my dad called it "red lead" 60 yrs ago. he swore when they took lead out of paint it went down the toilet!
taking it to bare metal is no doubt the safe and correct way. that stuff is tough, the 67 Bel i'm working on now, I used some stripper ( hate the stuff), and D A ed it bare metal where it might not be totally perfect metal,... where the metal was good I left the original primer. it is STUCK on there good! I've used that method before with no problem, years later. anything coarser than 80 grit will leave bad scratches. even 80 is harsh, but ya would never get it off with anything smoother!!!
my deal is where I d a off the primer/paint and find the surface with small rusty spots where it is obviously rusted into the metal, is kill the rust with an acid. body guys I talk with do not like the rust convertor products.
pro paint stores sell this acid product but cost is high, i use a phosphoric acid called Ospho. works well for me. I was turned on to it by FABO. they are many ways to skin a cat. members.
