TheSamba.com :: View topic - Removing aftermarket paint to get OG paint

Tue May 24, 2016 8:53 am

And now I have an entire new appreciation for what goes on in this thread!
Method- Easy off oven cleaner... when layer bubbles, straight razor scrape and repeat. When last layer is revealed, wash down and switch to 0000 steel wool then elbow grease down to dove blue. This area took one can of the cleaner. I was bold and started out front and center! If this area didn't come out nice... the rest would've been pointless to me. To each his own.

Thu May 26, 2016 12:13 pm

thats cleaning up nice. the heavy duty EZ Off oven cleaner works better that the regular stuff. also try using a heat gun or hair dryer to warm the panel up in small sections, that helps tremendously. keep it up!

Mon May 30, 2016 8:56 pm

Hi
This site is great, thank you all for your contributions.

This is my first post and I am looking for advice on OG paint to the engine compartment as well as the rest of the car.

I would like to restore the OG paint wherever possible on the car and touch up spots with dulled/mixed paint.

Regarding engine compartment, there is quite a bit of surface rust to the RHS. Do I use rust remover to remove as much of this as possible? Do I then sand down or simply seal, or paint? Whatever I do I guess I have to neutralise that rust...

I have not had much luck restoring OG paint from the vehicle. I think I need more elbow grease... and have visited hardware shops today to buy as many products as I can. I am in a remote location and that means that products such as Easyoff and graffiti remover, acetone do not seem to available. Paint remover is, and sandpaper and scotch brite equivalent so tomorrow i'll arm myself with those and a big bucket of water, as suggested on this forum.

Am I right in thinking it will be a real pity to not give it my best shot in restoring OG paint? Other option would be to paint new...

Your advise and tips are much appreciated. I am doing this as best as I can and wish to give the bus the respect it deserves.

Mon May 30, 2016 10:01 pm

so I was reading through this forum, has anyone had any experience with removing actual Spray paint? there is a bus i was thinking about buying that just has a bunch of spray paint on it. will this be much faster to remove than actual paint? I know it was said that with removing paint it could take a few weekends, but could i get pray paint removed in a day with a couple friends? or would it be a few weekends like other paint? thanks.

Mon May 30, 2016 11:55 pm

gingergypsy wrote: so I was reading through this forum, has anyone had any experience with removing actual Spray paint? there is a bus i was thinking about buying that just has a bunch of spray paint on it. will this be much faster to remove than actual paint? I know it was said that with removing paint it could take a few weekends, but could i get pray paint removed in a day with a couple friends? or would it be a few weekends like other paint? thanks.

Yes, it's probably easier as it's usually lower quality paint.

But it really depends more on how it was applied.
If they cleaned the surface really well and so on.

Wed Jun 01, 2016 9:52 am

EverettB wrote: gingergypsy wrote: so I was reading through this forum, has anyone had any experience with removing actual Spray paint? there is a bus i was thinking about buying that just has a bunch of spray paint on it. will this be much faster to remove than actual paint? I know it was said that with removing paint it could take a few weekends, but could i get pray paint removed in a day with a couple friends? or would it be a few weekends like other paint? thanks.

Yes, it's probably easier as it's usually lower quality paint.

But it really depends more on how it was applied.
If they cleaned the surface really well and so on.

I would also add.. there is no exact science. Putting a timeframe on the process... such as a day and two friends would likely lead to pressing the issue and losing original paint. It really is to each his own and what works for the individual vehicle based on time, effort and paint types. There are far too many variables to label a one and done technique.

Wed Jun 08, 2016 1:41 pm

Keep on keepin on...

Tue Jun 21, 2016 7:04 am

Thu Sep 15, 2016 12:16 pm

First time trying to remove old paint. Do you think I should polish or wax it? Some parts I will have to try to blend the paint.

Mon Nov 28, 2016 7:55 pm

put this on for 5 minutes and just wiped off

I mean it's probably going to look terrible when done, but it's trial and error.

Fri Mar 10, 2017 4:55 pm

I am trying to remove the paint on my double cab. I have done one test section and it is pretty rough. The truck looks like it was extensively body worked before it was last painted. They sanded down all the high spots to bare metal and used filler to fill in the low spots. Take a look. I was really excited to strip the paint down on this as it might be the only known double cab in the Postal Yellow color. It does still have the M code plate it started out as a postal yellow color per the m code and all other evidence.

Do you think I should keep going? I am not sure how much original paint is left as it appears it was sanded and body worked pretty seriously. It has original paint, then a quick repaint in the original yellow, then primer and red, then black primer and a grey base coat. It is a lot of coats and the top two were professionally down so they do not come off easily. It also has skim costs of bondo to even out the low spots.

Fri Mar 17, 2017 3:46 pm

ronjonlasvegas wrote:
..Do you think I should keep going?

I can fully understand your a bit disappointed. My front and doors turned out to be sanded with 80 grit, while they left the rest untouched.

I think if you strip some more panels and you see the postal yellow appearing, you get more excited, despite the sanded/filled spots.
What technique do you use to get the paint off btw?

Wed Mar 22, 2017 2:11 pm

I would take a magnet and see how much bondo there is around the truck to help determine the likelyhood of how much OG paint remains I think you should keep going. you obviously found a pretty decent method for removing the paint. maybe try something more aggresive to keep motivated

Tue Mar 28, 2017 6:14 am

volksheime wrote: I would take a magnet and see how much bondo there is around the truck to help determine the likelyhood of how much OG paint remains I think you should keep going. you obviously found a pretty decent method for removing the paint. maybe try something more aggresive to keep motivated

I had a little more free time and stripped some more paint off last weekend. I am using citrus strip and a razor blade scraper from Home Depot.

Thu Apr 20, 2017 7:15 pm

FWIW, after trying a few known methods, the really simple rag soaked with acetone applied to the repainted surface & wiped off worked really well on my Bus.

& the acetone doesn't affect the original paint.

Wed May 17, 2017 3:48 pm

Getting there... just Gotta blend fenders and repairs when I'm done.

Sat Jun 03, 2017 7:32 am

After too many hours of work, but it's nice to see some progress.

The bottom half will be fixed and repainted at some point, but instead of driving around with a bondo mess (it was in a wreck on the left rear), i'll peel it back and paint it later.

Some of it comes of like a knife through butter, and some of it no amount of scrubbing and respraying and scrubbing again will take it off. Wonder why.

Using Lift-Off to remove the primer, and Oven Cleaner seems to work best for the old blue paint.

Tue Jul 11, 2017 5:37 pm

Started with this

Now at this point:

Using this:

Spray on, wait to bubble, scrape off with FRESH razor blade. Spray on again, wipe off remainder with red scotch-brite pad. Rinse.

Any tips on touching up the bare-spots?

Thu Jul 13, 2017 9:25 am

So my bus is covered in a thick layer of rattle canned primer. Have dabbled with using Motsenbockers graffiti remover and it actually is working great.

However, the primer is on there so frigging thick that it is taking forever and making a huge mess. Can I knock down the thickness with a sander and then use the chemical to remove a thinner layer?

If so, what recommendations? Grit? I want it to be aggressive enough to remove material and not get gummed up, but not so aggressive as to go right through the primer and into the paint.

Sucks because the thickness varies so much.

Thu Aug 17, 2017 7:46 am

Hummer wrote: So my bus is covered in a thick layer of rattle canned primer. Have dabbled with using Motsenbockers graffiti remover and it actually is working great.

However, the primer is on there so frigging thick that it is taking forever and making a huge mess. Can I knock down the thickness with a sander and then use the chemical to remove a thinner layer?

If so, what recommendations? Grit? I want it to be aggressive enough to remove material and not get gummed up, but not so aggressive as to go right through the primer and into the paint.

Sucks because the thickness varies so much.

I checked out the pictures in your galley. You have got some work ahead of you :lol:
But I think the final result can be very satisfying!
Can't advise you really on the grit (maybe start with medium grid and take coarse grid if it takes too long).
In my experience sanding the primer a bit to rough it up makes the paint remover bite much better and deeper on the first try.
Good luck!