So it's gonna take a whole lot of time and a whole lot of sanding pads. I was thinking of using sanding pads on a grinder. Any guess how long it'll take to do my '50 chevy truck?
Depends on how much paint & rust there is ! I use an orbital sander ! I can do a fender in no time with 80 g. you should get the cab done in a day if you keep on it without too many breaks .
Laziness, seriously! Click here, it was just talked about... Coupe was sandblasted and the dash was chemically stripped.
I never used a grinder with a sanding pad, I have how ever used an orbital sander..got a little dewalt one that takes 5 inch sanding disk..usually start out with 60 or 80 grit depending on how many layers of paint on it..then work my way up to finer grits.. I worry more about swirls in the metal from sanding with something to powerful or paper to course then having it show up through the paint later.. knew a guy how did this with a gto convertible, tired to tell him he was using to course of a paper which he was rubbing back and forth and side to side..showed right up through his paint ..Im sure other guys have used different methods,sanders,strippers, and media..personally I hate sanding, and since I dont have a compressor to use air power ones its either the orbital or media blast..and after the last project, media blasting is looking like the way to go.. youll spend about 300 bucks in sandpaper and time it takes to strip it down..least in my opinion.. prep is one of the most important parts of the body work..dont take shortcuts..
Hey, If it has as much paint as the last fifties peek up I did I'd start with a 24 grit closed coat disc on a 7'' or 9'' grinder. This is gonna produce alot of dust, but much faster than fuckin' 'round with chemi stripper or a bed wettin'- momma's boy 4'' grinder and a sleeve of 80 grit DA paper! This 24 grit and grinder method will get you within 90% of the factory primer under the oem paint job. Stop PRIOR to hitting bare metal with the last grinder pass, and finish off the panel with 80 grit on a DA sander. Be sure to pratice on some scrap panels with the grinder, and learn control of the machine. Always use sharp grinding discs and eye protection! Swankey Devils C.C. "Spending A Nation Into Generational Debt Is Not An Act Of Compassion!
Sounds like i have alot of grinding to do lol. I did one of the fenders in about an hour with my dewalt orbital sander a couple months ago. Now all I need to do is learn how to do body work lol
If you are taking off paint, why not use some aircraft stripper? Brush it on and use a plastic spreader to take it off. There are some good ones out there. I might be a lot cheaper than sanding disc's, save them for the next step.
A tip if your going to use chemical stripper. Aircraft stripper is the best. What I have done in the warmer months when using chemical ,is once the panel is coated cover the panel with some plastic sheeting.This does 2 things,it keeps the stripper wet and the warm temps wont dry it out,and it alows the chemicals to react longer thus making it easier for the paint to come off.Wash off with hose , dry it ,da sand it.
So um where can I get aircraft stripper. I've seen it at wal-mart but people say that kind sucks. Which one do I buy and where
My wife stripped a complete 53 Suburban all by herself with the stuff from Home Depot. KleenStrip I think it was called. Metal gallon cans with white and orange labels if I recall. I never lifted a finger. All her. Over the course of 2 weeks, just picking at it when she felt like it. I posted pics as she did it a couple years ago. *Disclaimer* She did it because she hated the green, and I didnt care, and just because she could and felt like it.
I've used most of the methods talked aobut, in one ppproject or another, depends on the situation. Hell, you can even try using a razor blade to strip most of the paint off...depends on the paint aand how well it adhered to the body. I am a big fan of those paint strip discs that they sell at autobody shops and Home Depot places. I get the ones for a 4 1/2 in. grinder for most of the body and a drill mounted one for details. But other methods work well, depending on how much work you want to do, how much money you have, and how much chemical fume you are willing to put up with! And if you plan on doing any sort of bodywork, stay away from places like Walmart! Go find your local body shop supply and make friends!
Lowe's has a kleen strip with a squirt bottle that werkz great. the hotter it is (80*-100*), the better it werkz also
I razor bladed my Plymouth, it had been painted three times, the original black, then a light yellow and finally a hot pink! What I discovered using the blade was that the last two coats came off almost complelty and the original paint was tough as nails. In some places the blades took off two foot runs of paint two layers deep in one motion, taking just a few seconds. I'll do the jambs and the original paint with discs and 80/120 grit. Bladed the whole car, incl fenders in a couple of evenings. Get the hundred blade packs, change them often, and wear eye protection... you're going to snap some blades and they'll go flying in any direction!. AND if you see lead filler! stop! and sand that area!
I dont really care much for the paint strippers. I always managed to get that crap on my skin and have to do a mad dash for a hose pipe. That crap BURNS! If you have a Harbor Freight Near you just go pick up one of there cheapest Orbital Sanders. Ive burned up DOZENS of mid priced sanders before I finally learned the $19.00 dollar ones work just as good. Hell, at that price...there disposable .You can usually get the pads super cheap there too. Get the Velcro kind though. The sticky kind are trash.
3m strip disks 9 inchers, kinda pricy, but one disk will do an entire cab, hood and fenders from a 49 chevy truck the most awesome of awesome.... word
What he says - plus buy yourself a Makita GV 5010 sander from Home Depot - awesome tool. Cheapest I have found the purple 3M kleen strip discs is from CTI Abrasives in Santa Ana, CA. I would recommend the 6" discs as the larger one are difficult to center and vibrate like hell when eccentric. This will knock out sander bearings. I did this in a weekend with a buddy - 7 coats of paint and bondo including the factory original paint.
The Zone has the good Aircraft stripper around here. Soda blasting will remove paint but not rust. I was quoted $600 to have a 4 door Fairlane and the engine compartment stripped. If using sand paper, keep changing the disc when they wear out. It took me 4 hours and a dozen pieces of 80 grit on a DA to strip a Mustang deck lid and etch prime it earlier this week. Keep the sander moving and take off one layer of paint at a time. tnrotter
Sandblasting......two day turnaround and your fingers don't hurt afterwords....hehe A good sandblaster can get all the mud and rust off with sand......and it's cheaper than using soda.....my T coupe was $200 to clean, body, doors, decklid.
Sand/media blasting, only way to go! You drop it off someone does the nasty work you come home with pieces that almost look new! Price may be a little more but think of all the hours you would have spent doing it. I had a bad experience with chemical strippers, could have been my fault by not cleaning it with right product after I used it, but in my case the chemical had a reaction with the paint.
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