How do you get paint off?
Racer
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 265
Likes: 1
Basically, I would **MOST** strongly suggest getting it soda blasted if there is someone in your area that can do it.
BUT, if you are determined to do it yourself for what ever reason...
I would suggest razorblading off the finish paint and then using a chemical stripper.
Follow along on my thread you can see my progress.
Stripping Paint off a Corvette and other sundry tasks....
I will tell you that so far I have about 500+ hours in this project, and anticipate about another 1000 to finish stripping the paint and all the FiberGlas work I need to get done before it goes to the body shop. That doesnt include the time I need to spend on the chassis, installing lines, gastank, engine accessories, exhaust system etc etc that need to happen BEFORE the body goes back on.
Little steps, one at a time, yea that's the ticket.
Andrew
BUT, if you are determined to do it yourself for what ever reason...
I would suggest razorblading off the finish paint and then using a chemical stripper.
Follow along on my thread you can see my progress.
Stripping Paint off a Corvette and other sundry tasks....
I will tell you that so far I have about 500+ hours in this project, and anticipate about another 1000 to finish stripping the paint and all the FiberGlas work I need to get done before it goes to the body shop. That doesnt include the time I need to spend on the chassis, installing lines, gastank, engine accessories, exhaust system etc etc that need to happen BEFORE the body goes back on.
Little steps, one at a time, yea that's the ticket.
Andrew
Racer
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 265
Likes: 1
Pro
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 720
Likes: 1
From: Holtwood PA
Per a friend of mine with years in Body work and is a DuPont rep...blast it...it'll cost a couple hundred dollars but it's ready for prime...if you strip it you will have to sand the whole body before priming
Drifting
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 1,950
Likes: 498
From: Chino Hills CA
Basically, I would **MOST** strongly suggest getting it soda blasted if there is someone in your area that can do it.
BUT, if you are determined to do it yourself for what ever reason...
I would suggest razorblading off the finish paint and then using a chemical stripper.
Follow along on my thread you can see my progress.
Stripping Paint off a Corvette and other sundry tasks....
I will tell you that so far I have about 500+ hours in this project, and anticipate about another 1000 to finish stripping the paint and all the FiberGlas work I need to get done before it goes to the body shop. That doesnt include the time I need to spend on the chassis, installing lines, gastank, engine accessories, exhaust system etc etc that need to happen BEFORE the body goes back on.
Little steps, one at a time, yea that's the ticket.
Andrew
BUT, if you are determined to do it yourself for what ever reason...
I would suggest razorblading off the finish paint and then using a chemical stripper.
Follow along on my thread you can see my progress.
Stripping Paint off a Corvette and other sundry tasks....
I will tell you that so far I have about 500+ hours in this project, and anticipate about another 1000 to finish stripping the paint and all the FiberGlas work I need to get done before it goes to the body shop. That doesnt include the time I need to spend on the chassis, installing lines, gastank, engine accessories, exhaust system etc etc that need to happen BEFORE the body goes back on.
Little steps, one at a time, yea that's the ticket.
Andrew
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 1,871
Likes: 6
From: Sault Ste. Marie Ontario
It took me about a month of evenings and spare weekend time to strip the paint off my car. I started with the razor blade route and found it to be too slow. Then I moved to the sanding route and found that worse. Finally, I went the chemical striper route and found it to be successful. I tried several products and settled on Tal-Strip doing one panel at a time cleaning and neutralizing before moving on to the next panel.
Once the paint was removed, we blocked the car bown with 80 grit and started into the body repairs. Over the course of the summer we got all the glass repairs completed and applied two part putty to the low spots. Now in the last few weeks be have reblocked with 120 grit (one panel at a time) and have 3 coats of primer on each panel top and bottom. One door remains that hopefully can be done tonight.
The chemical stripping method is somewhat controversial here on the forum but it worked for me. If you go this route, do your homework on products and be prepared for a mess.
Good Luck
Once the paint was removed, we blocked the car bown with 80 grit and started into the body repairs. Over the course of the summer we got all the glass repairs completed and applied two part putty to the low spots. Now in the last few weeks be have reblocked with 120 grit (one panel at a time) and have 3 coats of primer on each panel top and bottom. One door remains that hopefully can be done tonight.
The chemical stripping method is somewhat controversial here on the forum but it worked for me. If you go this route, do your homework on products and be prepared for a mess.
Good Luck
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 6,247
Likes: 471
From: Glen Allen, VA
It took me about 1.5 months of evenings and weekends to strip mine with stripper. I used Capt'n Lees, available from Zip. I first thought I was going to only sand the car to bare fiberglass but that was taking forever, hence the switch to stripper. I still had to sand the final coat of primer off to get it to bare fiberglass, but it wasn't nearly as bad after using the stripper.
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Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 5,814
Likes: 414
From: Pittsburgh suburbs Pa.
Captain Lee's
Captain Lee's works great . Let it soften the paint then take the heavy sludge off with a plastic body filler spreader, then while it is still soft remove the remaining sludge with a rag dipped in lacquer thinner but be sure and wear rubber gloves that will withstand solvents. This worked great for me and left the fiberglass totally clean.
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,944
Likes: 22
From: Yooperville MI
Burning Brakes
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 915
Likes: 2
From: Lima, OH -- 69 L71 427/435hp
I used Klean-Strip Fiberglass stripper, took me 2 days.
I bought a roll of the thick contractor plastic and spread it out under the vette.
Brushed the stripper on, waited a few minutes, then used a plastic/rubber spreader/squeegee and wiped it off.
I used duct tape to stop the stripper from running places I didn't want.
Took it down to the primer, then re-applied stripper and used a scotch-brite pad, and rubbed the primer off.
A stack of newspapers is good to have on hand to throw down where the globs of paint/stripper fall...or else it get's a bit 'slick'.
Primer off (almost)
After it's stripped, it will need cleaned 'well', soap/water, power washer, let sit in sun or under heat lamps for a few days to allow 'most' of the chemicals/gases in the fiberglass to escape.
I bought a roll of the thick contractor plastic and spread it out under the vette.
Brushed the stripper on, waited a few minutes, then used a plastic/rubber spreader/squeegee and wiped it off.
I used duct tape to stop the stripper from running places I didn't want.
Took it down to the primer, then re-applied stripper and used a scotch-brite pad, and rubbed the primer off.
A stack of newspapers is good to have on hand to throw down where the globs of paint/stripper fall...or else it get's a bit 'slick'.
Primer off (almost)
After it's stripped, it will need cleaned 'well', soap/water, power washer, let sit in sun or under heat lamps for a few days to allow 'most' of the chemicals/gases in the fiberglass to escape.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 1,892
Likes: 3
From: Springfield Illinois
Thanks for all the help guys...
The funny thing is that... I was thing about these options for stripping the paint off of a pair of 69' fiberglass side exhaust covers.
I was looking for a kind of stripper to do that job...
Since that is out of the way and done with, Can anyone tell me more about blasting? This will be for my frame off project that I havent started... yet!
Thanks again.
The funny thing is that... I was thing about these options for stripping the paint off of a pair of 69' fiberglass side exhaust covers.
I was looking for a kind of stripper to do that job...
Since that is out of the way and done with, Can anyone tell me more about blasting? This will be for my frame off project that I havent started... yet!
Thanks again.
Instructor
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 107
Likes: 0
From: Hollywood MD
If I read previous post's correctly, soda blasting is a good way to strip as long as you do not blast down to bare fiberglass (leave the last coat of primer to be manually taken off) because the soda can cause potential future paint problems. Do I understand this correctly? Thanks
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 1999
Posts: 2,675
Likes: 13
From: Sudbury MA
I used Tal Strip on my 68 as it was recommended by a Corvette Body shop that has been in business in my town for last 28 years.
He also had a 69 there that was soda blasted by another shop and it completely destroyed the fiberglass. In fact it was being used as evidence in a court case as the owner of the car was sueing the other shop that blasted it.
The Tal Strip with a plastic scraper to remove the paint worked great and I did one panel at a time, no mess. Brushed it on, let it set up, scraped it off and put all the scrapings into a plastic jar so nothing hit the floor. Did it in one weekend.
Then washed it down with soap and water and let it air out for a few weeks.
Wet sanded it and sent it off to the paint shop. They did final prep and then painted it LeMans blue, came out perfect. Paint is now 2 years old and still looks like it was done yesterday.
He also had a 69 there that was soda blasted by another shop and it completely destroyed the fiberglass. In fact it was being used as evidence in a court case as the owner of the car was sueing the other shop that blasted it.
The Tal Strip with a plastic scraper to remove the paint worked great and I did one panel at a time, no mess. Brushed it on, let it set up, scraped it off and put all the scrapings into a plastic jar so nothing hit the floor. Did it in one weekend.
Then washed it down with soap and water and let it air out for a few weeks.
Wet sanded it and sent it off to the paint shop. They did final prep and then painted it LeMans blue, came out perfect. Paint is now 2 years old and still looks like it was done yesterday.