Chem Strip vs Sanding

[rwrogers11]

I've started on my truck, have the front clip off, have the fenders at the house.

I'm going to start working on them this weekend, but trying to decide on the best way for me to remove the paint.

I know with Chem Strip (Aircraft Remove), I have to wash it good afterwards with soap and water, then dry, then still sand a bit and then primer.

With sanding, its just longer time, mind you its supposed to be 102 outside today, so that won't be a lot of fun sitting in doing a lot of sanding. Plus trying to get into some of the hard areas with sand paper, etc.

Also, I dont have a DA due to not having a large enough compressor to run it, so I'm using a 5" random orbiter.

What is your suggestions / opinions on which is better, or at least which would be better in my situation?

[LDO]

I've had some good luck with that orange paint stripper gel they sell at Lowes, wallmart (cheaper) and true value.

Bubbles that paint right off, I wash the parts down with water and simple green and that's it. I've done inner fenders and my firewall with this and I've been very happy with the results and it requires little effort in the blazing sun.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Personally, if planned on keeping the truck long term and putting big bucks into paint, I sand or have it media blasted.

Get a big fan and a bottle of cold water and just hunker down and do it. Just my $.02

(I'm biting the bullet this week and having my '55.2 media blasted)

[rwrogers11]

Well this is just going to be a daily driver, not a full restore, and not a super expensive paint job. In fact it may still have a few blemishes when I paint it.

So I like the idea of putting on some chem, covering it with some clear plastic in the sun, sitting in the shade drinking a beer, or jumping in the pool for an hour, then scrape and wash the fender off.

I know I'd still need to sand a bit to give the primer a good surface.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Originally Posted by rwrogers11

Well this is just going to be a daily driver, not a full restore, and not a super expensive paint job. In fact it may still have a few blemishes when I paint it.

So I like the idea of putting on some chem, covering it with some clear plastic in the sun, sitting in the shade drinking a beer, or jumping in the pool for an hour, then scrape and wash the fender off.

I know I'd still need to sand a bit to give the primer a good surface.

Sounds good, party on, dude!

[rwrogers11]

I'll be sure to take pics, as I'm sure I'll have questions along the way or how to fix mistakes I make, but hey, that's how we learn.

[roger55]

Buy about a dozen of these
http://www.roarksupply.com/product-p/4.5cleanstrip.htm

And buy this tool to run them with:

http://www.harborfreight.com/heavy-d...der-91223.html

Use it with the wheel as flat on the panel as you can get it and be careful not to catch edges. Used with the right technique, they last a long time. Without, they wear out quickly.

[69l46vert]

In some cases you can strip pretty efficiently with a razor scraper. Like the kind you'd scrape glass with. Especially if there is a heavy coating. I used this method on my Corvette and it worked great. Doesn't work in all cases but might be worth a try.

[67swb72klb]

If there is not a bunch of layers of paint i would just sand it

[rwrogers11]

I think I'm going to try chem on one fender and sanding on the other and see which one works better.

[roger55]

Originally Posted by rwrogers11

I think I'm going to try chem on one fender and sanding on the other and see which one works better.

I hate the mess of chemical. It's an awful job at best with that stuff.
Better to put the money into those 4 1/2" strip discs that I gave you the link to.

[Popcorn W]

Originally Posted by 67swb72klb

If there is not a bunch of layers of paint i would just sand it

Why would you want to remove all the paint? Looks like you've got a good base to just scuff, fill any small imperfections with glazing putty and primer and paint. You're just opening a can of worms by stripping it down to bare metal.
Just my 2 cents.

[mr48chev]

Originally Posted by 67swb72klb

If there is not a bunch of layers of paint i would just sand it

Petty much exactly on my line of thinking. If you are working with the original old paint or maybe one respray job just sand it slick and smooth and primer it and block it. If it is one of those trucks that has had several paint jobs over the years I'd strip it with stripper or media blast it.

If you are using an orbital sander of any kind spend the extra time to sand the truck with a long board and sanding blocks to get the panels smooth and flat as even with a low buck paint job you don't want the dips and waves that orbital sanders tend to leave. They usually leave you with nice smooth dips and waves in the paint. It doesn't matter if you use farm equipment paint from the local farm equipment dealer that is dirt cheap but tough as all get out or somewhat spendy paint from the auto paint store the work under the paint job is what makes the paint job.

[_Ogre]

Originally Posted by rwrogers11

So I like the idea of putting on some chem, covering it with some clear plastic in the sun, sitting in the shade drinking a beer, or jumping in the pool for an hour, then scrape and wash the fender off.

where are you getting this magic chem?
i think your seriously underestimating the work involve with chem strippers
you'll probably have the same amount of time and effort in either one

i think like dan and took the easy way out, i dropped all the pieces of at the sand blasters

[OrrieG]

Negative with chem strippers is neutralizing and getting all the gunk out of any cracks. Seems counter intutive to be adding water to areas where it can turn to rust. I used aircraft type on panels without any welded joints or kept it away from the joints. Still needed to sand a lot of the original enamel and primer to get to metal. I found the 3M purple "shredded wheat" discs work best and do not heat up the metal as much or take off any metal like metallic discs or flapper wheels. Cleaned each section right after discing with metal prep degreaser and shot with etch primer. The etch primer does not need to be a heavy coat, you do not want runs, it is HARD. Let it flash per instructions and followed with epoxy primer. Details are in my build thread toward the start.

[roger55]

I would never invest in a paint job without removing the old paint on a classic. There are several reasons not to do it.
Older paint and primer are inferior to today's products. Plus you never know if you are going to possibly have compatibility problems with new products over the old. (A couple of coats of a good epoxy as a sealer can minimize that though.
Older paints were notorious for checking and pin cracking. It would not be wise to cover that with anything. Even if it hasn't done that at the present, it could still do it with new products on top.
Good primers and paint are is extremely expensive today. It just doesn't make sense to invest in that and take a chance by not removing all the old product.

I spend $90 per gallon for my primer and $400 per gallon for my paint and $50 per gallon for reducer I use. Adding up all the primers, reducers, paint, hardener, fillers, sandpaper and other odds in ends has been over $4,000 on the '57 3200 I'm doing in my build thread. No way I'd take any chances of some kind of failure or issue by not starting from bare metal.

Btw, be careful about using an etch primer. Some epoxy primers are not compatible with it. The SPI epoxy I use is not. SPI epoxy has as good if not better adhesion to 80 grit sanded bare metal so etch is not needed anyway.

[OrrieG]

Roger good point about the etch compatibility. I checked all the manufacturers data sheets to make sure. Usually if you stick with the same line they are but good to check. I guess I just assume everyone is as OCD as me on doing research.

[roger55]

I don't use the same brands for everything. I'm sold on SPI products and use their epoxy primer, clear, reducers and waterborne w&g remover. I know what they are compatible with because the owner of the company (Barry) is very clear with that information. You can get valuable information on their forum too. Mostly pros. I would use their single-stage urethane paint too but they only have a couple of colors. Someday I might have a project where I will choose that.

I've been using Pro-Spray paint in both base coat and single-stage urethane for my last 2 projects. However, just last month Pro-Spray sold out to Valspar. After Valspar bought House of Kolor, the reports I've heard says it's gone downhill. So, I will need to keep abreast of changes before choosing what brand I will use for that next project I don't even have lined up yet.

Btw, I don't use urethane primers anymore. Just SPI epoxy which is sandable and I use Slick Sand polyester for high build if I need it. If I use Slick Sand, I use epoxy first (2 coats unreduced) and then again afterwards (2 more coats reduced 10%). I also use SPI epoxy primer as a sealer/adhesion coat an hour before color. For that coat (single) I reduce it about 30%.

This is a procedure I've developed for myself and it works for me really well. It's evolved over time. This truck project I'm doing now is the first one I've done without urethane primer and I can't see me ever using it again.

If you want to see my exact procedure I've been documenting that in the last couple of pages in my build thread.

[67swb72klb]

Bare metal x2 SPI epoxy x2 Slick sand x2

[roger55]

Originally Posted by 67swb72klb

Bare metal x2 SPI epoxy x2 Slick sand x2

I guess you do what I do.

I don't use the Slick Sand unless it's necessary. Sure do it on panels that have been worked. I'm using it on my '57 3200 hood though and it didn't have any work done to it. But, it's not that flat in places from the factory and I want it perfect. Sometimes when I don't use the Slick Sand, I may end up with 6 or more coats of epoxy (2 at a time then block). Sometimes the in between process doesn't require the whole panel to be sprayed. Just the problem area.

Working on that right now as we speak. I'm waiting for a coat of epoxy to flash awhile before the second coat. This is the last coat in my process and I will post new photos this evening in my build thread. Should be ready to paint my hood and rear fenders by the end of the weekend. These are the last panels to be painted for the project.