paint removal
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Joined: Jul 2008
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From: bourbonnais illinois
Vince, I have myself been involved in this process for several months now. First off, in my line of work I could have worked a couple extra Saturdays to pay the soda blaster, and in hindsight that is what I would have done. My car had three different paint jobs on it totaling 7 different coats of paint, and I have discovered that I could shave the top four of those seven coats with a well-sharpened putty knife. After that I either had to knuckle under and hand sand or use stripper, which in my case was Kleen-Strip aircraft stripper. As others have said it won't hurt the glass but I have found that it's a LOT weaker than strippers used for metal. In the door jambs for instance (the most difficult parts of the car) I removed the top four or five coats of paint with the stripper, then had to use a combination of putty knives and sandpaper to get down to the red oxide primer that is the factory's first layer of paint. Before I begin applying paint I will have somehow removed all 7 coats of paint one way or another, then I will wet sand the entire car to a 220 finish. I will then apply a heavy coat of epoxy primer, block the car smooth to a 360 or 400 finish and finally apply paint. One HELL of a lot of work...lots of luck!
Thanks for the input
vince
Drifting
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 1,560
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From: Arlington texas
By the time you buy the blaster, get a compressor large enough to handle it well, soda, respirator, some place to blast it as it is going to get everywhere and you probably wouldn't want to do it in the garage, etc. you'd be better off just paying a professional to do it.
I thought about doing it myself at one time. With the mess that it is going to make, I just didn't want to deal with it around my home. Do some reading on them first o make sure that it is something you want to tackle.
I thought about doing it myself at one time. With the mess that it is going to make, I just didn't want to deal with it around my home. Do some reading on them first o make sure that it is something you want to tackle.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 2,071
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From: S Nevada
Theres a local guy who soda blasts all types of cars. He's got a good reputation and has done many corvettes. He quoted me a price of $500 to do a complete strip. I'm really leaning towards hiring him. He has the professional equipment, the experience and from what I understand the results are spectacular. The baking soda beads break up on contact leaving a mess, but regardless, any auto painting project leaves a huge clean up. Besides, my body is off the chasis and I'm redoing the entire interior after the paint.
Last edited by Sunstroked; Jan 6, 2012 at 10:42 PM.
Pro
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 745
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From: Hutto Texas
What kind of effect does soda blasting have on urethane/rubber bumpers? I can see how the fiberglass would hold up since it is very dense but I am afraid the urethane may get pitted or damaged. I received a Makita orbital DA sander for Christmas with plans of sanding my '81 down myself but now have to reading this thread it sounds like soda blasting may be the way to go as long as it does not damage the other body parts.
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Joined: Jul 2008
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From: bourbonnais illinois
What kind of effect does soda blasting have on urethane/rubber bumpers? I can see how the fiberglass would hold up since it is very dense but I am afraid the urethane may get pitted or damaged. I received a Makita orbital DA sander for Christmas with plans of sanding my '81 down myself but now have to reading this thread it sounds like soda blasting may be the way to go as long as it does not damage the other body parts.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 1,093
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From: long beach California
thanks rogman i cant wait to drive the car again needs diff and rear suspension put back together first but i will be stripping it down and repainting in april this helps good thread
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2003
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From: Mascoutah IL
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Drifting
Joined: Oct 2007
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From: Collinsville MS
St. Jude Donor '08
I would go with what Alan said and find who is going to paint it first and see what they say. If you car has never been repainted there shouldnt be enough of a buildup to warrant stripping it unless there are some underlying problems. Let the pro look at it and advise you. He is the one that has to warranty his paint. Most of the time a good block sanding and sealing it with an epoxy will give you a lasting paint job without the cost of stripping it.
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Joined: Jul 2008
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From: bourbonnais illinois
[QUOTE=rogman16;1579672572]Klean Strip makes a product for plastic... I haven't used it, but it's what I would try if I needed to strip my bumper...
Rogman
[IMG]http://i1219.photobucket.com/albums/dd422/rogman16/EUP367.jpg[/I
Thanks Rogman, I've never seen that product before. Has anyone used this before.
Thanks Vince
Rogman
[IMG]http://i1219.photobucket.com/albums/dd422/rogman16/EUP367.jpg[/I
Thanks Rogman, I've never seen that product before. Has anyone used this before.
Thanks Vince
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 81
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From: bourbonnais illinois
I would go with what Alan said and find who is going to paint it first and see what they say. If you car has never been repainted there shouldnt be enough of a buildup to warrant stripping it unless there are some underlying problems. Let the pro look at it and advise you. He is the one that has to warranty his paint. Most of the time a good block sanding and sealing it with an epoxy will give you a lasting paint job without the cost of stripping it.
Thanks
Vince
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 3,729
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From: Austin Texas
Corvette of the Year Winner 2017
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you need to talk with who is going to paint your car.
many will want it prepped a cetain way, or they will not warranty paint work.
I personally recommend the Razor blade method, it sounds crazy but works great.
you can work and hour or and stop no mess no fuss. you will have less body prep.
with stripper it removes all filler produsts too = lots of block sanding.
and no chance of panit issues from stripper afterwards,
lots of painters would prefer no chemical stripped body, most will not warrantty.
many will want it prepped a cetain way, or they will not warranty paint work.
I personally recommend the Razor blade method, it sounds crazy but works great.
you can work and hour or and stop no mess no fuss. you will have less body prep.
with stripper it removes all filler produsts too = lots of block sanding.
and no chance of panit issues from stripper afterwards,
lots of painters would prefer no chemical stripped body, most will not warrantty.
Pro
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 667
Likes: 87
From: Bismarck IL.
My son just bought a soda blasting setup.It is a big commercial unit.He might be interested in doing your Vette.We live about 125 miles fromyou.I will ask him if he would be interested. PM me your phone# maybe we could work something out.Soda blasting is by far the best way to strip a Vette.Charlie
