will work just fine? Then i was thinking start with getting a DA and start sanding the outside but i didn't know if that would be the way to go or try to strip the original paint off the car and go that route. Just curious if anyone has any suggestions on which way to go..sanding or stripping. Also i have an opoxy floor in my garage and didn't know if that stripping compound would also strip my floor and wreck that..

 

I would use a DA sander depending on the condition of the surface being worked on or If it is rusty or pealing I would probably start with 80 grit and then use a finer grit. Finish by hand with 360 or till it's as smooth as a baby's butt. I also would use the same product (paint) on the firewall as the rest of the car No need for high heat on a firewall. Rattle can spray is never as good as a hardened product both in sheen, fade resistance and color retention. Are you going to go base/color/clear coat or single stage? Both have there advantages or disadvantages.

Chemical strippers work but every bit must be removed/neutralized from any nick or crack or it will activate later and cause a blister on your new paint. Sometimes it's better to just grind it off and be safe. and yes it will remove your floor paint and take the skin off any place not covered so be careful if you use a stripper...... Tedd

 

R and D Services in Wisconsin now advertises that they now do "Dustless Blasting" . Not sure the cost but I have heard that ,that process can be done at your location in 3 Hrs. or so,for a whole car and won't warp panels or pit the original metal. Might save lots of hours with a DA sander. Don't take my word for it,check someone who has had it done! Larry

 

These cars were originally painted with lacquer.
In my experience , chemical paint strippers won't touch the stuff.
80 grit on a DA sander works best .
Do not use anything coarser than 80 or you will scratch the metal too much .
Check with Autocolor library for original color paints;
http://www.autocolorlibrary.com/
Acrylic lacquer can be applied without the use of a spray booth, but it must be color sanded and buffed .
Lots of work , but a beautiful finish when done.

 

This is a PPG training booklet in PDF form . It contains a lot of good information on painting your car ;

https://ppgrefinish-na.uberflip.com/...ration-guide/5

 

I used to do both, DAs and chem strippers. Now I almost exclusively use a paint stripping disc. You can get them at Lowe's or Home Depot, for a 4 1/2" grinder, or smaller ones for drills.

 

Thanks for the info guys. I will put some pictures up to show progress.

 

Make sure you wear a n95 dust mask when sanding the car.

https://www.amazon.com/3M-Dust-Respi...VHV1F9GEBFGE7R

Also, when you start applying paint make sure you wear a good respirator.

https://www.amazon.com/3M-07193-Pain...rds=respirator