Stripping Paint...

[Fordplay0621]

Re: Stripping Paint...

Have it Soda Blasted.

It does'nt mess up the metal and it gives you a better idea of what you are working with after the process is complete.

[rightpedal]

Re: Stripping Paint...

I had my Pontiac soda blasted last year. They (Chesapeake soda blast) came and did it in my back yard. It was a pretty big dust cloud but it dissipated fast. Most of the used soda and paint ended up on the 40' by 30' tarp. They charge by the hour, it took the rookie kid 3hr to strip the hood, left side, and jams on that side. The guy that relived him did all the rest of the jams, the whole trunk the right side and the roof in 2hr. After setup and tear down it took 6hr and cost $700.00. I spent the rest of the day pressure washing the car and sprayed the whole thing with DP-90. I think it was worth it. Stripper works mediocre on newer paint, lay it down med/thick and cover with some thin cheap painters plastic. Let it sit for a while and use a putty knife sparingly to remove it.

good luck
Steve

[jays67]

Re: Stripping Paint...

on my truck i started with a da and it was taking forever [old paint ,many layers etc...]
so i tried aircraft striper on the roof and it worked ok but still slow and fumes were killing me[standing in bed and the shop has a droped ceiling and truck on stands]
i used a good putty knife and a heat gun down bare in about a 1hour 1 1/2 on the main cab worked nice
i really wanted to media blast it but i spent the money on the new engine oh well

[milner351]

Re: Stripping Paint...

What is your guys opinion of the "acid dip" method?

I've heard it's the only way to get all the rust out of the body...

I've also heard - there's NO WAY to get it all out once it's in and it has a nasty way of leaching out and messing up your paint job down the road.

There is a local place that will dip entire unibody's frames, etc, and then neutralize them in another bath, then dip them in an "e coat" solution so you basically get your parts back in virgin metal with black e coat all over everything inside and out - like the dynacore bodies arrive new --- but hold on to your wallet, the ecoat step is SPENDY.

Has anyone gone this route?

[jays67]

Re: Stripping Paint...

my coupe was acid diped back in the day
you can see on the inside were the acid eats the panal kinda cool the car was spotless when i got it
if ya can swing it i would have it soda blasted the shop here did not want that much to do it check around and it is easy on old metal

[rightpedal]

Re: Stripping Paint...

The dynacorn bodies are EPD coated which is a process as opposed to the coating material. Just about all replacement panels are done with this process, some are bombproof and some are that piece o junk instant rust Honda fender. It depends on the coat quality. I'm betting your local guy will error on the thick side witch is great. It covers all surfaces, it would have bin cool if the big three had done it back when this stuff was made. (Corvette frame, mustang cowl, e-body roof....) Back to soda blast it does not rust for a long time. The stand that held one of the fenders got blasted pretty good and took a year to start to rust and it's still not that bad.

[milner351]

Re: Stripping Paint...

Interesting - Seth - you and I may have to look into this soda blasting - it might save us both a lot of work, and a lot of wear and tear on our compressors!

[milner351]

Re: Stripping Paint...

Good info - perhaps I will find someone that can blast the car at their facility- I'll do the disassembly and haul it to them on my trailer ready to shoot.

Then I'd just have to make sure I had everything ready to shoot the entire thing with self etching epoxy primer / sealer when I got it back to make sure the rust monster didn't get to it before I do.....

I'm not that experience with a paint gun - but I should be able to handle shooting primer / sealer.

[DanStokes]

Re: Stripping Paint...

I never used soda blasting, but is probably a good thing, from what I've heard. I had a Road Runner sand blast stripped some years ago and it came out OK, but you can really mess up a car with it, as an inexperienced operator can actually total the car by warping the panels - it generates heat if held too close to the panel.

On spraying primer - just like paint, spray for shine. As soon as it's shiny, stop or it'll run. Remember, every error in the primer means more sanding or the mistake will show up in the finish, but primer is definitely the place to develop your gun skills. If you can get some old hoods or other flat panels, mess around until you get the "feel", both on the flat and horizontally. Also, thin the primer as directed on the can. It really DOES work best. Another trick - you can thin DP "X" (the number varies depending on the color) according to the instructions on the product sheet, and it's the best pre-paint sealer I've ever used. Also one less product to buy. However, DP doesn't sand very well, so use primer-surfacer over the etching primer to get the panel perfect, and DP as a sealer only. Works for me. I could come to MI when you guys are ready to spray and give lessons if you need me to, but Seth's neighbor is closer and more experienced than I am. He may not know the surface prep bits as well as some of us given that he's always working with new metal, but his gun skills will be top notch.

Later
Dan

[milner351]

Re: Stripping Paint...

OK Dan - I'm not familiar with DP?

[DanStokes]

Re: Stripping Paint...

Best thing since canned bread (or is that sliced beer?). Anyway, Ditzler/PPG makes a great line of auto refinish products (as does DuPont), including a line of epoxy primers called DP (I don't think DuPont has anything comparable). The there are several colors, including DP90, for example, which is a flat black. Other colors have different numbers - if memory serves, DP60 is a sort of beige. It's best to pick a sealer that's roughly the color that you'll paint so everything covers better and there's less chance for streaks or other imperfections caused by variations in color coat application. DP is tough as nails, but will eventually fall apart if left exposed to the weather, as it lacks UV protection. Great stuff.

Dan