Re: [T3] Paint removal

[stans4@ix.netcom.com (Stan Schaefer)]

Well, I've been doing the fenders and doors over the last couple of
summers, in my opinion, the best stuff to use is aircraft finish
stripper.  I bought mine at a body shop supply place, that and
Aircraft Spruce are about the only places I've seen it.  You'll want
to use it outdoors, with rubber gloves and eye protection, it's
powerful stuff and can give you a chemical burn in a matter of
seconds.   Make sure you've got running water available right there.
I started in on my hood with a small orbital sander and a pile of
sandpaper, I thought I could get it down to bare metal in a matter of
an hour or so.  Three hours later I had about a 2' square section
done, the sandpaper was all gone and the sander was getting too hot to
hold.  Hopped in the other car, went up to the body shop supply and
got my first quart of stripper.  20 minutes later, the paint was off,
it literally popped off the metal.  That's what I consider good
performance.  You could hear it working, sounded like frying bacon.
The hardware store stuff just doesn't cut it, it may be good for
woodworking finishes and latex paint, but it just doesn't have the
power to lift auto paint.  It'^Sťn it, but not pop it off.  This
stuff ran about $30/gal and I've used about a gallon and a half for
the doors and hatch(square), the hood and the fenders.  Doors take a
lot extra because of all the nooks and crannys, they aren't a nice
straight surface like a fender or hood.  I used a putty knife to
scrape most of the old paint off and then hosed the rest off.  It's
kind of messy, but no more so than trying to sand it off or sandblast
it.  If you use it, go down to the hardware store and get a small
painter's pail that holds about a quart or so and work out of that.
I dump in about a half-pint of stripper at a time, cuts evaporation
out of the main can.   A cheap bristle brush is necessary, too.  Don't
buy more stripper than you'll think you'll use in a couple of months,
the stuff reacts with the moisture in the air and will eat a hole
through the can if you let it sit, like over a winter.  Be careful of
splashes, too, it'll lift paint where you don't wnat it lifted.

If you're going to strip, you'll have some rust spots, take those down
to bare metal.  Some guys will use the conversion stuff on it, but if
I'm going to the trouble of painting, I want ALL of the rust out of
there.  You can use whatever means you chose, but get the rust gone
before painting.  That means both sides, too, can be difficult in the
door areas.  I use a pneumatic dual-action sander(DA), but
hand-sanding will work too.

While you're at the body supply shop, get some prep and prime
solution, this will coat the metal with a thin phosphate coating and
retard rust until you can get the thing painted.

Window trim is unavailable except off wrecks, you can occasionally
find body trim sets from the VW mag suppliers.  Rubber seals are where
you can find them, availability is spotty from both WCM and Rocky
Mountain.  All you can do is call them and ask.  Be prepared to spend
big bucks, the last time I saw door seals, they were over $130 a side.
Save your rocker panel trim clips, they're hard to find, too.


On Sun, 23 May 1999 20:56:51 -07ˇ1`†wrote:

>Howdy,
>
>I'ma tryin' ta remove paint from my spare door.  Basically, the door I have
>in my car right now has a busted hinge with a bolt through the door (to hold
>it together).  So, I have a used door with a bad paint job and surface rust
>in places.
>
>Questions:
>What are the best tools to remove paint and take it to bare metal without
>screwing up the surface too much.
>
>Restrictions:
>I don't have access to a sandblaster.
>
>I plan on taking this to our handy friend Earl Scheib, or thereabouts, to
>get it painted to match.  Then I'll rebuild the door.  This leads me to the
>next part of this question:
>
>Where's the best place to get the rubber/aluminum trim at the best price?
>
>Steve
>'71 L7

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