[Amphilophus]

I was wondering what the best way of striping the car down to metal? thanks.

[Greg Reid]

You mean what's the best way to skin a cat?
Might as well ask that 'cause there are even more ways.
Here's what I've found works for me; A combination of razor scraper, chemical stripper and 4-1/2" grinder/polisher with 60 or 80 grit. I also like a 4 inch wire cup on that same grinder.
I used the razor scraper to take the top coat off. I like the curled up sheets of paint better than the dust from a sander and the goop from aircraft stripper...After I used the scraper, I use the grinder/polisher to take the primer coat off to bare metal.
The aircraft stripper I use very sparingly just because I consider it so messy.
I've used a bunch of other stuff too, trying to find the quickest way but so far, these things have worked best for me so I won't even mention all the other stuff.
I'm still looking for better ways though...

[Amphilophus]

what about having it blasted? will this damage anything?(other than the pocket book) I will do it manually if I have to but I really dont want the mess.

[PetesPonies]

I do it like this. I used an electric sander/buffer. I use an 8" velcro pad and Norton "Blue" 80 grit discs. The "Blue" Norton discs are an important part as most discxs wear out very fast, these last a long time. I can strip a car in about 4-5 hours with this; pretty good.

[Larry Navarro]

i use the rectangle, flat-pad sander which works well and doesn't gouge the paint like a rotary sander can easily do.
IMO....its the CLEANEST way to EFFECTIVELY remove paint.
However, the razor scaper method Greg mentions may be the best.

[Greg Reid]

Some people like blasting but it just gets everywhere and I'm not really fond of it myself. It can definitely warp large flat panels too if you don't know exactly what you're doing.
The problem with my car is that it's been painted no less than three times and I've counted 7 layers of paint and primer. It has been VERY labor intensive but I've only got the hood left to do. The paint heats up as I'm sanding and gums up the paper really quickly.

Pete's Ponies, what sized grinder do you with that setup? I've been considering that 8" pad that you mentioned as the guy at the autobody supply store mentioned the same thing but I wonder if my 4.5" can handle it.

[lil64gto]

Greg,

When I did my 64 I bought an electric buffer/sander with variable speed. I got it from NAPA and it was about $60.

I don't think that your 4.5 grinder would handle the increase in pad size without some serious fatigue.

Jim

[DOC]

I did what petesponies did except I used 36 grit blue norton discs. I went through about 14 of them for the whole 2nd gen bird. Only problem was I had to go back w/ 80 grit on a "DA" and smooth the scratches in the metal. Let me remind everyone that my uncle was the original owner and had it painted 2 different times on top of the factory paint, these were two heavy coats and were painted down in Mexico. The paint was hard as nails. The paint came off in big nests / fuzzy balls of paint......

[Greg Reid]

Jim, my "grinder" is also a sander/buffer and variable speed. I suppose I should have gotten a larger one but the day I really had my heart set on getting one, it was the only variable speed job I could find.
It has really worked out great with a wire cup though. Totally leaves my DA sander in the dust when it comes to stripping paint. No pun intended. and it leaves the metal with a nice finish.

[troyjensen]

IF these wire cups work well, where do you get them at? and what size?

[Greg Reid]

I got my wire cup at Sears but I've seen them at Home Depot and Lowe's. I got the kind of pricey one ($15) that can hold together up to 13,000rpm. It's 4" in diameter.
But hold the phone... I bought something called a "Flap Disk" and Home Depot yesterday because I'm always looking for something better. This thing stripped the paint so fast it almost scared me. It was like wiping wet paint off with a rag.
Mine was made by Norton and I got it at Home depot for less than $5. It's threaded to fit an angle grinder and or polisher. Here's a picture of it so you'll know it if you see it. I accidentally got 40 grit and it's just too much so I didn't continue to use it. I need to get a 60 or 80 grit one. Make sure you have variable speed. This thing would go through my hood with little effort. At least with the 40 grit anyway.
I've seen other styles of "flapper" sanders but this one is made a little differently. The small sections of sandpaper are stacked like a venetian blind but in a circular arrangement.
Here's a pic of a similar one but a different namebrand-

[troyjensen]

Great info Greg. Thanks. I will go to home depot and see if they have a flap disk in 60 or 80 grit. I have a variable speed 7" polisher/sander to try it on. I am just starting to strip the paint so I can do the body work. Want to paint it this summer yet.

[Greg Reid]

The one I bought was only 4 or 4-1/2 inches because I have a 4-1/2" grinder. You may be able to find something even better for a 7" polisher. If I had a 7" polisher, I'd probably go with the 8 inch flexible disc mentioned elsewhere in this thread. I've only been able to find it at the autobody supply store.
The guy there told me he stripped and entire BMW down in about an hour with that setup.

[Amphilophus]

thanks for the replies. lots of good Ideas. I really dont want to strip mine but I counted at least three coats of paint so it needs it. this will be my first time doing this is there anything I need to know so i dont screw something up? thanks.

[uforacing]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">this will be my first time doing this is there anything I need to know so i dont screw something up? thanks </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Take your time. Take lots of pictures. Every bolt,nut washer that comes off the car goes into a bag thats marked. And the mantra of painting, "The harder it is to get to the more important it is to sand"

Lots of good people here to help.

[scratch the itch]

Had mine blasted. Best $1200 I spent. Came real clean. You need to understand that blasting may reveal something you dont want to see. It will remove all rust,fillers etc. I have heard stories about getting back swiss cheese.

[scratch the itch]

Sorry wrong picture

[TJH]

Personally, I would never, and have never, used anything similar to an agressive abrasive disc to remove paint. You'll be gouging the metal beneath, as well as thinning it locally.
Chemical paint stripper is great when doing this at home. Aircraft Remover works great, and you can control the mess if you work in small areas and have a lot of newspaper or plastic under the car. For multiple layers of paint, you'll probably have to do multiple applications of stripper. But- it leaves the bare metal surface looking like a fresh stamping, as opposed to metal that has been ground down mechanically.
A finer disc, such as a worn 80-grit, on a DA snader is nice to finish things up, but you still have to be careful to keep moving and not allow the tool to cut at an angle.
I've stripped three complete cars using Aircraft Remover, and the only better alternative I've found is media blasting, if you want to take the body down to bare spot-welds.

[Brandi Kay]

I used Aircraft remover


It was messy but it did the trick, i did the whole car.





aggresive sanding does have a chance of thinning out the metal

[nightwrencher]

I used a stripper/cleaner pad/kit from eastwood. it took me a couple of years till I got a good 4.5" grinder to use it (got the wrong size thread for the pad) but it worked like magic. there is a "cleaner" and "stripper" I think I actually used the "cleaner" to strip. it was like a 4.5" rough scotch bright pad type thing that velcroed to the pad. I cleaned a whole fender on a 66 3/4 ton in no more than 1/2 hour! and it didn't gouge the metal one bit. left the metal with a clean polished look. blows right through those bad bondo spots too, of course with a ton of dust. I did the front clip and the 8ft bed with four discs. just watch your edges, I ended up grinding down the pad on mine, if you know what a 66 chevy truck bed looks like, you can see how.