Stripping Paint

[dsansted]

I have stripped about 1/3 of the paint off my 76 and removed the rear quaters and wheel wells in anticipation of welding on the new ones from CCOT, but am tired of Zip-Strip. Additionally, sand blasting unavailable in Fairflied County CT, so....my questions is what can I use to finish stripping inside and out? I am doing a color change....

 

[Poser]

Wire wheel or a sanding disc....


I think that you will like Zipstrip after about ten minutes of either.





Good luck!

-Steve

 

[Boberino]

yep. I did. Plus, a wire wheel on a seven inch grinder will create enough heat, in no time, to warp sheet metal. I used paint stripper to get most of the paint, and then use 120grit, 320, then 400. I did use wire wheels to get into tight spots. If I had to do it again I'd ship the whole thing to a sandblaster.

Enjoy

 

[iam_turner]

Hello,
I am currently stripping the paint off of my cruiser - i have used a 5 inch grinder with a 4 inch knotted wire wheel brush to do almost all of my stripping - it has worked really well, and i have not warped any of the metal...

That would be my suggestion - but ofcourse sand blasting would've been and would be a lot easier - good luck.

 

[Texx]

If you want to hurry your zip strip ( I assume that's a commercial paint stripper) use a power washer to remove the remains...remember, you'll need to dry well and prime right away. Before I began sandblasting ( I'll never go back), I used this method, along with a D>A> sander to remove the last remains. Works fairly well...

 

[dsansted]

As to sandblasting, how much ($$) to get up and running for home? I have the inside of the doors (front and ambulance), drivers compartment (floor and dash), inside of hardtop, and engine compartment left to strip. I can imagine being able to sandblast the engine compartment would be sooo much better than trying to strip or sand/grind without removing the block. Thanks, Doug

 

[fyton2v]

Sandblasting in the home...
I was thinking of going this route... being a DIY kinda person... but the overwhelming consensus from this board is that you have to be nuts, and a masochist (a nutty masochist) to do this in a garage. It's too much money and work. Most people who have tried it wish they had just paid someone to do it for them. So now I'm a DIY kinda person who's all about paying someone to sandblast my truck.

Later.

 

[REZARF]

For home use.

A little set up for small parts is a good idea. Trying to blast your whole cruiser at home is a bad idea. Maybe if you live on a farm or ranch and are looking for a sandy area on your property when you are done.

The speed, thoroughness, and rust removal of a pro sandblast to me... far outweigh doing it myself. FWIW, if you pull the tub and parts and have them ready for the blaster you can have it all done for around 500-700 bucks and be done with it!

Just .02

Rezarf <><

 

[Toyo FJ40]

Tne problem with home sand blasting is most people don't have a compressor that will deliver the volume of air needed to run a sand blaster. The small home sandblasters work so slow that you might as well keep using the zip strip. Not to mention that you shop or driveway will look like the beach when your done. I stripped my whole tub, cowl, fenders and hood inside and out with a wire wheel on a 4 1/2" angle grinder. Like iam_turner said the knoted wire wheels cut great and seem to last the longest. I went through 2 angle grinders and a dozen wheels but it took off undercoating and bondo along with the paint.

Of course I now have carpel tunnel and a constant whirling noise in my ears and there's not a square inch of my body that doesn't have a chunk of wire hanging out of it.


Kevin

 

[Ullr]

Of course I now have carpel tunnel and a constant whirling noise in my ears and there's not a square inch of my body that doesn't have a chunk of wire hanging out of it.

Kevin

ROTFLMAO! You too huh? :whoops:

 

[trekker]

I had mine blasted by a friend in his industrial sandblasting shop. But I was considering on doing this:

Renting a BAAC (big ass air compressor) for a day that is gas powered and delivers a pile of CFM.
Purchasing your favorite blasting media (see the boards for what works best for your metal)
Purchasing a Harbor Frieght portable blasting kit or get one from Sears for about $20-$40

Head on out to your favorite secluded spot in a field or somewhere and blast away. I did this about 10 years ago stripping a pile of iron patio furniture. I think all totaled it cost me about $200 to do a s*** load of stuff that would have cost me about $1k to have done... it was a LOT of iron!

 

[REZARF]

Trekker, that sounds like a good idea.

desansted-

What kind of quality are you looking for when it is all said and done? That may help you make your decision too.

Rezarf <><