Alright, I need to strip the paint off my 76 vette. I've heard that if you use chemical stripper you will have a hard time getting the paint to stick after all the body work is done...is this true? What method do you guys recommend for stripping the paint off of the body, mechanical stripping or chemical stripping? What has worked for you guys and what hasn't?

 

I just finished stripping my 77 and I used some of all methods. The razor blade got the most of it, buy a 100 pack from NAPA and you will be all set. Mine was not sanded very well on the prior paint job so most of it just rolled off. What wouldn't scrape I started with 80 (on the flat spots, on the D/A (stay away from edges). When I saw the original paint, I swapped to 180. Some areas that were hard to get, I used a stipper called "peelit", made to take off just a base coat or primer (kind of weak). It will make the paint blister, so you can get at it with the razor blade wash it off good, then(carefully) attack it with the sander. The sharp curves, around the back glass and the vents on the side are left for the hand method. I just got mine in primer today (hi build). Tommorrow its time for the block and lots of sandpaper. This worked for me, but I can't stress enough if you aren't experienced with the D/A, stay away from the 80, use 180 and especially watch the sharp edges. Hope this helps, its not all that bad, just drink a couple of beers, drive the car up on the metal ramps, get a 5 gallon bucket to sit on, and its really a good way to unwind after a day at the office! As for the stipper, I could never get a strait answer, so I used the weak stuff and didn't let it get down to fiberglass..

 

Stripper won't hurt anything if you wash it off with soap and water afterward.

 

use a proper stripper designed to be used with fiberglass and it's perfectly safe as long as you follow the directions and wash the panels afterwards.
I've had both of my vettes painted and both cars were stripped down the bare fiberglass using chemical strippers with no problems or issues afterwards associated from the chemical strippers.

Everyone has their own opinions or preferences in stripping methods but personally, chemcal stripping is the only method I will ever use. it's the least risky as far as damage to the body is concerned.
razor blades can nick and gouge the body requiring repairs before painting, sanding can be overdone rounding off the sharp feature lines of the body, and media blasting can easily destroy the body completely if not done with the right media or by a technican not used to working with a Corvette body.
I'm not saying the other methods can't be used and each of them have been done successfully by people on here, but they inherently carry a greater risk to the body requiring repairs afterwards than chemical strippers do.
On the other hand, chemical stripping is very, very messy and not fun but in *my* opinion it's the safest method and the only one I'll ever use on my Corvettes.

BTW, my painter specializes in older Corvettes (C1, C2, C3 cars only) and has been doing it for over 30 years and he only strips by chemical strippers and has never had problems. One of the key steps he uses besides thoroughly washing each panel after stripping it, is that he lets the car sit for a minimum of two weeks without touching it before proceeding onto the next step of any body repairs, or priming, or anything. This sitting period allows any possible remaining chemical stripper than may still have remained after washing to "vent" out of the fiberglass.

 

I've stripped my car chemically twice with no problems whatsoever. Here's a link to my site that explains the process.

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

 

I used chemical stripper (Captain Lee's) on mine.

 

Alright, I've decided that I'm going to use the chemical stripper to remove the paint from my vette. What products do you guys recommend?

 

Looks like we are asking the same questions, I just used Capt. Lee's, and it worked great! There was 4 layers of paint and it ate right through it. Good Luck WB

 

Use Capt'n Lee's. Look at my prior post.

 

Razors sound dangerous but it is really fast and clean. Unless you have a way of continually rinsing your car I would use blades. My paint was really bad and cracked and it came off really easy. The paint is hard and the primer underneath is soft so you just get underneath it and use even pressure and the paint comes right off. Then you go back and sand the primer down and your in business!!
I will be finishing my paint over the winter. Let's keep the paint prep strings coming!!!
-Charlie

 

This comes up at least once a month now. Probably ought to have it's own special forum. Many use razor, and as Big G recently showed it can be fast. I prefer chemical stripper and don't use anything special - Lowes, Home Depot, whatever they have. Do relatively small areas - 2' x 2'. I use tongue depressors, or paint sticks with a little edge cut as my scraper. The wood scraper wont dig into the glass. Wash with water and wipe off with laquer thinner. Really tough spots, I put on more stripper, and use a little steel wool. Rinse and wipe with thinner again. Done properly both methods work fine. I wouldn't do media blasting. I read a horror story in Paragon's catalog once about a C2 restoration that began with media blasting. They spent several months after the media blasting repairing the fiberglass damage. Good luck.

 

I talked to a guy at a local shop this afternoon about various methods of stripping. He does not like media stripping and says he has personally seen the same horror story. He says if a customer insists on another method besides chemical stripping, he will use soda blasting done by someone very familiar with fiberglass. He uses aircraft stripper but after talking to quite a few folks around the country, I find Capt Lee to be the stripper of choice. The other thing I have found is that most of the shops with a good reputation are staying with chemical stripper.

 

I used "Bix" industrial stripper in a 1Gal. can from Home Depot for about$18. Works Great (Also used razor blades and sanding)

 

Where can I buy Captain Lee's in Canada? I can't seem to find it at any stores...are there any other chemical strippers available which are specifically designed for fiberglass?

 

https://www.corvetteforum.com/techti...=111&TopicID=3
I have linked to this many times in the past and I still feel it is the best way to prep and paint a Vette.

 

it took me about 82 razor blades to get her done. i also used por stripper for some tough spots and a DA sander. i couldnt imagine doing a whole car with chemical. it takes prep and can be a bit messy. with the razor blades, i could go out and scrape paint any time i wanted to and not have to worry about prep or clean up. if i had a spare couple of minutes i could go scrape some paint.

yeah, i got some knicks and scratches. just a little filler... for me it was a matter of convenience.

 

will razor blades work if the paint seems to be bonded quite well...or do you have to have crumbling paint to use this technique successfully?

 

I used razor blades & it went VERY fast, clean and cheap!!!!
when your done you can sweep up all the flecks of paint & save them in a brown bag....
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You'll still have the origional paint!!!

 

Don’t you think your avatar is inappropriate for a corvette site especially in this day and time.