Captainkvan

Hello, it been a while since I have been on this site. I have all the mechanical things done on this project 69 and I'm sanding her down for paint. It had another coat of paint applied before I purchased it at some point which was a sloppy job. You can see it still on the hood and t tops. It sanded off pretty easily. I'm down to the original Daytona yellow and seems very difficult to sand. You can see on the passenger door where I'm getting down to the glass. My question is can I use a scotch Brite pad and lacquer thinner to remove the original paint without hurting the fiberglass or is it to harsh. I put a little lacquer thinner on a clean rag and it took off the paint farily quick in a small spot. As always all input and advice is appreciated..

The Captain

zwede

Yes, lacquer thinner is fine and won't hurt the fiberglass. We stripped off all the factory primer with lacquer thinner and scotchbrite.

DUB

I also use rough steel wool and it will not harm the fiberglass and can actually work a but better than a red Scotch-brite pad.

Not that you asked...but if this car where in my shop I would apply a chemical stripper to it...then scrub it with the lacquer thinner and final wipe with acetone. mainly because it is faster and I can not spend time sanding off paint when I can let the chemical do it.

Some people fear that the stripper will damage the fiberglas but in over 30 years I have yet to ever have one get damaged...and some people do not want to deal with smell IF they are not in a well ventilated area...and the associated mess that does come with using a chemical stripper.....but in my opinion...it is not that messy if you take appropriate steps while doing it.

DUB

Captainkvan

Thanks that's good to know. This is the first time that I have done any sanding on a vehicle.
I think I'm going to keep cautiously sanding for now before it gets to hot here in Phoenix.
Again thanks for the replys. I will upload pics as I progress
The Captain

DUB

Do what makes you feel comfortable. but just be careful....which it seems you are doing. Using power/air tools can do more damage in a few seconds that you might not realize.

The MOST important tool you have is your sense of 'feel'. Or the ability to be able to feel a panel and be able to 'read' it....so you know what is wrong with it.

DUB

Captainkvan

Duly noted DUB. I have been careful using my da sander. I made a rubber cushion to go in-between the sanding disc and da sander pad to give it some flex and be more forgiving. I am trying to make a pass with the sander to thin the paint and then block it by hand. Although I have made a few small dings with the sander from the learning curve. No fibers protruding. Whew a lot of work.

The Cap

porchdog

if you use some heat that old paint will come off in strips instead of chips. lacquer is easily softened with heat. goes very fast that way and much less mess. not to mention a chip in the eye

Captainkvan

I will give it try. I have a heat gun. Should I use a razor blade to peel it off? The old.paint seems to be very dry.

porchdog

use a blade holder. it does not take a lot of heat but paint will soften back to a rubber like coating when heated. it will peel off in strips . much easier to clean up and faster .

Captainkvan

I will give it a try and report back

Thanks the Captain

porchdog

note , the red oxide primer will not come off even with heat. i wet sand with 180 to prep the body and get rid of the lac primer ..

DUB

I know we have our own ways of doing stuff...but I never heard of wet sanding off the red oxide primer. Interesting concept. Using lacquer thinner and steel wool/red scotch-brite pad...YES..I have dealt with that...but not using water.

I make every attempt not getting the bare fiberglass wet with water. I know the body can get wet...but I prefer to not have to deal with that issue of giving it time to dry out.....but like I wrote.....we have our own ways of doing stuff.

DUB

porchdog

my pace is slow and here in texas the body will be dry pretty quick . i have heated the booth to dry them out in cooler weather. most of what i do is old vettes and usually have some degraded resin on the surface. before i set up my blasting system i used 180 wet to clean them up and begin the blocking. i wash with dawn soap last .
virgin lacquer thinner is expensive for cleaning but the 5 gal auto store type can be mostly recycled solvents often with acids in it.

DUB

I knew you lived in Texas where it can be hotter than all get out. I get that. Obviously this method works for you with positive results...which actually is all that matters. I prefer if at all possible...not have to spend money on having to heat up a Corvette to dry it out. With my luck...I would have to heat one up to dry it out because in my area of the country depending on the time of year...... trying to use the sun and having it outside to dry it... with the super quick rain storms that roll though during the summer...that is all I would need is to have one outside drying and it gets rained on and I am starting out all over again. Seems like having to heat it up in my paint booth would be more than the costs of the lacquer thinner....but who knows. Something for me to think about.

I have done it the way I have done it for so long I do not even blink an eye at the costs of 5 gallons of virgin lacquer thinner. I have so many special solvents around the shop for various uses...for me..it is a part of being a business that needs these solvents on hand.

DUB

Captainkvan

[QUOTE=DUB;1594023052]I knew you lived in Texas where it can be hotter than all get out. I get that. Obviously this method works for you with positive results...which actually is all that matters. I prefer if at all possible...not have to spend money on having to heat up a Corvette to dry it out. With my luck...I would have to heat one up to dry it out because in my area of the country depending on the time of year...... trying to use the sun and having it outside to dry it... with the super quick rain storms that roll though during the summer...that is all I would need is to have one outside drying and it gets rained on and I am starting out all over again. Seems like having to heat it up in my paint booth would be more than the costs of the lacquer thinner....but who knows. Something for me to think about.

I have done it the way I have done it for so long I do not even blink an eye at the costs of 5 gallons of virgin lacquer thinner. I have so many special solvents around the shop for various uses...for me..it is a part of being a business that needs these solvents on hand.

Thanks to all the great information so far on this post. I broke out my old heat gun and tried a small patch and it seems to be peeling off. I went to the home depot and purchased the wagnor adjustable heat gun. It is lighter and will give me heat control.
I will get a fresh start tomorrow and try to make some progress

DUB

Like I used to tell the guys I trained..."As long as you make progress and do not have to go back and do something again due to not doing it right the first time...then the time you spent was well worth it".

DUB

Captainkvan

It's painstakingly slow but progress is being made. I'm considering using stripper in the door jams when I get to that point. I uploaded some pics:

The Captain

Captainkvan

The right front fender is a bear. A few more pics. There are some rough spots right above the bonding strip. Hope I'm not screwing it up.

DUB

Looks good EXCEPT that red shop towel on the car. Be careful with those towels....especially when your fiberglass is BARE. That red towel can REALLY MESS YOU UP!!!!!

DUB

Captainkvan

Thanks Dub. What are the bluish color rings. Also I'm not sure what you mean about the red rag. I'm just using it to keep sanding dust out of the wiper compartment. I use the blue shop towels that come in a role to wipe it down with lacquer thinner.