paint stripper or sanding???
Advanced
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 59
Likes: 0
I can tell you from recent experience, you will make dig marks in it by stripping. Lots of guys say a razor blade will do it best, but I can guarantee dig marks using any steel tools whatsoever, including razor blades. You will either need to gelcoat or epoxy prime the finished bare fibergass to make sure the fibers do not stick up and show in your paint. I epoxied mine.
I stripped mine and used Corvette Panel Adhesive/filler from Evercoat to fill in the dig marks. I would imagine a car with one or two paint jobs on it might be easier and less damaging, but when one has as many paint jobs as mine had on it, it assured me of repair work when stripping. Not bad repairs, but repairs nonetheless.
If you're planning a color change you really must strip all of the old color off of it to do it right.
I stripped mine and used Corvette Panel Adhesive/filler from Evercoat to fill in the dig marks. I would imagine a car with one or two paint jobs on it might be easier and less damaging, but when one has as many paint jobs as mine had on it, it assured me of repair work when stripping. Not bad repairs, but repairs nonetheless.
If you're planning a color change you really must strip all of the old color off of it to do it right.
Race Director
Joined: Sep 1999
Posts: 11,361
Likes: 383
From: Plano TX
There is no consensus. Everyone has their favorite method. On my '71 we used chemical stripper and it came out great. If you sand you have to be extremely careful not to ruin the lines/edges.
Race Director
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 10,977
Likes: 19
From: Canboro Ontario
I have also razored a couple of vettes with much success, both methods are good, but razors do take a bit of talent. As long as you follow the directions for Capt Lees, you will have no problems. Just have lots of water around to nuetralize the gel.
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Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 2,709
Likes: 3
From: Savannah GA
Blades are cheap, easy to work with and make no toxic goo which you need to deal with. Do not try sanding unless you're a bodyman by trade... it's easy to oversand and make a bad bad mess. You will gouge the surface in places, but you will also be applying several coats (up to 5 in my case) of primer, and after the first coat you can fill the worst nicks with filler if they're bad. I used straight 2 part epoxy, a sandable urethane might build faster and sand a whole lot easier. Another advantage to blading it off is you can work on it 15 minutes at a time if that's all you can do on any day and simply walk away after... a huge plus for me since I come home from work for lunch... and I stripped my car during the work week.
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 1,714
Likes: 42
From: Austin Texas
For me, I used all three methods. For the large areas I used razors. For the tight concave curves and detail areas I used stripper. And everything gets sanded eventually.
No matter what method you choose, you are going to have to sand eventually. The image below details very important prep work. I recommend getting some help.
I blocked the whole care three times and still cringe years later when I hear woman with an emery board.
No matter what method you choose, you are going to have to sand eventually. The image below details very important prep work. I recommend getting some help.
I blocked the whole care three times and still cringe years later when I hear woman with an emery board.
Last edited by johnt365; Sep 6, 2011 at 09:56 PM.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 3,264
Likes: 3
From: Vero Beach FL
You are so right on 
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,562
Likes: 2
From: Spring Texas
I have always used stripper, but there are quite a few on the forum, past and present that use the razor method quite effectively. I stay away from sanding as a means of paint removal on fiberglass, and use media blasting (sand, glass, soda, walnut shells) for hard parts only (steel and aluminum).
One thing about stripper, it does not remove fiberglass. Sandpaper, media, blasting and razors are all capable of damaging the glass.
One thing about stripper, it does not remove fiberglass. Sandpaper, media, blasting and razors are all capable of damaging the glass.
