josh817 Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 The overwhelming task of sanding my baby down to bare metal is getting to me. I have spent 2 weeks and I still have the roof, hatch, underside of hood, and the area under the louvered valence for the windshield wipers. I have used paint stripper, it works but strips the top layer, out of like 5 layers of paint. I have used a DA sander with 40 grit paper and that takes forever. I am now using a die grinder with this spongy head on it which works slightly faster than the DA sander. I don't mind taking a while to properly paint my car, its just the amount of time to finish one panel is too much that it makes my moral stoop way down. I entered into this project and now all these local events are coming up and I'm car-less. Next week is a Super 7 show/track day at MSR and they invited me. Yes, I'll get my ass kicked because those guys are running the Ford Z-Tech motors. 300hp in a 1000lb car, rape. But its a track day! ARGGGG! My boogers consist of paint despite a mask, my hair consists of paint despite a hat, my arms consist of paint despite a jacket, my hands, my throat, my ass, you get the idea. I'm getting to the parts where I can't get my tool in. The wiper valence for instance has lots of nooks and crannies. I know certain parts of the car will be spray painted black IE the parts I don't care about. Maybe I just spray paint in there black, OVER the old paint, no one will see under there anyways. Although, I have to say, it is quite lovely to go out in the garage at 8PM and work until 5AM. Gets me away from the world and I can gather my thoughts. Any outside noises are drowned out by the die grinder and the air compressor which isn't as loud as other ones I've used. This pleases me. I'll have a Youtube video sometime soon. My speech is all slurred from being tired, its amusing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Challenger Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 What is... paint stripper and pressure washer??? Get the good aircraft paint stripper and just drench it on. Itll even remove a good layer of bondo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK-Z Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 I feel yeah. The roof is gonna be a PITA to do "right," and the hood will be too, unless you have a 280z vented hood. IMO I wouldn't take it down to metal unless you are willing to strip the whole chassis, and then media blasting would be the best option, instead of by hand. Just strip areas, where you KNOW that there is rust Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josh817 Posted March 30, 2009 Author Share Posted March 30, 2009 I was told the old paint will peel up and ruin the new. I am using aircraft stripper. Brush it on with a paint brush, blisters up the paint but I'm telling you, this **** is thick. Its done its job properly, stripping to bare metal, on one panel, the others were taking 4-5 coats! Lets just say this, when my buddy keyed the old crappy paint, a good 1/8" deep, there was still paint. >_< I have a decent sized compressor, went to my dads shop yesterday and worked all day doing the hood. Finishing it was a real moral boost since the hood is a large portion of the surface area. Dad has one of the big stand up compressors so it keeps up with the die grinder very well and eats through paint quickly. At home, I go twice as slow because the compressor runs down to 70-80psi before the motor keeps up the cfm with the grinder, making it spin a little bit slower. Really though, I'm just about finished getting the car down to bare metal. Like I said, hatch, roof, underside of hood, and valence which I may just spray over since the paint isn't flaking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B00STDZ Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 I see something that is hella jdm right outside your garage with some power... Bring that to track day, should kill all those american cars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffer949 Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 ok you need to go get a 90 deg grinder with either a wire wheel cup or some scotch bright pad things that you can get from lowes. I stripped my whole car in a few days using the 90deg grinder. Search for a post from me about "fixing the wrecked zed" is the title i believe. there is some pictures in there of what i used. I was using a DAon my car but my compressor couldnt keep up so thats when i switched to the electric grinder worked much better in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Careless Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 ok you need to go get a 90 deg grinder with either a wire wheel cup or some scotch bright pad things that you can get from lowes. I stripped my whole car in a few days using the 90deg grinder. Search for a post from me about "fixing the wrecked zed" is the title i believe. there is some pictures in there of what i used. I was using a DAon my car but my compressor couldnt keep up so thats when i switched to the electric grinder worked much better in my opinion. +1 to that. to do the roof, since u don't want to press down on it... go to Home Desperate, and buy Circa 1850 Wood Varnish and Paint remover. it's a gel, you coat it on, put a garbage bag over it for the night (no longer, do it on a friday or saturday so you can peel it off in the morning). If you don't get it done that fast, it will just turn into flakes, which will also be easier to wire wheel. After you do a panel and you get it to bare metal, just rub some "Concrete Etcher" on it, and it will not rust. Just make sure you wash the concrete etcher off after about 30 minutes. Don't put too much on, just a lightly damp rag should do. I've had doors that I sanded down to 100% bare metal, and they haven't even rusted in 2 years sitting in my garage with no paint on them all, and I can honestly say there have been days when I walked into the garage to find my car and everything in there covered in a hazy mist of moisture, and the doors as well... and still, not even a spec of rust that wouldn't come off by rubbing it with a towel and some brake clean. (I know brake clean doesn't clean off rust, but it's an indication of how light the rust is, you can barely even see it... it's easier to take off than dirt). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK-Z Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 Its a 30+ year old car. whatever paint would peal, has already and you would just need rough sanding the old paint and then spray a primer over the old paint. I understand that you want the car as perfect as possible, but stripping it, you might find a few surprises that you wish you didn't Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josh817 Posted March 30, 2009 Author Share Posted March 30, 2009 Oh I already found some. I have a type III airdam kit on the car and I took off the side skirts. The passenger side has the typical "dog leg" rust I believe its called. Rusted a hole right through the bottom into the tire well. I will just fill it and dynaglass it. I'm not looking for perfect, just looking for a good 4-8 years out of it. I'm off to college and I will probably redo everything once I'm out, hopefully with a good job, no wife, no kids, decent income, one hobby. :] Marry when you're 28 or something, gives you a good time frame to pump out the goodies. So, as long as it doesn't flake off in obvious spot, doesn't matter to me. I went with the cheapest paint, would've done Rustoleum but wanted a car paint so I did Nason. BMW Lemans Blue, with sand paper, spray guns, all the paints, chemicals, I'm $400-$450 in it. My moral goes up and down throughout this project and getting info about the Super 7 track day and then April 18th is the Z club track day makes me sad. Dad is usually supportive but on this he's like "well now you see why people pay to have it done" "You spent a lot of money and you're still doing it yourself" I'm like Dad chill out man, if I had Macco do body work they would kill me with bills so it there goes your "$300 paint job". For what I paid I bought 2 quarts epoxy primer, 2 quarts sealer, 2 quarts base coat, gallon clear coat, and then all the reducers and hardeners blah blah blah. This car is an Arizona car so rust is only one spot and there are only tiny dents that need glazing rather than filling. The Honda Civic outside is my moms and its an automatic transmission which is on its last leg and its FWD. Ew. First night out: This was the "good" panel. The stripper got a lot of the paint off. Note, this is the panel I applied stripper to. I had a friend come over and he help brush it on. He's never worked with the stuff before so I'm guessing he didn't apply it right compared to other panels or the paint is really tough. Probably both... Looking good on that side! Not so much that side... After the stripper, still paint... If I hit the brown primer stuff with another coat I would be down to bare metal however I saved have a can of stripper for the hood because its so big and I'm so poor I didn't have any money to buy more stripper for $10. Should I just POR-15 the wiper valence area so you don't see white from under the slits of the cover or should I strip it down too? Goodies: Ok so yes I look stupid but the lamp really helps especially when you're under a car working. Youtube video of whats going on. Don't mind the slurred speech/any sentences that don't make sense/the music which I'll probably be flagged for because Youtube likes doing that to people who listen to the radio. Yah know? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuIKOZsR3hQ Later dudes, I have homework. PS: I don't think I'm going to bust my balls trying to make next weeks Super 7 day. They will rape me and I still have my distributor setup on the car, last thing I need is a misfire at high RPM's and mess something up. I have an EDIS-6 setup awaiting installation so... just get the paint and that installed before hammering down on a track... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustinOlson Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 I went through this last summer, and will be hitting it up for a clean up in the next few weeks. Check out this thread for what I did: http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=137262 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josh817 Posted March 30, 2009 Author Share Posted March 30, 2009 I went through this last summer, and will be hitting it up for a clean up in the next few weeks. Check out this thread for what I did: http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=137262 I should just return all my paint and do what you had posted: Keeping the little dents and stuff in there without bondo gives the car personality. Everyone I've talked to has either said "thank god you're painting" it or "I'm going to miss the old fingerprinted paint with signatures from people at school". Now I'm tempted to get my money back and do what that guy did! $70 for a gallon of clear coat and leave it at that! This is horrible that I'm actually considering this. Edit: Oh my god I have these thoughts stuck in my head! That money is making me want it and I wouldn't mind having a ratty looking car! AH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffer949 Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 it wouldnt last and just one chip in the clear and its going to start rusting.Not practical at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josh817 Posted March 30, 2009 Author Share Posted March 30, 2009 Yes, I think BMW Lemans Blue is pretty anyways. :] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Careless Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 I have the exact same head lamp, and It's my Go-To tool when I first get into the garage, but I have long hair so it keeps slipping off my noggin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KenshinX Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 Have you tried using an angle grinder with Poly Abrasive disc, after applying coats of stripper? http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/paint-stripping.htm http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=137262&highlight=rustoleum+primer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josh817 Posted March 31, 2009 Author Share Posted March 31, 2009 I'm using that abrasive disk on the die grinder, yes. You can see what I'm up to in the Youtube video. Hopefully the link is still working. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PalmettoZ Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 Hey Josh- I stripped my whole car down and it is a pain in the ass, no doubt. My advice is to make sure you are working outside and with a fan blowing the dust away from you. This helps alot in keeping down the stress. also rough up the paint prior to putting on the stripper makes a difference. Let the stripper do its thing by sitting for awhile before you try to get it off. If you use a small sharp putty knife ( 2" wide max ) you can usually scrape right down to bare metal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PETEW Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 That is one funny title. I feel for you. Just remember to take your time, keep doing what you are doing and you will done soon. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big-phil Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 Josh did your car survive the hail? I saw on the news Keller was getting baseball size! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josh817 Posted April 1, 2009 Author Share Posted April 1, 2009 We rushed out and reorganized the garage to get moms car in. I feel bad for the neighbor because he buys and sells cars and had like 5 Miata's sitting out there so I ran over and we put dirt bags on the cars. Things got a bit frisky with the weather, Mom was praying that she could get a new roof out of it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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