If I want to strip my car to the metal..... what do you recommend?

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X2 on the air craft paint stripper. Do small areas 2'x2' then cover with plastic Saran Wrap. Let set for a while then scrape off with ease. I used a metal scraper ( metal scraper may be wrong but I used the heck out of it). Then wipe down with lacquer thinner. Then spray with MarHyde self etching primer. Just a lite coat to keep it from rusting.
 

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I have stripped many a part and full cars with these! They’ll strip layers of paint, decals, pinstripes, old bondo, seamseal, everything right down to bare metal!! They work great and even though they look extremely rough/aggressive, they do nothing to the metal underneath! I stock up on these… and Harbor Freight tends to have the best prices.. $4.99 per disc. Lowes is about $9. Naturally these mount to a grinder. I prefer the 4 ½” and you’ll find they go quite far. One disc stripped a fender and a hood. Here is the Harbor Freight version: http://www.harborfreight.com/4-1-2-half-inch-nylon-abrasive-wheel-94017.html

I’ve used paint strippers, sandpapers, flapper discs you name it.. these are by far the best!

  • Strippers are messy, stink, burns your skin, then you have to neutralize and you still have to go back and sand – Never again for me!
  • Sandpapers are OK.. just not as fast as these. When you bump up your grit, then you sand away metal
  • Flapper discs are way to aggressive and you’ll create grooves into your metal if you don’t keep moving.. then you have a lot more work with sanding it all back smooth or filling with bondo!
For tight spaces…. These are great as well! Come in 2” or 3” depending on your disc holder/pad… They have course to fine... choose your weapon! http://www.harborfreight.com/pack-of-5-3-inch-coarse-fiber-disc-set-99978.html

Good Luck!
 
RSnyder said:
PASTRIP45.JPG

I have stripped many a part and full cars with these! They’ll strip layers of paint, decals, pinstripes, old bondo, seamseal, everything right down to bare metal!! They work great and even though they look extremely rough/aggressive, they do nothing to the metal underneath! I stock up on these… and Harbor Freight tends to have the best prices.. $4.99 per disc. Lowes is about $9. Naturally these mount to a grinder. I prefer the 4 ½” and you’ll find they go quite far. One disc stripped a fender and a hood. Here is the Harbor Freight version: http://www.harborfreight.com/4-1-2-half-inch-nylon-abrasive-wheel-94017.html

I’ve used paint strippers, sandpapers, flapper discs you name it.. these are by far the best!

  • Strippers are messy, stink, burns your skin, then you have to neutralize and you still have to go back and sand – Never again for me!
  • Sandpapers are OK.. just not as fast as these. When you bump up your grit, then you sand away metal
  • Flapper discs are way to aggressive and you’ll create grooves into your metal if you don’t keep moving.. then you have a lot more work with sanding it all back smooth or filling with bondo!
For tight spaces…. These are great as well! Come in 2” or 3” depending on your disc holder/pad… They have course to fine... choose your weapon! http://www.harborfreight.com/pack-of-5-3-inch-coarse-fiber-disc-set-99978.html

Good Luck!
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Thanks for the tip, I'm going to check out the HF one. From your experience, how quickly do these build up heat using the grinder? Not an issue? Or have to take pauses due to heat buildup, or...?
 
orbital sander 80 grit first than 180 to smooth that out, sand blast or dip it i would stay away from the chemical stripper
 
72Dodge said:
Thanks for the tip, I'm going to check out the HF one. From your experience, how quickly do these build up heat using the grinder? Not an issue? Or have to take pauses due to heat buildup, or...?
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72Dodge -- To be honest... you won't have an issue with heat buildup. The metal will get warm to hot if you hit one spot and really work the disc. But like any sanding/stripping process, you'll be moving the sander/grinder and therefore no real heat like a flapper disc or even a grinding disc. These discs, as you can see, are very very porous.. therefore I think it allows for a lot more air movement. In addition, because they are so porous the disc itself does not buildup with a bunch of paint/gunk, like sandpaper can and does. That I really like...

Don't get me wrong.. it's still a very manual, tedious, and physical process. The pauses that you will be taking.. will be from your cramping hands, listless arms, or your aching back, not from heat buildup. Your body will give out, before you go through a single disc!

I do recommend safety glasses... :glasses7: for you will have dust and debris from the stripping process and some of the "plastic" (Polycarbide) will break off as well. Safety Third!

Besides paying someone to do a complete media blasting process... these are the best in my book! Give these discs a try... and let me know your thoughts!
 
roadripper said:
All rite u peaked my interest ,that 4x4 dart looks awesome !!!
What kind of chassis is under that thing ?? I used 80 grit
Blue disk and a orbital to take my 64 polara to bare metal
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Missed this, sorry. Its a 1974 dodge power wagon... W100. Cool thing is that its the original 360 LA block, and I get to brag about having a 4 spd (even though its the truck one with a granny gear... lol, meh)
 
There's only one way to do it and do it right. Media blasting. Go over to the B bodies site. There's a guy over there with the username Donny. He does it for a living and is always really helpful givin advice.
 
Since I originally posted this I bought a 40lb sand blaster (looks new), a 6hp 30gallon air compresser max 150psi. Think all I need is a fitting to go on the blaster and I'm good to go. I think this comming monday will be the big day (gonna get me some sheets to cover everything in the garage, a good gas mask, some blue tape, and then its blasting time.
 
If you use sand in that blaster, bad things will happen fast. Use soda or other media. 20+ year resto guy talking here.
 
That's nowhere near enough compressor. Did you go over to B bodies and talk to Donny?
 
Ok most the fast ways to strip have a draw back. Using those real low grit disc's will put big time scratches in your metal. Regardless of how you strip it your gonna need to put in some serious sanding time. Sand now or sand later? 80grit on a electric sander is exactly how i did mine. If there was a magical way im sure the body work guys here would have figured it out.
 
RSnyder said:
PASTRIP45.JPG

I have stripped many a part and full cars with these! They’ll strip layers of paint, decals, pinstripes, old bondo, seamseal, everything right down to bare metal!! They work great and even though they look extremely rough/aggressive, they do nothing to the metal underneath! I stock up on these… and Harbor Freight tends to have the best prices.. $4.99 per disc. Lowes is about $9. Naturally these mount to a grinder. I prefer the 4 ½” and you’ll find they go quite far. One disc stripped a fender and a hood. Here is the Harbor Freight version: http://www.harborfreight.com/4-1-2-half-inch-nylon-abrasive-wheel-94017.html

I’ve used paint strippers, sandpapers, flapper discs you name it.. these are by far the best!

  • Strippers are messy, stink, burns your skin, then you have to neutralize and you still have to go back and sand – Never again for me!
  • Sandpapers are OK.. just not as fast as these. When you bump up your grit, then you sand away metal
  • Flapper discs are way to aggressive and you’ll create grooves into your metal if you don’t keep moving.. then you have a lot more work with sanding it all back smooth or filling with bondo!
For tight spaces…. These are great as well! Come in 2” or 3” depending on your disc holder/pad… They have course to fine... choose your weapon! http://www.harborfreight.com/pack-of-5-3-inch-coarse-fiber-disc-set-99978.html

Good Luck!
Click to expand...


THIS^ doing a full size truck right now. Does a door in a matter of minutes. Very little mess. No wires to poke you. Fast and no chemical mess.
 
70440 said:
If you use sand in that blaster, bad things will happen fast. Use soda or other media. 20+ year resto guy talking here.
Click to expand...


Uh oh... pray tell... whats going to happen... thats what in the tank right now about 40lbs of sand....
 
Use the stripping discs its the fastest least messy way you can do it in a normal home garage setting. use the sand blaster on them small hard to reach spots but be very carefull not to hold the nossel in one spot for to long and never on a big flat surface.
 
sazzlefrats said:
Uh oh... pray tell... whats going to happen... thats what in the tank right now about 40lbs of sand....
Click to expand...

2 things, if you're talking about exterior sheet metal, any sand or slag media will tend to warp the metal quickly. Use media like that on non-sheet metal parts. And second, don't use silica sand to blast with, at all. Read up on silicosis. Silica sand breaks up into too fine of dust and causes respiratory issues (even moreso than breathing other types of dust does). In place of sand, use coal slag, something like Black Beauty or Blackjack. There are a few who will maintain that it's okay to use sand... it's just not, don't do it. Save it for the sandbox.
 
sazzlefrats said:
That's unfortunate for me, its as big as I felt I could fit in my garage.
Click to expand...

"a 6hp 30gallon air compresser max 150psi"

You can blast with that. It's not ideal, but that's about the size of the first one I used. Had to wait for it to catch up pretty often, to the point it was a bit annoying, but it's big enough that you can make it work.
 
If you are going to blast in the garage make sure you make a plastic tent to go completly around the car, you will have sand everywhere.

Also keep the compressor away from where you are blasting, I have mine in a small building outside the garage.
 
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