JB

Lordy, Marck, no wonder your hands hurt. I wonder if you can't get larger blades? I've see these blades about 3" wide that the guys who do vehicle inspections use attached to a handle--I wonder if those would be obtainable, and if so if they'd be easier to use. Might lose too much control with them though, I guess.

Anybody got any idea whether heating the paint with a hair dryer might make it come up easier?

JB

69Myway

I used a 1.5" putty knife and a Wagner heat gun. The heat gun was great. The old paint got soft and peeled back with minimal pressure on the fiberglass. Did not even need a sharp edge on the putty knife.

For some reason, (maybe the heat I was using), but it would only soften all the aftermarket paint, and stopped at the factory sealer/primer. (which is the whole idea)

Why do some people just put layer after layer of paint on these cars?

I used a razor in a few places as well. Cut my sanding to nothing and no harsh chemicals or smells (other than crispy paint chips).

I do have a permanent scar on my right wrist where the tip of the heat gun got caught in my glove. At least a razor cut would have healed by now!

daniel77350

1) for the razerblade, did you hold it purpendicular(sp?) to the figerglass and just use a scraping motion, or did you hold it at a steep angle and cut the paint off the fiberglass, if so, about what angel was it?

2) for the heat gun, would the heat gun hurt the fiberglass if left in one spot to long? I imagine it would, but how long did it take you to heat up one spot before it came off? I may try the razorblade/heatgun-putty knife idea soon(like next week)...if I can strip the car in less then a week, I will be very happy. I have already planned out 2 months of chemically stripping the car, so if I can cut that by 7/8's I will be very happy, that would mean I could get back on the road sooner!!!

Thanks
Daniel

Rich72

This place is just a wealth of information :chevy

Sharky80

I'm really interested in your boddy craddle too. Thinking of doing frame-off someday :seeya

69Myway

Daniel,

I kept the heat gun moving all the time. When it quit lifting the paint, I quit heating. It is kind of nasty, but not as nasty as the chemical method.

There is what I think another big plus. By heating the surface you are drying out and cooking any uncured old material. That means less surprises or bubbles later when you are putting on the top coat. There is a minimal danger with the chemical method of microscopic non activated material.

Will it go faster? Hard to say. Is it cleaner-yes. It is also less expensive as you can get a decent heat gun for $30 (Walmart) up to $75. That pays for the chemical and you get to keep the gun to reuse on other projects.

It took me a while to get into a rythm that worked best. You asked about different angles and methods, I think based on you being right or left handed and the amount of pressure you apply will determine how you razor and putty knife off.

BTW, a combo of the razor blade and heat gun works like greased lightning. However, it is a little more risky and you have to wrap the razor handle in something and always were gloves. I switched back to the putty knife in areas that I feared gouging.

Good luck

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