Jasonmreiss Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 I have the car down to the shell and am wondering the best way to strip the thing down. I'm not looking for panels that need repair as im 90% sure it's solid. There is a bit of surface rust though and I don't want it to mess up the paint. So what is the most convenient/easy/fast way to strip it? I can have it blasted for $600 but have to transport it to another town and really don't have the money anyway. Anything involving a cheap solution would help. My wire wheel and palm sander is just taking too long Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
galderdi Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 I have had a car blasted before and its quick and easy with good results. But it does really expose any weak points like rust. But I recently tried some stripping pads. They are pads that fit on a standard grinder and look like a circular dish sponge but are hard. I found them to be really effective stripping a door back to bare metal in about 15 minutes. I did use up one pad on the door so you would probably need about 10 or so for a whole car. I can't recall the brand but seeing as I am in Aus, it might not be useful for you anyway. But you can get a grinder for $30 or so plus $100 for 10 pads. $130 versus $500 is not a bad saving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasonmreiss Posted January 27, 2012 Author Share Posted January 27, 2012 Thanks, I do actually have one of those, it worked pretty well I guess. I suppose there's no fast way to restore a car lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
galderdi Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 Alternativly dim the lights in your garage, pour some beer and spirits all over the floor, install a metal pole in the centre, start playing some provocative music and maybe your car will start stripping itself Oh but you'll need to change the $500 into smaller notes and tuck it under the windscreen wiper I just hope your wife / girlfriend doesn't catch you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aplyedmind Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 Alternativly dim the lights in your garage, pour some beer and spirits all over the floor, install a metal pole in the centre, start playing some provocative music and maybe your car will start stripping itself Oh but you'll need to change the $500 into smaller notes and tuck it under the windscreen wiper I just hope your wife / girlfriend doesn't catch you. Dam u beat me to the stripper joke. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnightoftheRound Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 Cheap rotary, even a harbor freight one, with 80 grit sanding pads from your local autobody/paint supply store. That's what I used to strip my car down to bare metal. I'm not sure I paid 20 bucks for the box of 80 grit pads I have. I think the rotary itself was like $25 They can't really be used on the underside or engine bay effectively though. I sanded my engine bay down by either heavy sandpaper and hand, or grinder with 3M roloc pads. The underside is such a huge PITA there isn't really an easy way to do it that I know of. I just finished recoating my underside tonight, took a couple months of working on it regularly to get it done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luseboy Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 (edited) Is there anything wrong with using chemical strippers (besides the fumes)? I have gotten my engine bay mostly stripped with aircraft stripper in an aerosol. I think brushing it on is better, but there's so many hard to reach areas in the engine bay that I chose to buy the aerosol. It basically bubbles the paint off, but you'd probably still want to use one of those stripper pads, as it doesn't seem to get every little piece, and leaves some residue. I'd say you should give it a quick sand before primer gets put down too, just to be sure that none of the residue is left over. I can't see anything wrong with using a chemical stripper. Anyone? Oh and I've had good luck with a sharp wood working chisel on the undercoating. Used the same chisel for the tar crap in the interior. Make sure it isn't a really nice one, you won't be able to use it for woodworking ever again. Edited January 27, 2012 by luseboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasonmreiss Posted January 27, 2012 Author Share Posted January 27, 2012 I will look for the stripper this weekend, at least for the hard to get to areas. I won't get to the undercoating untill I get a rotisserie built, I really don't wanna lie on my back for that job. I'm just wondering if all the time and energy I'll need to put into doing it myself if the 600 for the blasting may just be worth it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
galderdi Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 looking for a stripper on the weekend, rotisserie, lying on your back, time and energy. You sure we are on the same page. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rags Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 I've used Aircraft stripper to remove many layers of paint on 3 different cars. The stuff works very well if you take your time and use as many coats as it takes to remove all the layers of paint and body filler. I used the brush on application. Brush on, wait 10 minutes and scrape off with a putty knife. Also remember to deactivate when you are finished by washing the panel with water, obviously drying thoroughly to avoid flash rust. Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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