Stripping paint????
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 412
Likes: 0
From: Monroe North Carolina
Stripping paint????
What is the best way to strip the paint all the way down? I would like to do this myself and then take it to get painted. Also does anyone know a good Corvette painter in North Carolina area? Thanks
Team Owner
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 30,183
Likes: 313
From: Lake Norman NC
Re: Stripping paint???? (Corvettelvr73)
use a DA with 80grit and or chemical strip it. however, if i were to do it over, i'd have it media blasted..its only way to go and not having to worry about wiping out any of the lines.
Intermediate
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 38
Likes: 0
From: Chesapeake Beach MD
Re: Stripping paint???? (Redshark6974)
I totally agree with Redshark6974. Plastic media blasting or plastic particle blasting is the most highly recommended process to remove paint on fibergalss. Another advantage is it does'nt harm your chrome, glass, or rubber. If it's not available in your area then the next best choice is to use a 6" D.A. sander with 80-100 grit non-clogging paper. [IMG][/IMG] :cheers:
GOOD LUCK!
GOOD LUCK!
Race Director
Joined: Feb 1999
Posts: 16,978
Likes: 7
From: In Dreams There Is Truth Ohio
Re: Stripping paint???? (Corvettelvr73)
Search the archives on paint stripping, lot of threads on this..pros and cons on various methods.
If you ask 10 people, you will get 10 different answeres, and all 10 will be correct.
If you ask 10 people, you will get 10 different answeres, and all 10 will be correct.
Racer
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 294
Likes: 0
From: cincinnati oh
Re: Stripping paint???? (Corvettelvr73)
Media blasting is the way to go. Either do plastic or soda blasting. Both will not ahve any affect on the paint that will be applied later because they wash off and are neutralized with water. The average I have seen to blast an entire car is around $600. Stay away from chemical strippers, they are a last resort in my opinion. Others will say they had good luck with them, and I think that it was luck.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 3,053
Likes: 4
St. Jude Donor '03,'11
Re: Stripping paint???? (vetteboy1976kr)
. The average I have seen to blast an entire car is around $600. .
I would gladly pay 600 bucks for this service. Its nothing to paint the thing. 95% of the grueling work is in the stripping.
Race Director
Joined: Feb 1999
Posts: 19,659
Likes: 34
From: Lenoir City Tennessee
Ci 6, 8 & 10 Veteran
St. Jude Donor '05-'06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15
Re: Stripping paint???? (turtlevette)
I used a razor blade and scrapped it off on my car. The other areas around fender lips they removed. You can see how far I got it down in my sig.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 2,635
Likes: 0
From: Union Ontario
Re: Stripping paint???? (Eddie 70)
I razor bladed 3-4 coats off of my car and then DA sanded down through another coat or two to get to the original baby blue paint(yuck!) I'm gonna leave that paint down since it is in great shape!
Be careful choosing a media blaster if the company doesn't have experience with fibreglass they could screw it up.
Be careful choosing a media blaster if the company doesn't have experience with fibreglass they could screw it up.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 888
Likes: 0
From: Angola IN
CI 5-6-7-8-9 Veteran
Cruise-In 7 Car Show Winner
Re: Stripping paint???? (Eddie 70)
I used a razor blade and scrapped it off on my car. The other areas around fender lips they removed. You can see how far I got it down in my sig.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 2,362
Likes: 1
From: San Antonio TX
Re: Stripping paint???? (garandfan)
I think the old way and maybe even the best way other than blasting is the good old Razor blade. Now you do have to take your time when doing this as to not cause cuts into the glass or to mark them if you do so you can fill them when the time comes. I am no body man but from everything I have read and yes I can read lol. Is never ever use paint stripper on Glass as if sits a little too long it can make its way into the glass itself and ruin anything you put on top of it.
Race Director
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 17,198
Likes: 0
From: Boone NC home of 3peat National Champs ASU Mountaineers
St. Jude Contributor
Re: Stripping paint???? (lostpatrolman)
I used the spray and strip it worked out good. Then I used a DA and sanded off the rest.
Instructor
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 229
Likes: 1
From: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Re: Stripping paint???? (Corvettelvr73)
Razor blade & heat gun, I have stripped the front end and it was fast and easy.
Firs I use the hest gun to soften the paint the peel it with a window scrapper
BTW I have found several uglies repairs that I didn't know were there.
Firs I use the hest gun to soften the paint the peel it with a window scrapper
BTW I have found several uglies repairs that I didn't know were there.
Drifting
Joined: Mar 1999
Posts: 1,381
Likes: 15
From: Lusby MD
Re: Stripping paint???? (Fevre)
Media blasting with run you $600-$700.
I started doing my car with the tried and true razor blade method and got the majority of the top coat off. However, I found quite a bit of feather primer and the razor wasn't too effective. Plus, the closer I got too the glass the more nervous I got, so I resorted to block sanding. Then I got the name of a media blaster and made the call.
There are a few questions to ask anyone you might be using to blast the car. What grit media are they using? What is the hardness of the media? If the media is too coarse and/or hard, you can etch the gelcoat sufficiently that it will need to be redone. Watch out for this. I asked these question before I brought the body over to the shop. Luckily, the shop operator has done corvettes before. He did say that there might be spots where I will want to spot re-gel. He pointed out spots where the existing gel coat was slightly damaged and/or weak. He made the analogy of rotted wood. Anyway he wants to allow those areas to be blasted clean and recommended I get a disposable gel coat gun with paper cups and re-el those areas myself before further body and paint work.
I'll report back how it all works out.
I started doing my car with the tried and true razor blade method and got the majority of the top coat off. However, I found quite a bit of feather primer and the razor wasn't too effective. Plus, the closer I got too the glass the more nervous I got, so I resorted to block sanding. Then I got the name of a media blaster and made the call.
There are a few questions to ask anyone you might be using to blast the car. What grit media are they using? What is the hardness of the media? If the media is too coarse and/or hard, you can etch the gelcoat sufficiently that it will need to be redone. Watch out for this. I asked these question before I brought the body over to the shop. Luckily, the shop operator has done corvettes before. He did say that there might be spots where I will want to spot re-gel. He pointed out spots where the existing gel coat was slightly damaged and/or weak. He made the analogy of rotted wood. Anyway he wants to allow those areas to be blasted clean and recommended I get a disposable gel coat gun with paper cups and re-el those areas myself before further body and paint work.
I'll report back how it all works out.
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 2,131
Likes: 4
From: May help you? You can sure as hell try!
Re: Stripping paint???? (69L71)
I used Captain Lee's Spray Strip. Two gallons was more than enough for my convertible and extra hood. Very easy to use and the stuff stops cutting the paint as soon as it comes in contact with water. I then wiped any remaining paint off with a rag and/or scotchbrite pad soaked with lacquer thinner. Many of the Corvette parts supply places cary this stuff and it is formulated for fiberglass. Cost to me was about $50 for the stripper and about 8 hours of my time. Easy job.
All the bad things you hear about paint stripper are :bs as long as you use stuff that is FIBERGLASS COMPATIBLE.
All the bad things you hear about paint stripper are :bs as long as you use stuff that is FIBERGLASS COMPATIBLE.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 5,381
Likes: 416
From: N J
Re: Stripping paint???? (LemansBlue68)
I used Captain Lee's Spray Strip. Two gallons was more than enough for my convertible and extra hood. Very easy to use and the stuff stops cutting the paint as soon as it comes in contact with water. I then wiped any remaining paint off with a rag and/or scotchbrite pad soaked with lacquer thinner. Many of the Corvette parts supply places cary this stuff and it is formulated for fiberglass. Cost to me was about $50 for the stripper and about 8 hours of my time. Easy job.
All the bad things you hear about paint stripper are :bs as long as you use stuff that is FIBERGLASS COMPATIBLE.
All the bad things you hear about paint stripper are :bs as long as you use stuff that is FIBERGLASS COMPATIBLE.
[Modified by John65,80, 7:15 PM 4/14/2004]
