Stripping paint off a car...

[Stokes_]

Started restoring my old Jeep, and being that it's cold as hell outside I'm looking to minimize the amount of time in my unheated shop. I've never used paint stripper on a car before, can you use just any type of household paint stripper?

 

[Duke55]

I use a variable speed sander/polisher with a foam pad that accepts 8" sticky back sanding discs. I usually use 80 grit. If the vehicle has been painted several times you can start with paint stripper and speed the process us.

 

[e30bradley]

i think so. At school (auto body) we strip by sanding with an 8" grinder.

 

[Thumper68]

Find a local media blaster and have the body blasted and sealed.

 

[Mr. 360]

I used Recochem's gel-type paint stripper (see google image below) when I stripped the paint off my old Wagoneer a few years back. It worked pretty well and was about 10 bucks a can. I used 4 946ml cans on a full size wagoneer, to give you a sense of coverage.

you can just spread it on with a brush or rubber bondo spreader, then cover the area with tin foil, otherwise the stuff evaporates before it gets into the paint. I found it worked pretty well but I did have to do some sanding and wire-wheeling afterwards. The pics below are what it did to my hood, apologies for the image size.

I did this in September in central Ontario, so it was probably about 20 celsius at the time, much warmer than now. I'd just smear it on, and let it sit for a few hours. Also, it will soften body filler after a while, just fyi.

more detailed post here
http://ericspringate.blogspot.ca/

Good luck, It's not really the most fun project, especially in winter. If you're doing it indoors you should be ok, if you're doing it outdoors, not so sure. I wouldn't be as ambitious, especially if you end up with bare steel and it snows. I'd almost be tempted to wait til spring to strip the paint, but that's just me

 

[188slo50]

You can use just about any strip the hardware store sells but the more coats of paint they longer it takes. I did my whole car which PO had changed color 3x and took almost 2 gal.

 

[nutjob]

If the Jeep is still together use some type of tape to cover any seams and openings. Its a real mess to have the paint stripper drip into the jambs. Deal with this later as a seperate small project. I used razor blades to remove the stripper/paint from the steel, be careful not to gouge the metal and change it often. Course steel wool and laquer tinner works good to remove whatever is left on the metal. Or stripper and course steel wool. You will need to try a few things to see what works best on your paint. After all this the sander with a course paper will go fast to finish prep the metal.

But, finding a plastic media blaster would be the best.

Research yourself to see if you really want to use a soda blaster. Lots of good/bad reviews.

Kevin

 

[kustom53]

nice! I'm starting the resto on my '63 Big Back window Fleetside...I'll have to try that out!

 

[Thumper]

I used this stuff......worked pretty good, but wear gloves with any stripper.
Just don't use it on aircraft...LMAO..

 

[ezzzzzzz]

Save yourself loads of trouble. Contact Tidewater Sodablasting to have this work done. They are located in Chesapeake Va in the South Norfolk area. The prices are reasonable too. A good friend, Kevin, does the sodablasting and other blasting options are available for heavier deposits like undercoating. He'll come to you if the distance and deal can be worked out too.

http://www.tidewatersodablasting.com/

 

[930dreamer]

Look at the Dustless blasting video's on YouTube.

 

[SlappyWhite]

The chemical reaction for paint stripper is temperature dependent. If it is "cold as hell" in the unheated shop you are going to get some very disappointing results.

If it is cold, the 80 grit method noted above will work better than stripper. BUT, how are you going to prime it after stripping if it is cold in the shop?

 

[Vegaman_Dan]

Time vs. Money

If you have the time, then aircraft paint stripper applied with a brush and covered with foil (to keep it from evaporating too fast) will do the job. you'll be cleaning and sanding the remainder when done, plus removing any of the stripping agent. It's labor and time, but not terribly expensive.

I've never had a car blasted. If it was anything less than $500, I'd probably do that. My emergency operations group had an equipment trailer blasted then painted with an epoxy primer sealer that was fantastic. Really made a huge difference. I don't recall how much they charged. Today I think I'd do that.

I have my Triumph Spitfire body to take off and be done. I think I'll be hauling that to a local place for work.