I took my '59 apart like you're mentioning. I'm poor and my labor was free-to-me
After reading many ways of stripping body parts to bare metal on the net, I pretty much tried all the sanders. I started with a drill with a sanding pad, then bought a DA sander... but the one I liked most was a 7" variable speed polisher-sander from Harbor Freight. It was inexpensive, I could get all the grit paper I needed (preferred hook and loop) and later could use it as a polisher/buffer. As the sander, it covered a large area and swiped away paint and rust like a boss!
Like Bartamos said, you'll probably get some answers from folks who swear by their reply. To each their own. The 7" VS Sander was my ticket.
Get some dust masks if you do the sanding.
Good luck!
Jerry
