# whats the best way/technique to strip paint off car



## stevedidi (Feb 6, 2008)

Hey i was wondering if someone could help me out im planning on saving a few bucks and want to strip my entire 64 by hand, what should i do ? should i put a paint thinner/stripper then scrape the paint off & light grind/sand the rest off .. untill its to its bair metal ? ? .. .. could i get a few suggestions


----------



## Hoss805 (Mar 11, 2005)

stevedidi said:


> Hey i was wondering if someone could help me out im planning on saving a few bucks and want to strip my entire 64 by hand, what should i do ? should i put a paint thinner/stripper then scrape the paint off & light grind/sand the rest off .. untill its to its bair metal ? ? .. .. could i get a few suggestions


if you want it to bare metal and there is multiple coats of paint and filler, then a 36 grit sandpaper on a soft pad 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/3M-8-Stikit-Disc-Pad-05579-Body-Shop-Stripping-Sanding-/200720182476?hash=item2ebbdaeccc&item=200720182476&pt=Motors_Automotive_Tools&vxp=mtr
 take it easy on the hood. the heat can warp it.. 
dont try to take it completely off, if you miss a few spots, then hit it with 80 grit on a DA sander


----------



## elphoenixquetzal (Oct 7, 2010)

Hoss805 said:


> if you want it to bare metal and there is multiple coats of paint and filler, then a 36 grit sandpaper on a soft pad
> 
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/3M-8-Stikit-Disc-Pad-05579-Body-Shop-Stripping-Sanding-/200720182476?hash=item2ebbdaeccc&item=200720182476&pt=Motors_Automotive_Tools&vxp=mtr
> take it easy on the hood. the heat can warp it..
> dont try to take it completely off, if you miss a few spots, then hit it with 80 grit on a DA sander


:thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## sand1 (Jul 14, 2008)

blast it off


----------



## KAKALAK (Mar 11, 2005)

I have always sanded paint off. But after seeing people use paint stripper Im going to go that route on my 66. Maybe messy but seems to save time, money, and materials.



Oh and for what ever route u go, make sure u got some epoxy or DTM to spray. It would suck to remove all the paint and then get surface rust back on it and then have to sand or chemically remove the rust


----------



## KAKALAK (Mar 11, 2005)

KAKALAK said:


> I have always sanded paint off. But after seeing people use paint stripper Im going to go that route on my 66. Maybe messy but seems to save time, money, and materials.
> 
> 
> 
> Oh and for what ever route u go, make sure u got some epoxy or DTM to spray. It would suck to remove all the paint and then get surface rust back on it and then have to sand or chemically remove the rust


and dont use rattle can primer :around:


----------



## browninthe810 (Mar 19, 2007)

Use aircraft stripper it takes it off in seconds, apply it with apaint brush and use a bondo spreader to remove it. I used a small plastic container to scrape the stripper/paint into. then sand down with 320 then seal it with primer saves alot of time and money on materials.


----------



## KAKALAK (Mar 11, 2005)

browninthe810 said:


> Use aircraft stripper it takes it off in seconds, apply it with apaint brush and use a bondo spreader to remove it. I used a small plastic container to scrape the stripper/paint into. then sand down with 320 then seal it with primer saves alot of time and money on materials.


----------



## LOCO-LOUIE (Aug 14, 2006)

*A*

Do not strip the car on a hot day. A cool day or in the shade is better. Use a paint brush like browinthe810 said,but do not go back in forth. What you do is dab it on or brush one way only. Do one section at a time .After you are done ,make sure to wash the section off with water to neutralize the effect of the stripper. dry it right away and apply primer ASAP.


----------



## fjc422 (Dec 20, 2010)

It's good to have cardboard laying under the area you're working to catch all the goop, makes for easy clean up


----------



## KAKALAK (Mar 11, 2005)

good info!


----------



## stevedidi (Feb 6, 2008)

thanks for the info :thumbsup:


----------



## browninthe810 (Mar 19, 2007)

sorry i said 320 grit when it should actually be 120 then primer


----------



## browninthe810 (Mar 19, 2007)

fjc422 said:


> It's good to have cardboard laying under the area you're working to catch all the goop, makes for easy clean up


 :yes::thumbsup:


----------



## slo (Jan 12, 2004)

yeah i hate chemical strippers such a mess. da 80gt or preferably 80gt on a 9" sander so you dount gouge the metal too much


----------



## texas12064 (Dec 6, 2011)

I stripped my 64 with a DA on grind with 80 grit. It took some time I jumped around so the metal would cool. Then I went over the car with 80 grit and the DA on orbit to finish missed spots. Then went over entire car with 150 grit. Like I said it took awhile but looked good. Then I etched primed and sprayed 3 coats of 2k primer. I didn't go with the liquid metal stripper because at work we stripped a few hoods for repaint, sanded, etch primed and primed and sealed then painted and we had adhesion problems. We stripped the same hood 3 times. I talked to the paint rep and followed all manufactors directions and still had the problem of paint not binding with the metal. So when I stripped my impala I took it down to bare metal the old school way. But I've heard of many people using paint strippers and not have any problems. So it's just up to you.


----------



## Hoss805 (Mar 11, 2005)

texas12064 said:


> I stripped my 64 with a DA on grind with 80 grit. It took some time I jumped around so the metal would cool. Then I went over the car with 80 grit and the DA on orbit to finish missed spots. Then went over entire car with 150 grit. Like I said it took awhile but looked good. Then I etched primed and sprayed 3 coats of 2k primer. I didn't go with the liquid metal stripper because at work we stripped a few hoods for repaint, sanded, etch primed and primed and sealed then painted and we had adhesion problems. We stripped the same hood 3 times. I talked to the paint rep and followed all manufactors directions and still had the problem of paint not binding with the metal. So when I stripped my impala I took it down to bare metal the old school way. But I've heard of many people using paint strippers and not have any problems. So it's just up to you.


80 grit heats up to much, thats the reason i use 36 , also if the paint underneath is laquer, that shit is gonna clog up your sandpaper real quick...


----------



## texas12064 (Dec 6, 2011)

I didn't use 36 cause I didn't want to gouge the metal. The reason I took the 64 down to bare metal was that it had a lacquer paint job and then a maaco paint job on top of that. Yeah the 80 grit did heat up and the lacquer did gum up the paper a little bit but I keep
Everything cool and just took my time. Long process but worth every minute.


----------



## LostInSanPedro (Nov 13, 2009)

if youve got alot of old paintjobs, I would scrape it off with a razor blade and then hit it with a da and 80 grit. I tried straight da at first and it was taking AGES, I had about 4 paintjobs. razor blades took off ribbons to the original paint.


----------

