I am fixing to take the next step in restoring my 74 hardtop. It has three previous paint jobs and I need to get them all down to the bare glass(or gel coat)before I start repainting.I really dont have an adequate source of air to sand it with and I certainly don't want to sand it by hand. Does anyone know of a stripper that is safe for glass, and won't mess it up to where it cannot be fixed?
-
-
Re: Paint stripper for this fiberglass body?
Chemical strippers are really the only way to go, some people like media blasting. I would be afraid of it being too aggressive. There are a few products on the market that will do the job. I used Cap't Lee's and BIX, both worked pretty well. The BIX product was cheaper and available at Home Depot.
Best from Connecticut...........Mark -
Re: Paint stripper for this fiberglass body?
John,
I had my 1963 roadster stripped by baking soda. It is a grit baking soda under pressure and works just like sandblating techniques do. I had mine done in Bloomfield, CT and I'm very happy with the results.
I did about a year's worth of research and found that if the chemical stripper is not completly rinsed out, it will seep back through the paint in a short while.
After they finshed blasting my car, they rinsed it down with a garden hose. My car was gutted and on a body dolly, but this process can be completed with all chrome and windows in.
The place in Bloomfield, CT is Aqua Blast.
If you have any questions, let me know.
JerryComment
-
Re: Paint stripper for this fiberglass body?
I've probably stripped a dozen or more Corvette bodies over the years and there've been 2 products that rose to the top of the pile: Dupont makes a stripper that's in a grey and white gallon can and considerably easier on glass than the strong stuff like aircraft stripper. I recently used the spray on Redi Strip stuff and it works well too, but is a little runnier on the vertical areas than I'm used to dealing with, with the gel types. There are several things to make it easier. First, duct tape over the door cracks to keep the stuff from running in there if the doors are still on. Second, on cars with multiple re paints, I like to scuff em with REAL coarse sandpaper first. It seams like the stripper attacks the paint better and quicker this way. You should in no case let the sanding get through the factory primer. If using a gel stripper, I wash the primer off the car with laquer thinner and scotch brite pads while the primer's still soft from the stripper. If using the Redi Strip, I've been using the laquer thinner for the final primer also, even thought the guys at the show always continue to use the stripper. I just don't like the stripper on bare glass, regardless of brand. On a couple of cars that had tough, catalized paint, I've done the aircraft stripper, but it's REAL DANGEROUS TO THE GLASS and you have to get it on and get it off in a hurry with NO EXPOSURE to any area that's already bare. Water seems to neutralize all these strippers, but I don't hit em with water until after I've washed em with laquer thinner. Just remember that when you strip through the factory primer you're going down to bare fiberglass. The "stripping down to the gel coat" is an old wive's tale. There's never been any gel coat on any Corvette from the factory, and again, when you get through the original primer you're in bare glass. One other thing, don't use anything any harder than a yellow plastic bondo spreader to scrape the paint or primer. Any type of metal scraper will leave damage in the glass. Dried stripper/softened paint mix is much harder to remove than the paint was in the first place. Once you commit to putting stripper in a given area, get it all off clean.Comment
-
Re: Paint stripper for this fiberglass body?
I'm very close to completing chemical stripping on my '64. Kleenstrip Fiberglass Stripper, GAF 354, is the product I'm using. Including hardtop I will have used 3 gallons at $23.97 each.
My car had 7 or 8 coats of various primers and finishes so there was a bit of a learning curve. On completing each area, to original primed fiberglass, I wash thorughly with water followed by an acetone scrub. I don't believe there will be a problem with the new paint.
Good luck!
Pat McInerneyComment
-
Re: Paint stripper for this fiberglass body?
I used Kleenstrip and taped all the door / hood steams to keep the gel out. I was able to control every layer that came off down to the primer. My 63 is painted now and looks beautiful..No problems with stripper leaching out. Just go one panel at a time / one layer at a time and stop at the original primer. Then sand or lacuer thinner that off and you're good to go. Once you remove the tape from the seams, just sand the remainder off. You dont want the stripper in the cracks and creavaces. My body shop recommened this process and they do a ton of Corvettes.Comment
Comment