My paint has deteriorated to the point something needs to be done. Car (1978) still has factory laquer. Reached out to a shop with the below picture and they said a ballpark is 1000 hours to strip, recondition the body, and repaint. I can't imagine their rate is $20 an hour and I'm not putting $75k into a body restoration. I want it to look good from 20 feet but I don't need a concours quality paint job.

So I'm going to need to do the bulk of it myself. What's recommended to strip the existing paint? Chemical stripper? Just sanding?

How likely am I to make it worse? I'm generally pretty handy but I've never done body work and I suck at drywall. However, I can follow directions and I imagine I'll learn as I go.

Once stripped to fiberglass, how long can it sit without worrying about contaminating the surface? Should I put a protective primer coat on as I'm working? As you can see, my garage is a little on the dusty side.

 

1000 hours??? IDK.. I think they wanted to gold-plate the job.

Some random thoughts to toss out there before getting into the details:
#1) Painting a vehicle is definitely within a resourcefull guy's DIY realm ...if he has his head screwed on straight.
#2) it's a LOT of hard work! But ...silver lining - it's good physical activity which is healthy and good for your body!!!
#3) When finished, a wonderful looking paint job on the car you own that YOU did ...or at least did part of, can be one of the most rewarding activities you can do.
#4) There's a ton of good info on youtube. Most guys overthink and spend too much time hand-wringing and trying to make things 'perfect'. Avoid that, and just jump in and get going. You can figure it out as you go.
#5) You don't need to use expensive paint products. There are plenty of low to medium-cost clears which are going to perform well and last a long time on a garage queen that rarely sees the light of day!
#6) Start with the end in mind. If you want a "perfect" no-compromises paint job.. it's going to take more work. There are ways you can save time/labor/work...and we'll talk about those below. You can decide what works bst for you.
#7) There might not be a lot of bodywork to do on your car. You just have to see. Maybe it's been in an accident?? Or maybe it's really straight??
#8) You could consider doing all the prep work and take it to Maaco...and get their best Urethane basecoat/clearcoat job. At least go there and seriously...talk to them, see what other cars their working on. All the shops are different, but if you did the prep and took it to them, they can often lay down a wonderful paint job...and you get the best of both worlds. They have expert painters in a good booth. I would definitely drive the car by there if you can, trailer it there ....or just show them pictures ..for now. See what they say. Some of the prices and work they do... hard to know how they can do it that cheap (they buy paint in big bulk!!). I just bought a quart of basecoat last week which was $90 for the quart. It ain't cheap.
#9) Different guys have different perspectives ..and like anything there are often 3 ways to get to the finish line. The below are my thoughts. Other guys have their way of doing things too. We all learn from each other.

Sooooo.... now that we have those things out of the way..Let's talk about some of the details.

Next post.

 

Continued....

Stripping the car
There are a variety of ways to strip a car. None of them are particularly easier or quicker than others. BUT... with a Corvette being fiberglass there are some things to keep in mind. That is mainly....you want to be VERY careful (IMO) to preserve the crisp molded lines at the tops of the fenders and if possible avoid going too far into (or past) the original GM black primer ..if it still exists on your car. But if you do, it'll be ok. That's just my personal opinion. One other thing is NEVER, EVER, EVER, EVER ....put wax and grease remover on bare fiberglass. It'll suck it into the fibers and you'll have a mess. Not that you would do it, but, now that you know, and you can avoid unnecessary headaches. Save W&GR till just before you paint.

Remove parts: First thing you need to do is remove everything necessary to get a good paint job. Mirrors, outside door handles, Rear window trim (or you could leave it if you're going with the same color...but apply masking tape before you start so you don't nick it up. Outer window belt stripping(the chrome part), remove the nose and tail pieces (eventually). Remove the lower trim and door sill plates. All that stuff comes off pretty easy. I would leave the lights in place. I would also rebuild the door hinges ...and maybe replace the door latches too ...before you paint the car (you can strip it first though).

Razor Blade Method. This stripping method involves taking a straight razor blade like you can buy a box of ...for $4.99 for 100-pack... put it in a simple holder and literally scrape along and remove the old paint. In some cases once you perfect the technique a guy can (if conditions are 'right') literally scrape the paint off right down the hood in one long scrape!! Doesn't always got that quick, but sometimes it does. Sometimes it doesn't work at all. Esp if it's been repainted. It's worth a shot. The downfall is avoiding making a bunch of 'nicks' in the fiiberglass which will take time to fix later on.

Chemical stripping. This method used to work great with the old strippers that were very volitile. Now they've been EPA'd (not as good). You could try some Aircraft stripper (that's a brand), and see how it goes. It might work great. Do it with the garage door open, or under a shade tree outside. The old stuff would take paint off & down to the GM black and stop there. Usually you had to apply a couple coats & at the end put some stripper on a scuff pad and work the stripper into the primer to get the last of the paint off. It wasn't like ...you put it on and come back at it was done. It was still a lot of work. But it was a good way to go, esp if a car had 8 coats of primer and paint (yeah...some would!!). Takes about a day to strip a corvette like that. Then Wash (neutralize with water). Let dry in the sun a while and let the car "breathe-out" for a week. When guys say they had problems using stripper, they didn't know WTF they were doing. Sloppy work?? Simple as that. I've been involved with over a dozen corvettes we used to strip with simple Zip-Strip (the old stuff). These were high-end C1-C2 restorations. Never had a problem. I would definitely try Aircraft stripper. Or if you can get your hands on the old stuff (neighbor/friend, whoever) ...that is my preferred method to strip. Be careful on the nose and tail.... chemical stripper can soften them and RUIN them. I ruined one one time. Cost me $500 to replace a urethae nose. Whoops!! Best to sand by hand...even though it's going to take a while. If there are 6 coats of paint on them, they make small sanders that you can use.

Mud Hog.. This is a gear-drive air sander. HERE. You need legit compressed air to run one. If you have a good air compressor like a 60Gal 5hp...they make a great way to strip any car. Esp a metal-bodied car. Use care to not go into the fiberglass...only take off the paint to the gm black.

Media blasting. I haven't tried CO2 ice blasting...but I would make a few phone calls and see if anyone does it in your area and what it costs. And if it'll work ok. I don't know. Plastic media blasting is too course on fiberglass, avoid that. Soda...I would avoid that too.

Bodywork. Once it's stipped, you enter into the bodywork stage. The best advice I can give you here...and what I think makes the most sense, is find a guy who can help you out....or guide you who knows what the heck he's doing. This doesn't mean....that one buddy who painted his wood-hauling pickup 10 years ago with implement paint. Seriously, find someone who knows how to do bodywork well. A PRO. You might be able to pay a bodyman to come into Help get it into primer for you so you're not picking at it 1 year down the road. A few hondo would be money well spent. Secondly, don't use cheap parts store bondo. Use good 3m filler.

For primer, everybody has a budget urethane primer these days and most of them are very good. Anyone who says "You gotta use PPG's best $400/gallon primer!" hasn't been using mid-grade primers. The technology has been out of the box for 20yrs. I generally stick with the budget name-brand primers. I mostly use Nason Selectprime for the last 25 years (Nason was DuPont's non-bodyshop line, now owned by Axalta - stupid name ...same good product) ...but I've used many different primers ...and they've lasted 20+ years outside on some of my old DD jelopies which are now sitting out behind the sheds (rusted out). Some people get hung up on Southern Polyurethanes. I'm sure it's good ...but I personally wouldn't buy a product I can't get additional product locally. When you need extra product on a Friday, it's nice to go to the store and get more of what you need. Body shop stores usually also sell Upol (Sikkenns), Omni (PPG) ...they're all good. Plus..for most primers you can use the activator for the sealer too. Find one and stick with it that system.

Block it out. Once you get the car in primer. Put a guide-coat on it. Then block it out. That means wrap wet/dry sandpaper around a straight paint stick ...or use another block...and wetsand it (or dry)... to ensure the car and bodywork is 'straight'.

Next Post...

 

...Continued..

Paint. You're not there yet. You have some time to think and plan what you want to do. As I said above. I would get a price from Maaco, see their work...and consider delivering a paint-ready car to them, and let them lay down a real nice paint job. Before you take it to Maaco ...or paint it yourself, have a good body who knows classic cars and paint ...have the guy run his hands over the car to make sure it's paint ready. A good bodyguy can feel waves and detect problems...get their blessing. Then let Maaco put down a good dust-free base/clear job. And save yourself the awful (and dangerous) fumes.

If you want paint it yourself. That's doable. We can get to that when you get closer.

Sorry for the Loooong post. Hope it helps

 

No, that's awesome. Thanks for not just replying, "use the search button."

I'm actually replacing the urethane bumpers with fiberglass as part of the project, so no worries there about ruining them. They're 90% ruined already.

Luckily I know the history on this car. No crashes, all original body and paint, so hopefully there's minimal stuff I need to fix. I think I'll try the razor blade method and move on from there.

 

I am having good luck with Kleen strip

Here is my car last month

 

Couple of thoughts in addition.

Reference info:
Lars here has a paint paper
Read an old mans guide to painting a Corvette on Digital Corvette forum
read SPI perfect paper paper and check out SPI paint forum

Decent paint job is 15 k plus so you can easily justify some excellent tools like a good paint gun and compressor And sell when you are finished. I bought a used Sata NR2000 for base and a new Sata RP5000 for clear.

Buy name brand paint ck SPI paint forum for recommendations.

no way i chem strip although i have friends that do it. Get a razor blade holder with a long handle and a heat gun and move in tandem. If you have oem lacquer that is good; it will come off in ribbons if you get temp right with the leading heat gun. Too hot it will be gummy too cold and it will come off in little chips.

VPA or vette panel adhesive is the body filler. SPI epoxy is the best primer and is sandable. SPI make great stuff including their clears.

All autos painters have their "swear by" routines that work for them. Actually there are Lots of ways to successfully paint a Corvette. This is a LOT of work but you can get very good results if you do your homework. Nobody gets 100% perfect results even the pros. Plan on cutting and buffing which can and will forgive a lot of your "sins" in laying down clear.

Hope thIs helps. I used to think painters charge too much but if you add up all the manhours to do a very good job at $100/hr, it is likely pretty reasonable.

i think using hand tools to hand strip and remove the rest with 80grit to the press molded glass is better. Also cut by hand except buffing where i went Rupes method. Power tools can get you in trouble quick. Good for a pro likely but likely similar to shop class where you cut boards with a hand saw to gain skills before you picked up a skill saw.

 

I just have had no luck using scrapers and too afraind of trying to sand off and causing too many wooptie doos
I have help paint dozens of corvettes over the last 35 years, here is my friends car we completed last winter using a chemical strip, painted base / clear and cut and buff not perfect like mentioned but maybe 98% and about 300 hours

 

Beautiful Corvette and paint job!!!

Congratulations!

 

There are truck owners on a classic truck forum I participate in, and several of them have done the prep and had Maaco spray them. A few of the jobs are going on almost 10yrs now. The pictures ...they look great still. For what they were charged, it was a tremendous value, when you consider they received a nice turn-key product applied great. Those Maaco workers attack a vehicle like a bunch of ants!

Once most DIY guys are half-way through buffing the dust out of their vette's paint (from the garage) ...suddenly the idea of having farmed out the paint job and had it done right ...seems like it would have been a good investment. Now...if ya want to learn the craft and the idea sounds appealing ...then sure, definitely it's a doable and rewarding experience. I didn't get that feeling from the OP in the original post.

A lot of C3 owners ...esp rubber bumper car owners, just want a nice-looking car w/o breaking the bank ..and don't want to become painters, or put in a butt-load of hours. That's why I suggest to the OP, do some of the tasks he's good at and doesn't mind doing. Then farm some of the arduous tasks out to guys who know their craft.

Kind of like when I was planning to re-shingle the roof on my house. I watched a bunch of videos, priced the materials out, etc. I know I could do it. But carpentry work is something I *can* do..but it's not a passion of mine by any stretch. One day I was talking to my neighbor who shot me a price of $1000 cash...to strip them all off and put on a great product (he owns a roofing company). His crew was just showing up when I left for work. Came home to a dumpster full of shingles and he did a lot of little 'extras' for me. Damn! That was the best grand I EVER spent!!! I'm sure glad I didn't do it myself!!! It would have taken me 5x longer, probably not turned out as well, cost me more, and hated the whole experience. LOL. I gladly gave him a couple bills more for casino money!

 

That's great!

I've used the old MEK Kleen Strip and it worked well. If the current product works, there might be a good stripper option to try

 

Mark G points out some very good options for the job at hand.
I replaced both bumpers on my 75 and striped it and did the body work and primed it.
When it came time to paint i farmed it out to a coft members son who does it for living, paint and materials and farming it out cost wise it came in at under 2K.

 

To minimize nicks and gouges, give the corners of the razor blades a very small radius with just a touch on a grinder or several swipes on 320g sand paper. Just 1/64" or 1/32" radius is plenty to keep a corner from digging in deeper than desired.

 

Maybe not for you but my last big project was a 68 C10 frame off. I had just retired and I asked a local body if I could do some of the body work to save costs. I built a number of hot rods over the years but never any body work. I was always in charge of taking paint off not putting back on.
The body shop agreed. I did all the disassembly and stripping of old paint. As I stripped parts I would bring the parts in to be sprayed with 2K primer. I don't have a spray booth. I used the mid range materials cost wise that the body shop used.
I stock piled body parts and one by one brought them back to the body shop and they "let" me do all the filler and primer sanding under their supervision. A number of times I thought the panel looked great. The response I got from the shop owner was keep sanding. I can tell you no one is standing in line at the body shop to block sand.
I also did all the color sanding on the flat panels. The shop did the edges and curves. The shop did the cut and buff.
A few pics before and after.

 

My 78 had 2 layers of paint on it. I wasn't sure at the time what was on it so I sanded the entire car down using a DA lightly and then by hand. Spent 3-4 hrs on each panel. Not much real body work at all except I also was changing out the front and rear bumpers and the side markers. That all took up a good amount of time. I am just about ready to put on 2 coats of G2 Fiberfill and then do the guide coat. Aside from just getting the car prepped I had to educate myself in the new products of today vs what I used 20 years ago. I had to get personal protective gear and then set up a paint booth. Thanks to a few forum members here and elsewhere ( Big thanks to Mark G,20 Mercury and Golfobsessed) I am confident I can get this done. I know it will be cheaper than paying someone to do it, and I really need to have my hands in the last part of my project. ALTHOUGH...I have had 3 or 4 cars done at Maaco. Say what you like, but they got the paint down fine. Everything from a 65 Mustang, a 64 Impala and a 1990 300ZX. Here is a lnk to my thread over on the C3 side. SO far the most difficult part has been trying to keep up with this thread! I plan on adding to it in a week or so with the equipment I ended up with. https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...nt-thread.html..

 

for the original poster
I blast ALL my customers cars
Inside / outside / underside
For $3,500.00 plus or minus I can go right to body work
No mess / no chemicals and I am right to bare glass
Now - I have a really really good blaster and he knows what he is doing and does alot of bodies for me

Body work is an art and take good feel and a good eye and knowing what products to use and where to use them
My average body work is 400 hours
Just body work - repairs - cracks - panel fitment - gaps
My average paint job - from primer to wet sand and polish to 3000 grit is $20k
It is alot of hours and it is alot of money in materials

Here are some of my bodies blasted and one body ready for primer
Hope this helps
Chris

 

So I started using a razor blade, ran into issues with gouging under the paint. It seemed like a very fine line between the paint coming off nicely and the razor digging in.



The crack you can see is the front fender body seam. Is the white part I've dug into the actual fiberglass or is it seam filler?

 

I've blasted a lot of stuff in my day. Going back to the early 80's. But fiberglass is soft and easily damaged. Blasting is waaay too aggressive for it. Not too many vette guys would recommend blasting. I certainly wouldn't do it (for paint stripping). You can't really control the 'depth' so a guy ends up with an uneven surface that's a mess. Its a lot more work on the bodywork end. I've seen vettes that were plastic media blasted and the fiberglass surface was terrible ..uneven. I can see a lot of uneven surfaces on the above 54 (no offense ...to each is own). On a C3 blasting will erode away all the nice sharp edges (the essence of a C3). But media blasting is great on painted steel!

Chemical stripping is really the best. If you find stripper that cuts through the layers of paint. When I worked at a corvette shop, two guys could strip a vette down to GM black in half a day with chemical and go to lunch. And we did plenty. Work paint out of odd areas with a fine brass brush and stripper. Obviously do in a well-ventilated area. If there's many layerrs of paint, it would obviously take longer. But a day for sure in the worst case. If the old paint comes off easily with razor blades and you aren't getting much nick-ing...that would work too. It's going to take a lot longer. Doesn't work well if there are 14 layers of paint. But if a DIY guy can do a little at a time in his car garage, it works. 40 grit paper on a mudhog sander works well too. The switch to 80 or 120 when you get the heavy stuff knocked off & get closer to the fiberglass surface.

I used a razor blade to remove a bunch of failed UV-degraded urethane clearcoat off a modern car urethane bumper cover the other day. The sun had baked the top clearcoat surface of the bumper like often happens. The bumper was pretty smooth overall. I was able to just go along the entire top surface of the bumper with the razor blade and consistently peel off long sheets (1.5" wide) ...of old clearcoat. Right down to the basecoat. Saved a lot of sanding time. The 'un-degraded' clearcoat which was still good wouldn't peel very easy so that's where I knew to stop ...and feather the paint at that point. Saved me a lot of sanding work. Got a couple minor nicks which were easily repaired (had other rock chips to repair anyway).

 

I ran in to a similar problem as you with the razor blades I had a few sections peel off but after looking at it I was clearly gouging the fiberglass

Stripping barely even blistered the old lacquer paint for me

i opted for blasting and a big sander
i built a custom frame and had them start under the car
my instructions were, stand across the shop and blast lightly
leaving some paint on is fine
it did work out ok for me.
i hand sanded from this point

 

I am considering a strip and repaint on my C2. I would like to trim some of that $20k cost but not looking to cheap out either. I have a good painter but he says he is to busy to do the stripping (or maybe doesn’t want to).
For stripping (the car is a one repaint with enamel I’m guessing). My first question is blasting. I understand that most media is to aggressive and have been told soda leaves an unfriendly residue behind that is not paint friendly. NOW for my question. Has anyone tried walnut shell media?