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Sun Jun 29, 2008 1:48 pm

My car has had a second paint job(over the original paint)

How strongly do you recommend stripping down to bare metal?

If so, which method is best (chemical, wire wheel, ect)

I want to use a method I can do in my garage or back yard and that doesn't cost a lot

Sun Jun 29, 2008 3:43 pm

Not sure about how important it is, but I've been trying different methods. Sanding is incredibly slow, but gives a great result. Chemical stripping is awesome but make sure you have breathing protection, it's harsh. It's very effective but cleanup can be a bit of a pain. I'm going to get one of the twisted wire wheels for the angle grinder sometime this week and I'll let you know how it goes. I've been holding off because they look like they'll damage the bare metal, but many people on the forum swear by them.

If you're doing the whole car stay away from any attachments for a normal drill, you'll go through 50 of them and probably burn out 3 drills.

Sun Jun 29, 2008 4:23 pm

mattollila wrote: I've been holding off because they look like they'll damage the bare metal,

If you're doing the whole car stay away from any attachments for a normal drill, you'll go through 50 of them and probably burn out 3 drills.

they will warp the steel

Sun Jun 29, 2008 5:14 pm

I'll probably stir up a hornet's nest with this, but I've used these:

http://www.3mestore.com/3m-paint-and-rust-stripper.html

with success and haven't managed to burn up the trusty drill motor yet...

Sun Jun 29, 2008 6:36 pm

Yellowbeard wrote: I'll probably stir up a hornet's nest with this, but I've used these:

http://www.3mestore.com/3m-paint-and-rust-stripper.html

with success and haven't managed to burn up the trusty drill motor yet...

Yes, ive also used those and they work very well.

Mon Jun 30, 2008 4:21 pm

spook wrote: mattollila wrote: I've been holding off because they look like they'll damage the bare metal,

If you're doing the whole car stay away from any attachments for a normal drill, you'll go through 50 of them and probably burn out 3 drills.

they will warp the steel

What will warp the steel, the twisted wire wheel or the drill attachments?

Mon Jun 30, 2008 5:12 pm

I had my car media blasted it had over seven coats of paint on it. When they media blast the metal it does not remove the coating that is on the metal. If you sand it you can see the metal get shiny that is the coating coming off . They say you can leave the metal un finished for up to six months with out rusting. I was close to that and had minor surface rust in some spots. Kept the car insde at all times do not get it wet .

Mon Jun 30, 2008 6:27 pm

What type of end results are you looking for and what type of condition is the current paint in?

If the current job is not pealing, bubbling or flaking off you should be able to paint over it. Just make sure the paint is compatible. Ask your paint dealer if you don't know. This would be fine for a daily driver quality job.

If you want a show quality job you should strip it to bare metal. If it had been the original. VW paint, it may not have been necessary, but since you say it has been repainted at least once then it is probably best. This way you can see what you are really working with.

As for stripping at home, get some aircraft stripper from your paint supply place. Be sure to wear rubber gloves, long sleeves, long pants, old shoes and eye protection. (Preferably stuff you can just throw away afterward.) Goop it on, let it sit, then scrape it off with a putty knife. Its cheap, sorta effective and you can do it at home. But it burns your skin, and smells like 'ell, and by the time you are done you will have wished you had paid the money for someone else to do it. I know, because every time I do this I swear the same thing, then I cheap out and find myself with a can of stripper in one hand and a brush in the other on my next project. You will still have to mechanically strip any stubborn areas or areas with rust.

BTW, on my most recent project I found Klean Strip had aircraft stripper in a spray can. A little more expensive, but very nice to work with.

--louis

Mon Jun 30, 2008 7:35 pm

how long can I leave a car that is chemicaly stripped before it rusts
(I would keep it indoors)

Mon Jun 30, 2008 7:43 pm

jacobjordan24 wrote: how long can I leave a car that is chemicaly stripped before it rusts
(I would keep it indoors)

Once your done stripping you need to wash the panel throughly with water to clean any left over paint stripper residue from the panel. If you don't it could come back to haunt you when the car is repainted. The panel will start to rust right away if you don't cover it with something. I have had good luck with stuff like Ospho to stop the rust. It leaves a covering that should protect the panel unless it gets wet for a while. Just be sure to clean the panel again before painting. I would not leave it bare metal any longer than I have too. Once I am done bodyworking the panel it gets a coat of primer.

--louis

Mon Jun 30, 2008 7:55 pm

LouisB wrote: jacobjordan24 wrote: how long can I leave a car that is chemicaly stripped before it rusts
(I would keep it indoors)

Once your done stripping you need to wash the panel throughly with water to clean any left over paint stripper residue from the panel. If you don't it could come back to haunt you when the car is repainted. The panel will start to rust right away if you don't cover it with something. I have had good luck with stuff like Ospho to stop the rust. It leaves a covering that should protect the panel unless it gets wet for a while. Just be sure to clean the panel again before painting. I would not leave it bare metal any longer than I have too. Once I am done bodyworking the panel it gets a coat of primer.

--louis

WHat kind of material is this Ospho, if you dont mind me asking.

And just to check again (didn't see an answer) was the "it warps the metal" comment for the wire wheel method? I hope not, it seems to be my most effective method so far :)

Mon Jun 30, 2008 8:12 pm

yes, its for the wire wheel method, it heats up to much, causing the metal to warp. I would stick to a sander with a rough grit like 60 or 80, maybe 60 to get you through the first coats and 80once you get closer to metal, use a small sand blaster(harbor freight 12 bucks) with a medium media to get the crevaces. You need a decent sander with a 6" disc, and a decent amount of rpms, porter cable makes a nice right angle one with a variable speed setting, it works well.

Mon Jun 30, 2008 10:27 pm

I barely touch the wire wheel to the paint, there is no real heat buildup... if I barely touch the metal with the twisted wire wheel and there is little to no heat will it still warp the metal?

Thanks in advance,
--Matt (sorry for hi jacking your thread)

Tue Jul 01, 2008 2:52 am

mattollila wrote: I barely touch the wire wheel to the paint, there is no real heat buildup... if I barely touch the metal with the twisted wire wheel and there is little to no heat will it still warp the metal?

Thanks in advance,
--Matt (sorry for hi jacking your thread)
no heat no warp

Tue Jul 01, 2008 7:11 am

media blast is the fastest.... not cheap but quick and painless.

But I also agree with if the original paint is fine (no rust spots )

then just do a quick sand, primer, sand, prime, wet sand and paint.

Sat Jul 05, 2008 2:04 am

I just took my whole car down to bare metal a couple weeks ago.

If I had to do it again:
1) I would just pay someone to media blast it. I probably spent $400 on dozens of different sand papers, a new Dewalt Orbital when my Chicago Elec shelled out, wire cup wheels, scotch brite drill attachments, angle grinder sanding disc attachments etc etc.. the list goes on. Not to mention the aches and pains and dusty mess I was left with in the garage. On one door I ran into a puddle of bondo that was 1/2 inch think, and that's no exaggeration. I chipped it out with a flat head screwdriver (carefully) and cleaned the area with a wire cup. When I was done I popped the dent out from behind with the palm of my hand in about 3 seconds. It probably took the PO an hour to lay in all the crap and sand it smooth.

Maybe all of this could've been avoided if I would have tried the airplane stripper method. The only reason I didn't is because I was afraid of the toxic mess and it was over 110 degrees in my garage the whole week. I didn't want to die from the fumes.

I hear good things about the baking soda blasting, and you can leave the metal exposed for a long time because the soda keeps it from rusting.

next time... next time.

Sat Jul 05, 2008 10:17 am

Well, my beast is going to be left for about 3 months fully stripped down to bare metal... unless I strip it fast enough to throw some primer on it before I go out to sea.

I dont see anything more than a mild haze of dusty surface rust happening that cant easily be sand blasted off in a few seconds... worst case scenario anyway. We'll see what happens.

Mon Jul 07, 2008 1:57 pm

I've stripped one too many cars in my life. I just opt for the media blasting routine now. I've got a guy that will do a car for me inside and out for $850. People cringe when they hear that number, but I dropped it off and picked it back up the next weekend. The last car I stipped took me two days or more of my own time to do it. And I've got better things to be doing with my time.

Tue Jul 08, 2008 2:00 pm

Is it possible to just strip one layer of paint?

The p/o painted what looks like a cheap maco job and the original orange can be seen underneath in spots and where scratches are etc. Id like to just remove the crappy green. Put the stripper on and then take it right off or..?

Tue Jul 08, 2008 2:45 pm

vdubadm wrote: Is it possible to just strip one layer of paint?

The p/o painted what looks like a cheap maco job and the original orange can be seen underneath in spots and where scratches are etc. Id like to just remove the crappy green. Put the stripper on and then take it right off or..?

Definatley. There are a few threads on this topic. Everything from light sanding the top layer til you hit OG; to using oven cleaner to strip the newest layers. If you do a little digging you can find some pretty recents posts on this.