The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Strip,Sand, Grind, or Media Blast???????????

ok Guys i had the 50 Chevy Panel for 7 weeks (been sitting up for 28 years) got her running and been making road trips ,longest so far 65 miles round trip,now body work, i started putting in new sheet metal floor pans etc, about a week ago i took all the finish down to the metal on front fender with pait remover,yesterday i removed paint on rear fender with my 4 inch angle grinder with a "Sandpaper Flap Wheel" took about 2 hours to get it down to metal.....this panel has orignal primer,original paint,2 coats of paint by the way of paint brush...heavy in the paint.......what is the best way for me to remove the paint.....so i can do it myself?????thanks for all answers.......

Good question. I don't think I have the answer but I do have some thoughts.

I tried Redi-Strip. It doesn't really get everything (air pockets). I found that it seeped out of seams long after I thought it was dry. I waited a year before I did the body work and there way 'stuff' growing out of the seams. It's expensive. Our local shop puts you behind his 'regular' business so it takes awhile. You'll most likely get it done by hand much faster.

I've tried media blasting shops. They damaged areas that I specifically asked them not to blast (like my new radiator). There was sand and crap in the vents and everything else. If the truck is completely disassembled, this may be the way to go. I personally take large separate items like doors, fenders, etc. to the blast shop. I think I'll strip the body the way you are.

I've also heard that some people like to scrape the paint off with a razor blade.

Let us know what you find to be the best method.

Jerry

I used cheap aircraft paint stripper to get off the first few layers, then 80 grit on D-A locked out to get down to bare. Takes a while but fairly easy on metal. Used a siphon sand blaster on rusty spots. Brian

What ever you wind up doing you will learn that you will be trading time for dollars.

There is a local media blasting place here in the portland area that will strip a cab and all body parts for about $600 using walnut shells. This is the best deal I have seen although it will not deal with rust except to remove loose scale.

Any sand blasting should be done with very fine media or you will risk warping the panels. I know there are people who swear by it, but I have looked at the panels they proudly proclaim they sand blasted and they look like the pillsbury doughboy under paint.

Here is a link to Deve's writeup on sandblasting - note his cautions on health risks as well.

Deves Sandblasting Tips, Tricks and Links