Removing paint from chromed/stainless parts

[~KnuckleDuster~]

Recently bought a Z that has had the bumpers, door handles, & locks painted to match the body. I like having the original chrome bling on the car and want to remove the paint. Is this possible without screwing them up? Would paint thinner work? Any help would be appreciated!

[johnc]

Try Acetone first. After that try any of the commercial paint strippers.

[roger280zx]

+1 for acetone, it has an incredible ability to "lift" paint from even other painted surfaces. Depending on how long it has been there, the quality of paint, and the conditions in wich it cured the next step I would recomend is this; Soak a cotten rag in laquer thinner, lay the rag on the surface to be stripped, allow it to sit for a few minutes, scrub area vigorously, repeat. It is more labor intensive than the strippers, but it will have less effect on the underlying coating. I know, chrome is hard... Damn hard, but old chrome can be affected by some stripping agents. And I'll disclose that I remove painted stripes vinyl and general gunk from both fresh and aged paint often using this method with the only downside being you will scratch the painted surface below, and some vehicles cure too well to remove by this method. I don't think you need to worry about the chrome this way, and since its harder than paint it should lift right off. This is how I will be removing the paint from the rear bumper on my '79. Let us know how it works for you.

[DavyZ]

After the acetone I would try "Peeler" which is made by Kleen Strip I think. Peeler is a stripper that sprays on and is designed to only lift the top layer of paint off and leave the primer on the metal if one is using it on body panels--you use compressed air to literally blow the lifted paint off the panel. I don't think the chemical strippers will truly hurt the stainless trim and window frame, although I have no idea about the chrome. I imagine the chrome plating is hard enough to remain unaffected. Like any chemical process, I would not allow it to sit any longer than usual, no matter what you decide to use. Conventional wisdom says go mild first and then go heavy if mild doesn't work. Hopefully the prior owner didn't scuff the metal before painting, because if they did, you would have to deal with that too. The stainless could be polished, but the scuffed chrome may be another story. Good luck!!

 

Davy