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Old Jul 28, 2006 | 03:38 PM
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Default paint removal

I just bought a 78 pace car that someone has painted candy apple red. The last owner had started sanding the car so it could be repainted black and silver. I don' want to risk machine sanding through the gel coat. What is a good chemical stripper that won't hurt the car? Thanks for any help on this.
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Old Jul 28, 2006 | 05:04 PM
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I always use aircraft stripper that Autozone sells.
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Old Jul 28, 2006 | 05:26 PM
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I better not go to Autozone. I'm the store manager of one of the biggest independantly owned Napa's in the country.
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Old Jul 28, 2006 | 08:27 PM
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use a stripper designed for fiberglass. Captian Lee's is probably the best on the market.

Corvettes do not have Gel coat on the body - unless a bodyshop put it on during a prior repair or paint job but they never came from the factory with GelCoat.
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Old Jul 28, 2006 | 09:53 PM
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Just finished mine with strip eeze I think. It was for fiberglass and worked great! 1 gal $30
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Old Jul 29, 2006 | 12:12 PM
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Thanks for the help guys.
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Old Jul 29, 2006 | 01:03 PM
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Bix paint stripper available at Home Depot in the black and white can worked great for me.
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Old Jul 29, 2006 | 02:57 PM
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A box of Stanley single edged razor blades.
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Old Jul 29, 2006 | 03:36 PM
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I used Klean Strip GAF364. It wouldnt take paint off of glass. (not fiberglass, just plain glass) It SUCKED. I agree with S.V. 77. A box of single edged razor blades is the answer. A lot of scraping. a little sanding, and a LOT, LOT less clean-up.
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Old Jul 29, 2006 | 05:08 PM
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I second the Bix, it works great for fiberglass. I used it on a fiberglass go-cart body and it came out great.
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Old Jul 29, 2006 | 07:27 PM
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If you are having trouble with paint stripper not working, try this. Put the stripper on in a semi-heavy coat, then cover with a sheet of plastic. This traps the vapors in. This is very useful especially with the new low odor paint strippers.
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Old Jul 29, 2006 | 08:10 PM
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I Third The Bix...........used Captin Lee's At First, And Ran Out So I Went To Home Depot And Got A Gallon Of Bix . Bix Is Just As Good And Half The Price, Takes A Few More Minutes To Really Get In There And Lift The Paint But A 6 Pack Will Occupy Those Few Minutes In Between Coats.
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Old Jul 30, 2006 | 12:39 AM
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I used razor blades to do my '76, most of the paint came cleanly off, and left a smooth finish that only requires minor prep work to get it ready for repainting. The car did have 3 seperate layers of paint on it though.
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Old Jul 30, 2006 | 01:07 AM
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I used acetone to strip the paint off my 1977; it took off two coats of paint but didn’t take off the primer. It looked like a fresh primer job when I was done and was cheap. Took about ten gallons. The method I developed was to soak a paper towel in the acetone and lay it flat on the paint for a few seconds and then wipe it off, comes off like butter.

Good luck and have fun

Oh yah! Do it in a well ventilated area or else you’ll see pretty colors.
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Old Jul 30, 2006 | 01:13 AM
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Originally Posted by Glutton4punishment
I used razor blades to do my '76, most of the paint came cleanly off, and left a smooth finish that only requires minor prep work to get it ready for repainting. The car did have 3 seperate layers of paint on it though.
Out of morbid curiosity, how long does it one take to remove the paint off a C3 with a razor blade?

I do think this approach of removing the paint without using chemicals is the best for the long term stability of the new paint job... however, your screen name gives me pause.
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Old Jul 30, 2006 | 01:57 AM
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BIX, black and white can, Home Depot....did mine and a 66...
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Old Jul 30, 2006 | 02:06 AM
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Originally Posted by PhotoVette1
Out of morbid curiosity, how long does it one take to remove the paint off a C3 with a razor blade?

I do think this approach of removing the paint without using chemicals is the best for the long term stability of the new paint job... however, your screen name gives me pause.
obsolutely nothing wrong with the stabilty of a paint job using chemical strippers if it's done correctly.

the razor blade method can be used, just be VERY, VERY careful as it REAL easy to nick the body as you do it and each nick requires a repair before painting.......
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Old Jul 30, 2006 | 09:28 AM
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Take a look here.

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/vettfixr/page9.htm
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