The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Paint Removal

I just bought a 55 (2nd series) 3100 truck. My son and I are just starting to remove body parts beginning with the rear fenders. When we remove the parts we would like to begin removing the paint. I have a couple questions I would like to ask for help with.

I was planning on sanding the paint off with a pneumatic sander. I read somewhere that some people are worried that the original paint on these vehicles had lead in it. If it is the original paint, and I begin sanding, I don’t want my son to breathe in a bunch of the dust. Does a regular cloth facemask work well enough to protect him (us)? Or do I need to get a respirator of some sort.

Does a chemical stripper work better? I have read about problems associated with heat (from the sander) causing the metal to warp.

By the way, how (or where) do you find the paint codes for the vehicle to find out if it is original?

We are really looking forward to our first project.

Thanks for any advice!

Ross

welcome to the shop Ross! we love pictures here

grinding off the old paint you should be fine with a good dust mask, the respirator is for when you're spraying primer/paint, and you'll find that the fastest way to get the paint off is to start very coarse, like 40 grit - if you keep it moving there won't be a heating problem, the warping is more a sand blaster problem, on large flat panels

if you do some searching in the forums here you'll find some info on paint colors, and if you've got a code# from the data plate on the truck [drivers door jamb], you might be able to translate that to a name that will indicate what you should see on the truck - also pay attention to hidden areas when you take things apart and you'll usually be able to determine what it started out as

good luck, and be sure to get some pics and a story into the editor for the gallery, we especially like to hear about the upcoming generation of 'bolters!

Bill

Ross:
Welcome to the forum. Busting knuckles with your son makes a fun project great. You might check in at the paint chatting area, some real pros lurk over there.

Welcome Ross!

Take lots of pictures as you disassemble. They will, without a doubt, help you at the stage a reassembly.

With all due respect, 40 grit seems rather course, we use 80-100 in the body shop.

Just a thought, often it is easier to sand the panels when they are still attached to the vehicle. After you get the majority sanded, then remove the fender and go around the edges.

Chemical stripper's work real well and create no dust (meaning: the mess in not spread over the whole shop). We use aircraft paint stripper, brush it on. By the time you get around the vehicle you can scrape the paint off where you started.

Good Luck.

I've had good luck with CitrusStrip, found a home depot, hardware stores etc.. Friendly to work with, you can stay in the same area while it is working. I've gone thru 4 layers of paint on my '50, and it has done good. Works better in warmer weather I think, but it does blister up the old paint in no time. Costs about 12bucks a quart.

Mike

bluedot38,,,,,looks like you and DBONE have the same identical trucks. (dbones51) He's in Texas also.

Ross when you an the boy are sandin on the parts , I know it will be hot under the dust mask but sure the little fella keeps it on !
remeber you are dealin with OLD paint , an yes it has lead in it . one thing to remeber for all is watch cutting or welding were that old paint will burn, the fumes are worse than the dust for ya .
Had an Uncle that ended up with a severe case of lead poisin while torchin apart an old bridge he was hired to dismantle .
Better safe than sorry !

Thank you all for the advice.

I am tossed between the idea of stripper and sanding. I think I will begin with stripper. I have some experience with using a chemical stripper on wood. If it goes poorly, I think I will just sand while the parts are on the vehicle. If we do sand, we will wear some cloth dust masks. If it gets really dusty, I may have just do it by myself and have my son help once it down to bare metal.

Once again, thanks for the advice!

Whatever you do, don't strip or grind in a garage attached to a house, you will contaminate your house with lead dust. Do it outside or in a detached shop so your family isn't breathing it.

Hey Ross welcome. Ive sanded on past projects and I chemically stripped stuff and blasted. Sanding is good but sometimes it can do more damage on your metal depending on what grit you use. Sand blasting is good but not on flat thin panels like doors hoods roof and some fenders. Thats why most blasters use a walnut shell or lite media . Sand blasting can warp a panel quicker than a torch in the wrong hands. I have found for me that chem strip is better and lets you see whats there on each coat and what has been done. It doesnt warp or damage panels. You just have to make use you clean it with water afterwards to neutralize the stripper. Good luck.