Body paint removal

[Bob from Northport]

Preparing to start removing the paint from the body and parts of a 1930 Sport Coupe. Any suggestions as to what are the easiest or best ways to remove. Car only has one coat on it.

Thanks!!

 

[Mike V. Florida]

Klean-Strip Aircraft Paint Remover sold in the big box stores.

 

[Logan]

If you have limited funds, the easiest way is a razor blade on a razor blade scraping handle. Then get a disk sander with 80 grit paper to take off the rest, and to strip it to bare metal. If you have any heavy rust that a disk sander can't get rid of, you might consider getting a sand blaster to strip those areas, or somehow chemically strip it

 

[J Franklin]

Don't use a torch! I got my car when I was 14, the paint came off fairy easy but getting all the warps out was a job!

 

[28ACoupe]

Are you wanting to strip the entire car and all parts or just a section?

 

[Marvin/TN]

I use Tal Strip made by Mar-Hyde. Best stripper I have ever used. Get it at Paint and Body suppliers.

 

[32forddump]

3m makes a green discs that will remove the paint and not the metal. Eastwood sells them and they work awesome. Pulled the paint off my hood and doors quickly without any harm. Just keep it moving.

 

[Kevin in NJ]

Norton 80 grit hook and loop is what shops use as most cost effective.

See autobodystore.com tutorials

 

[stallerl]

Klean-Strip Aircraft Paint Remover is what I've used on a few cars with good success. Just follow the directions, let the stuff work then scrape it off with a razor and use steel wool in the corners or edges. Then clean the surface with fresh water, wipe dry and move to the next panel.
Nasty stuff to breath but works great.

 

[Ken B]

If you know of a good sand blasting company in your area, it might be worth looking into having them do it. I had my whole 1930 Coupe blasted clean in 5 hours. They got everything clean to grey metal. They did pay close attention to the areas of flat metal and nothing warped at all. When I mentioned my concern for warping, I was given a demo of him blasting off the print of a soda can without warping the aluminum. Five hours and $500 was well worth it.

 

[59mgaguy]

2X with Kevin, Staller, 32forddump. As for Tal Strip I believe it is no longer on the market. I tried for weeks to find and order without any luck. I would suggest a full body dip and I believe there is a company up in Mich. that does it. I used Ready-Strip in Toledo a few years back and the fenders were hanging in the barn for about 5 years bare before using. Not a speck of rust were on them after all those years. Too bad they are out of business.

As for blasting. I would check with people that have had it done before using one. If they are happy with the job they did go for it. But using one you don't know anything about is Russian Roulette. They promise that they know how to blast without warping. But they all lie.

I took a MGA fender and 24 small pieces to a blaster in Norfolk for a test before having them do the body.. They guaranteed their work. Their promise of not warping was as good as their guarantee. For $200 my fender looked like the waves on the ocean. And they handled the metal with bare hands. (Nice hand prints in rust a couple of days later). After that I was planning on checking out another blaster from the area till I found out a fellow club member had his done at where I was planning to go. They messed up his MK2. Repeat; So make sure you check out the blasters before using.

 

[28ACoupe]

If you know of a good sand blasting company in your area, it might be worth looking into having them do it. I had my whole 1930 Coupe blasted clean in 5 hours. They got everything clean to grey metal. They did pay close attention to the areas of flat metal and nothing warped at all. When I mentioned my concern for warping, I was given a demo of him blasting off the print of a soda can without warping the aluminum. Five hours and $500 was well worth it.

I second this if you are going to have the whole car stripped. How much is your time worth. When I did the coupe the first time, I did it with stripping pads due to a perceived "Budget". I will never go that route again.

 

[bobbycoke]

along these lines when you do strip off the paint what do uou need to do to stop flash rust as I am not too fast.......??? I will try to do large sections but may not complete a whole panel as old age and art-ritiss visits me quite often.....bobbycoke

 

[msmaron]

Ehh fire works quite well also......heheheheh!

 

[28ACoupe]

Are you refering to the surface rust that sometimes forms when you blast/strip metal? Frankly, I don't worry about it as there is usually a good amount of work that needs to go into the parts before primer/paint and sanding will remove the surface rust easily.

That having been said, if you plan on the parts sitting a while before you work on them, hand-sand them and then apply a coat of primer on them to seal them away from the moisture/air. No need to use a really thick coat as you may need to sand it off later again anyways when you are working with the piece.

 

[28ACoupe]

Ehh fire works quite well also......heheheheh!

Worked for me. Sadly though, the pieces of the shop roof falling on the car kind of messed it up a bit though in the process.

 

[Kurt in NJ]

For flash rust after stripping to bare, or sandblasting I like Picklex20, goes on quick, and makes welding go better, some parts that I glass bead or sandblast have been hanging inside unheated rooms for 5-7 years without rust returning.

wheels and frames are pretty safe for most sandblasters, 70-100 lbs pressure, when i am doing body panels I don't go over 45 lbs at the pot and use the finest grade of sand ----if the company says they will work it in while doing a bridge you don't want them touching it.

Stripping body panels is messy no matter what method is used, sometimes I have used all methods, sometimes on flat surfaces a razor blade works good for some sections, a flapper wheel on a grinder that has been dulled some has worked --it will more burn the paint off than grind it, a fresh wire wheel can clean out some details good,

If you don't plan on taking out the glass it has to be protected ---even hand sanding one quick swipe that grazes the glass can cause scratches ---sandblasting can frost the glass from 5-6 feet