Ok, so somebody put some crappy Earl Schieb type paint job on this car a few years ago. It is pretty thin and peeling in all the spots next to trim, emblems. etc. Overspray on the trim is common. I pulled the emblems and such, lots of dirt under them.

I plan on painting the car, but don't really plan to go to bare metal on the whole car. But I do want to get to the factory paint/primer before I spray primer on it.

Do I just sand it all off, or is there a better way to remove the crummy paint before I sand all the factory paint.

I did this on my motorcycle, and I will be doing it on my car:

Basically I buy that "aircraft paint remover" or "naval jelly" (whatever it's called, there's an airplane on the can). It comes in a spraycan and a normal pour can...I haven't tried the spray can.

You brush the stuff on the paint and it eats it to bare metal, sometimes you have to apply it a few times. Depending on the paint you can just hose it off, or scrape it off with a plastic scraper. Be sure to hose it all off and wipe down the bare metal with alcohol before priming it.

Fast and easy way to take it to bare metal. I would be wary of that poor outer layer of paint, if you decide to sand, you need to make sure you've sanded past that poor outer later everywhere before you paint it...since that outer layer is thin and isn't sticking well.

I used that stuff when stripping the Hpak duster to find all the hidden damage it had... make sure to wear gloves, a long sleeve 'junker' shirt, and goggles.... the stuff is like 'acid' goop... Get the gallon can if doing the whole car, brush on wait a few minutes, scrape old paint off with a shellac knife, or if it got the whole panel, wash it off with a hose, and repeat as necessary, dry panels and store in a dry area out of the weather.

-D.Idiot

And if you do get any of the goop on you, rinsing with water will neutralize it. And start applying it from the bottom, as the vapors will rise as it works, helping to loosen paint above the application area as you continue to work.

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Y'know, my Dart sounds a lot like Anthony Michael Hall's Canadian girlfriend in "The Breakfast Club"...

I just want to re-state how important it is to COMPLETELY rinse this stuff off, if you go this route. I even wiped it down with a sponge while rinsing.


To be extra safe wipe it down with rubbing alcohol at the end. You don't want any residue of this stuff interfereing with new paint/primer.

Use a high pressure power washer, and be sure to get some primer on it ASAP.

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David Kight
'62 Valiant Signet, White
'98 Dodge Dakota
'06 Jeep Liberty

Growing older is unavoidable but growing up is strictly optional.

You may be able to shave the offensive layer off with a razor blade scraper. Some work well but most have the wrong angle and dig in too much.

I’ve had mine a few years and this one looks different. If they haven’t changed the basic design, Snap-On makes the best one I’ve found: (It’s also the best thing to scrape paint stripper off with)

http://tinyurl.com/6mn2zn

But if it’s too hairy, it may be better to strip it. The best thing about stripping to the metal is that the car is ready to paint when you are done. No priming and blocking, no scratches in old paint to fill, no old paint to lift, no feather sanding, no primer to go bad and bubble or swell later, less money.

Metal sanded with an orbital sander and 80 grit is ready to paint. Just spray it with a sealer made for bare metal, wait 30 minutes, and paint it.

Danny

Sounds like fun . Thanks for the tips

When I suggested using a power washer it was to clean up the paint stripper, not to remove the paint. After a second reading I saw that I hadn't made that very clear.

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David Kight
'62 Valiant Signet, White
'98 Dodge Dakota
'06 Jeep Liberty

Growing older is unavoidable but growing up is strictly optional.

I've used the POR-15 brand paint stripper and thought it worked quite well. I found that I couldn't follow the instructions and let it sit a long time, but rather had to start scraping fairly quickly. I also found that it is very unpleasant to get any on your skin, so be careful. It seemed to cleanup quite easily with water.