I picked up an aftermarket C3 high rise hood at Carlisle on Saturday. Today I started to strip the paint off. On one half I used the famous Capt Lee's and theother I used the old razor blade and heat gun.
The capt Lee's took much longer and ate into the fiberglass. I didn't realize it at first but then I started to see pin holes in some places and then strands of glass! This is new product so age isn't a factor. this stuff will also burn your skin as I had a few paint drops get on my forearm and before I knew it it was burning.
The razor method was cleaner and faster. I removed just the paint not the grey primer underneath. With the Lee's it took off the paint,primer, a blue coat of primer? and some 'glass. I washed the hood down with a hose to neutralize the stripper but I don't think I'll be using that again. Now I have to get some 'glass filler to repair the damamge and hope it doesn't bleed through the new paint when I get it painted.
Just wanted to share in case anyone else is going through this process.
I stripped my whole 69 down with the blades BTW.
Gary

 

Looks like great minds think the same way. Just finished stripping my 69 also, but the paint was too hard for razor blades. My old hunting knife worked great however. I had to run to the basement often to sharpen it on my grinder. Only cut my fingers a few times.

 

Hey Ralph,
Well I didn't try a knife....yet! No, I'll be flat boarding it tomorrow to see if I can get it uniform. I followed the directions on the stripper and even have the old video but I didn;t have the same results.
Gary

 

I stripped my car using the razor blade method and was well pleased with the way it came out. I just didn't want to contend with the smell and clean up of the chemicals. Using a razor blade all I had to do was sweep up the big pieces and vacuum up the rest.

 

To follow up on the Capt Lee's. After doing some checking I found it's not recommended for aftermarker fiberglass, just because of this problem. It is supposed to be ok for factory fiberglass though.
MPO; I'll stay with sanding or razor blades. I called the company selling the product and they said as long as I washed it down with water it should have neutralized the stripper and can be repaired and painted. Only time will tell.
Gary

 

what about getting a 10 gallon sandblasting set up and a couple 50 pound tubs of plastic media or walnut shells? i know it would cost about 300 bones, but you would be done in a day.....i did the chemical strip to my 81 and it was messy and seemed to take forever.

 

Gary,
Make sure you use a epoxy sealer before you prime.

 

 

I did the same.... razor blades took the paint off FAST!!!!!
And!!! If you bag-up all the paint chips........ You'll still have the origional paint job

 

doing it with razors still had to be a PITA. how long did it take to do the wheel lips and the fender gill area?

chris

 

Thanks Bob, glad to see you back on the forum. Hope you're feeling better. Carlisle was very hot & humid this year. As for this hood I just plan on getting it stripped down and ready for sealer/primer. I was disappointed in the performance of the Capt Lee product. I did see where they said to watch it on aftermarket 'glass maybe that should have been mentioned a little better. I never heard of it from the users here.

CMA- I already used trhe blades on my 69 and it worked very well. I wanted to try the capt Lee's to decide on future use. I wouldn't trust it on my cars now. I'm sure there are a few people out there that had very good luck with too,it's just my opinion.

Gary

 

Can someone explain the razor technique for me...is it just by shaving the paint off ? or warming the paint with a blowdrier and cutting or shaving the paint off ? ....first time i have heard of this i though you allways had to use some type of chemical to strip paint

 

Stripping paint with a razor blade is just like removing a decal from a window with a razor blade.
You push the razor into the paint and shave it off.

Someone should invent a razor blade holder expressly for stripping cars. It could be made to prevent gouging and provide a good handle...

 

When I shaved my T-Tops I used a set of needle nose plyers to holt the blade. Worked really well.