I have a 63 Cadillac Eldorado that I am about to start sanding down and painting primer flat black. I live in Louisiana and its gets kind of hot out here.. so here are my questions 1) what is the best stuff to use to strip down the paint? 2) if using sander / da what grit should I use? 3) what is the best way and the best paint to use for a nice flat black primer look ?
the aircraft stripper stuff out of a jug works pretty good for peeling the old paint away but it gets kinda messy and smelly, so take caution...then i just use an orbital sander and finish it off
You can get good quality stripper at Napa or a paint store. The crap they sell at HD and Lowes is for girls,,won't touch house paint, let alone auto paint. I won't use it anymore,,to messy and will ruin alot of sandpaper when you try to sand it. We sanded my 55 with 100 grit down through 6 layers of paint. It took awhile but in the end it will work out better. I've heard stories about not getting all the stripper out of nooks and crannys and ruining an expensive paint after a rain storm. When you prime, do 2 heavy coats and the sand with 300 and do a "guide" or "dust" coat with a different color primer,wet sand with 600, then you're ready for the final coat.
Got to rinse real good to not have a problem later. Aircraft stripper the best BUT use gloves!...Been burned up more than once.
Just remember that primer is made to promote adhesion of paint. That means it will soak up the moisture from the air, let alone rain. If you're gonna run it that way I suggest a flattened single stage paint.
cool ya the cool thing is I do most of my work out on my brother in laws / sister's land out in the country outside of shreveport. They have a ton of acreage, air compressor, welding machines and more there so since I live with them it works out great. Thanks for the information though. Ya I have heard great things about the aircraft stripper saying that all you have to do is kinda like paint it on, wait a few minutes and then sand it down. Thats what my friend did with her 57 Ranchero and all of the parts. The reason that I am sanding it down is cuz there is some rust through in some spots that I need to reweld and some other minor work and then rebuilding the motor as well
Not sure how long you plan on letting the stripper set. Catch it while it's still liquid, you'll see the paint blister up. Then just use a putty knife or scraper to remove it. If you let it sit long enough to dry up you defeat the purpose of using it. And definitely use gloves.
The best thing to get the paint off is 3M Clean n' strip on a good grinder This stuff is really industrial grade scotchbrite I buy the large pads for stripping floors and cut it ito smaller discs 3M is funny a 3" disc costs about the same as a 12" .... 18-24 are just a bit more It doesn't like sharp edges but you can clean a car in one day and just sweep up the mess
To keep the stripper working longer in those hot climates, after you put it on, cover the square or area you just put stripper on with some sections of thin plastic like the rolls you can get at Lowes etc. Wipe it down with your hands,(the plastic), getting all the air bubbles out. Now you have more time before you get back to it, because it can't dry as fast. You use less stripper and it cuts in a little deeper on each application. Also , go over you area your stripping with some 80 grit on the D.A. to rough up the paint and it will work better to, before you start. You can peel the plastic and keep using it over and over till your done. I usually go over the rough stuff with 80 grit D.A. when I'm done. If any blasting needs to be done , do it next. Then I go over the panel with 180 grit D.A., then put some PPG DP 90 paint straight on it . Then I go back and fix rust, dents etc. That's what I do.
I love these pads! ever since I found them its all ill use. Makes a mess, best to do it outside if you can and definately use a respirator and safety glasses.
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