Raider74

So i need to redo my paint. I have heard huge NO NO on the chemical paint strippers as they eat through the gel coating, although i stripped a 70 baja bug with nice results with them! I have also heard Huge NO NO on rotary sanding or hand sanding as these leave the surface uneven. Has anyone sand blasted their car with good results for paint stripping? what about media blasting?

tobyte1

Not true! The RIGHT chemical stripper will not harm the fiberglass. I used Cap'n Lee's Fiberglass stripper. It was really messy but did a great job. DO NOT sand blast! That will kill the glass and leave way too much texture and 'fur'. I know people that have had their cars soda-blasted with good results.
Here is my car that was chemical stripped....no adhesion problems at all
After stripping body( but before stripping the hood):


After paint:


More pics: http://s127.photobucket.com/albums/p...20Restoration/

Raider74

Wow that came out really good! I didn't know that there was a product specifically for stripping on glass, i only ever came across general paint strippers. I will definitely look in to this more and come up with a plan for my car. Thanks!

jordan89

I will be sanding my vette by hand, make sure you use a block and sand it in the correct pattern. You just have to sand it right, primer it, and block it again to leave everything really smooth. My friend own a shop and he has done a couple of vettes, I helped him out with some and they came out looking really nice.

vettehardt

I was going to ask about the stuff mid america sells, but i looked at it and it is the stuff refered to by tobyte1. Captain Lee's Auto Spray Strip paint remover. I have thought about using it on my doors for my 73. The number decals keep peeling off paint every time I take them off. Good to know it works like advertised.

Spray Strip
$35 a gallon
$130 for 4 gallons

oldsarge

Captain Lee's, none better, just use lots of water to neutralise the paint, as it is coming off. Use a little scotchbrite and Lee's to do final clean up.

wrw2497

You got good advice from tobyte that is correct...

Glassbowtie77

Many on here have had excellent results with it when used properly. I however stripped mine with a razorblade and then sanded by hand.

eagle275

I was told that soda blasting would leave soda in glass, so mmine got stripped with Captain Lee's by a pro.

enkeivette

I used chemical stripper, I didn't see any gel coat on the SMC. The last layer was white, which could have been a gel coat I guess. But I took all of it off with the DA anyways.

enkeivette

tobyte, post more pics of your air dam. It looks cool, never seen one like it. Where did you buy if from?

TPIShark

Captain Lee's all the way. I've done two 'Vettes with it, about to do my third. The first one was over 20 yrs. ago, with the same great results. As stated earlier, use water right away to neutralize, and you'll be in good shape. Works faster/better when it's not too cold out. (Use outside for ventilation.) Target one panel at a time, working in small sections. Rough the paint up first with a scotch brite to help the stripper get into the paint. Have plenty of cardboard and plastic putty knives or bondo spreaders on hand, to scrape the paint off. (Wear protective gloves!) Then follow up with the scotch brite for final cleanup, as decribed earlier. The main thing is, don't leave the stripper sitting on the bare fiberglass, and you'll be absolutley fine. Good luck !

P.S. Also get a radio, a case of beer, and a friend to help. Helps the time go by.

Tobyte, nice hood. I love seeing modifications to the bolt-on aftermarket stuff, to make it your own. Great car!

Raider74

Did you take your hood off when you stripped around the fenders there? It doesnt look like the edge of the hood was subjected to any "goop." If so, did you mask off around the edge of the hood to protect the engine compartment? If so I'd like to ask how you did that because i would be very afraid of any stripper entering te compartment with my freshly pained frame and engine!!! Im gonna post pics to document the progress

I also noticed you took your headlight assemblies out and have the car on jack stands. If i may, what other preporatory methods did you use, eg. what trim did you remove and such?

Easy Mike

There was no gelcoat on original factory panels. They were bare fiberglass.

tobyte1

My car was basically totally disassembled before I stripped it. I did mask off the engine compartment with heavy masking paper to keep the stripper out of there. I stripped the hood off the car as well as the t-tops. I did not have to worry about emblems, trim, etc. because they were already off the car. My car had been painted and cleared at least three times, so there was A LOT of material to remove. The finish was so thick that it took multiple applications to get down to bare glass. After stripping, I removed all the old fillers and bodywork and started from scratch. I did all the sanding by hand with long blocks. I knew the car was going to be black so it had to be straight! I know a lot of people use the razor blade method, but going back and filling all those nicks and gouges just seemed like extra work. In my opinion, if you want to get down to bare glass, Cap'n Lee's is the way to go. If you need any tips or advice, don't hesitate to PM or e-mail me : tobyte1@att.net Good Luck!

enkeivette

SMC past 72... I think. I know my 78 was all SMC.