Hi Fellas Im trying to get my 34 coupe ready for registration here in Japan, if by chance you are interested in it here's the thread. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/1934-3w-in-japan.1248273/ I asked in that but am thinking as another member suggested I may get some additional ideas by posting specifically on the issue here. Now back in the 70s when this was built they used a LOT of filler over the welded in roof panel to give it some crown rather than just flat, well Im guessing that's what they did. Now some of that filler lasted the nearly 50s years and some didnt as the car was under a tarp for MANY years. In paces it has to be in excess of 1/4" thick. I will need to clean this all up for its rego inspection. Whats the best way to remove this? I started with a small blunt wood chiesl yesterday to some effect but have a long way to go. I applied Gibbs to any exposed metal when it arrived here in Nov last year. There is a hood liner inside I would rather not disturb. Thanks Pete
oldiron, if he doesn't remove it all and adds new stuff on top of what is there, in a year or two it will look about like it does where the paint has cracks now. The new filler doesn't bond with the old stuff worth a carp. Been there, done that. Use the 3M stripping wheels with a respirator, like Anthony says. Get it all down to the steel.
36 grit ! Just kidding keep the pad or grinding disc in motion , if do warpage will be a lesson learned
propane torch and a putty knife ; will soften up and come off with some scraping , wear a respirator fabricator john miss you dad
Angle grinder and a 36 grit sanding disc. Respirator and do it outside, definitely. That 50 year old stuff may very well contain asbestos.
Get ya a backing pad and sanding disc for your buffer. It's low speed, doesn't generate tremendous heat, and makes quick work of old paint and filler. You can get a 60 grit disc.
These will do the job better than the 36 grit grinding disc, in my opinion. They will not remove any metal in the process either.
I like the big version of the Scotch Roloc discs, fit in my angle grinder. Very very effective and don't produce as much heat as flap wheels or flat sanding discs, as the air can flow through the fibers of the disc. However, any method you employ with rapidly spinning abrasives will fill your neighborhood with white dust. Phil
Ya mentioned trying to leave the headliner in place. Removing it would let ya do some metal work which would reduce the amount of mud needed
Thanks all so far. Will be buying a 3M 1/2 face respirator. Any reccemnedations of which filters I should be using for this job?
I never used one, but I've heard a ton of great reviews about the Eastwood Contour tool, it's a different kind of flappy grinder (more like a barrel shape instead of a flat disc) that's supposed to be great for paint and filler stripping and would really clean up the rust without grinding off metal. I'm not sure if they ship to Japan but it's something I would look into if I had to do that job. I use a lot of flap discs on my angle grinder but I'd be worried about thinning out the metal, you can take a lot of metal off with one of those things. 80 grit sandpaper on a DA in the spin mode also works but again, needs to be done with great care. Light heating with a propane torch works great but I wouldn't try it if you're trying to keep your headliner intact.
I find a stiff wire cup wheel on a 4 inch grinder to remove filler quickly. It will eat it away and not remove any underlying metal, which may already be compromised and thin from previous work. This method works for me.
Heat gun rather than open flame and putty knife to get the bulk off with no dust. Follow with a grinder and stripping disk. I just did my 56 PU, several coats of paint and lots of filler from old work. Tried all the suggestions and then some. The heat gun and stripper disk won hands down.
As Thick as that bondo is I'd think taking most of the bondo off with a 7 inch disk sander or polisher with a 36 grit disk and then when you just get to the metal switch to and 80. The 36 grit will just make a bigger mess in the metal as it will leave scrtches that have to be removed. I've got an Eastwood countour and it works great on surface rust and paint but I have never tried it on heavy bondo. I don't know what they have to match it in Japan though. Speaking of "doing it in Japan", it will probably what you have available localy to work with rather than ordering somethign from the states. My cab has a lot of mud on one corner that may well be about that thick with a big rusty crack showing in it so it won't hurt anythign If I play a bit in the morning to do a show and tell except guys will know how ugly the metal is under that mud.
Don't sand/grind all that shit into the air. No need. All the torch or heat suggestions, are the way. Not a lot, move around and have a heavy duty putty knife. Minor leftovers clean easy.
Hey, Pete; The suggestions on heat n then 3m stripper disc are the way to go. Least amt of mess in the air. Do it in a well ventilated area if possible. Quick & efficient use of time n energy. When I did it, I didn't heat the metal any more than I had to, but only had a 1500w hair dryer - didn't work, butane torch, which did, but slightly slow, & an Ox/act torch w/low feathered flame. Worked very well, bondo got hot quickly, almost too fast before it bubbled, almost slid off. Stripper pad cleaned it up nicely. I'd probably use a heat gun if avail, or the butane torch again. Marcus...
Propane torch with a "fishtail" tip, leather gloves, putty knifes with the corners rounded so they won't gouge the metal. This is also the way I remove old undercoating.
On areas with thick bondo, and starting to peel away, you can even just slide a wide chisel under it, keeping it close to the surface, and just chip away. I've even used an air chisel to do this. Esp. since you'll be doing extensive metalworking anyway!
The Jalopy Journal
