Help withy paint removal.

[ozvet350]

Father Larry,
I am back again in search of some of your expert advise. I have completed stripping the trim and moldings off my car and am now looking to get the paint off to get back to a clean base to start painting from. I have a book which says that I can use paint stripper and lots of enamel reduer and get a good result, but I also have a couple of people who are concerned about what this will do to the body. They are saying I should bead blast, which would mean taking the body off.

What would you suggest and are the any tricks or traps to watch out for.

I would also be interested in what you recommend for paint a urethane body and getting the paint to stick and not crack when touched with a small amount of pressure.

Thanks as always
Max (ozvet350)

[fatherlarry]

How are you OZvet350? I'm glad to see that you're making progress.

I would have to see the car in person to determine the condition, before recommending best method for stripping. I have always had a tendency to stay away from the bead blasting, because you really don't know what body work may be underneath that you could be disturbing. The most common method, and the method that I would use, would be to use a paint stripper. I used a product called Rock Miracle. This stuff is very potent and toxic and if inhaled could be dangerous. Make sure you wear acid proof gloves and a mask. Also try to cover yourself with some kind of raincoat type protection to avoid getting on your skin or clothes. Read the can for directions, and make sure you are in an open and ventilated area.

Apply with an acid brush, and do one section at a time. DON'T TRY TO COVER THE WHOLE CAR AT ONCE. Make sure you do a section at a time. When I say section, I mean for example, do the top of fender first, then the side, then the door, quarter and so on. Make sure all moldings, plastics and rubbers are removed. Cover area of floor that you'll be working over, and make sure you cover wheels and rims. Apply paint stripper on the selected area, and allow to penetrate for length of time stated on the directions for the product you are using. You may have to repeat process a number of times for each section. Remove with a rubber squeegie or spreader, such as the one they use to apply body filler. They come in all sizes. DO NOT USE A STEEL SPREADER OR SCRAPER, it could gouge the fiberglass.

After paint is removed from area, wash down with lacquer thinners on a rag. Then wipe down with a wet rag with water. Make sure you stock up on rags. After the entire body is stripped, then you are ready to re-work or repair any body damage. Once you have re-worked the body and are ready to paint, make sure you go to your local bodyshop supply store and ask them what type of gel coat they recommend before putting the primer on. As far as the brand of paint, I use Dupont Chromabase which is a clear coat/base coat. They have a medium grade and a higher grade. As far as the flexibility of this paint for use on fiberglass, it is excellent. I used it to repaint the front bumper cover of my Electron Blue Metallic Z06. I was very impressed with it. After it cured and I was ready to install the bumper on the car, I purposely bent the lower straps that attach to the frame on the bumper cover, and it bent without cracking or disturbing the paint. Great product, great finish. There are a lot of other products out there to use. I am retired now and even more prodcts have hit the market since I retired, that I may not know about. It's up to you to decide which product you want to use. I would go to different body shops to see their finished products and ask them what they used. Look at their work and finish and decide if it is the quality that you would like to see on your own Vette. I just gave you a quick synopsis of a basic strip job. Without looking at the car, as I said before, it's kind of hard to determine if chemical stripping or bead blasting would be best. If you know of a professional have him look at the body beforehand. Chemical stripping is very dangerous when you're not a professional. Be careful if you do decide to take the task on. Hope this helped.