After all the bad publicity of the chemical strippers, I'm going to sand the car with an air sander. What is the best kind to use and grits of paper? Are there areas I should be careful like around lines, edges etc. Thanks.

Jim
72SS

The ONLY way I would ever strip a sheet metal part is with an 8" orbital sander. They are commonly called a "Hog", "killer" or "8" DA" to name a few. Use 36 grit being very careful not to be hard on edges and DON'T remove all the paint with it, just the top surface, then switch to 80 grit. I will tell you, this takes a ton of either patience and/or experiance. Are you sure that there is nowhere you can get it media blasted near you?

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1965 Buick Gran Sport Convertible
1965 Buick Skylark H/T

Here's an article that basically repeats what MARTINSR said, but is worth repeating.
http://www.chevelles.com/shop/resto_3.html

Martinsr, Yes there is a place I can get it media blasted but, Most who responded on this site told of the stories of media falling out of cracks 2 years later so That did not sound good to me. You mentioned about the patience/experience to sand a car to the bare metal. I've got the patience but not the experience. What do i have to be careful with. Thanks

72SS

Jim, another alternative that I found to be fairly cost effective is to use a side grinder with a wire cup attachment (providing you have the grinder or have a bud that's got one). You can rip most of the paint off fairly quickly then switch to the DA sander (80 grit) to get at the tighter areas and to buff the metal prior to priming. Several rolls of different grit DA paper get kinda expensive. As for the experience, well, you just have to jump in there and do it. It will come fairly quickly, start with the big open areas first and learn how to handle the equipment and keep in moving, don't hold it in one spot for long, it can build up too much heat and warp the metal. Be careful around the edges when using a side grinder, it will grab and take off on you. Make sure you put on your safety gear, i.e. goggles, dust mask, etc,. Hope this helps, Rob

66rat, I have to disagree with using a 6" DA it produces much to much heat. That is why the 8" is the way to go, it turns slower and is much more aggressive. The wire brush also produces TONS of heat. These two methods would work great in some tight areas, don't get me wrong, but on a large flat panel it "could" ruin it in a hurry.
Jim, I will tell you that no matter how you strip a car, you WILL have stuff falling out of the nooks an crannys for a long while. I have media blasted a few and if you tape the seams of the doors and hood and so on, and then sand off the little paint that stayed under the tape yu will have a minumum of media left in the cracks. Tape up cowl vent, you know, anywhere you don't want it. I have to say it, if I were you, I would media blast it. The first time I media blasted a car I thought "I have found ONLY way to strip a car" Just like after having a frame powder coated I said "I have found the ONLY way to paint a frame and "hard" parts".

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1965 Buick Gran Sport Convertible
1965 Buick Skylark H/T

Jim,
When you sand that car down be sure to watch out for taking to much off around the "power buldges" that our 70-72's have. This is an easy way to make your metal very thin and heat up quickly. Also be sure to watch out for the edges and the dip on the top of the front fenders. If I was you I would have some of the small stuff such as the headlight/fender extensions and maybe even the fenders and or hood blasted (but take them off first and to the shop that you picked, seperated from the rest of the car and remember to clean everything out of the cracks and crevices before reinstalling) and then work on the rest of the car with your D/A sander. Jim, you are going to find a lot of headaches in this restoration but you sound like your heading in the right direction. Keep up the enthusiasm and dream at night about joy your gonna have with your first stomp of the gas!

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I need GM style rear 1/4's for 70-72!! e-mail me.

Thanks guys for all the responses BUT this may make a difference on sandblasting or not as far as meida getting all over everything, didn't mention before but I am taking the body off the frame. It will be stripped of all interior,glass/hardware,dash, steering, everthing. Now, does that make it easier to sandblast and not be so concerned about median. Thanks.

jim
72SS

MARTINSR, am I missing something here? A 6" dual action sander produces too much heat? I've been using one of these things for years and never warped a panel, are we talking about the same thing?. I'm not the professional body man, but I have stripped my share of cars, I've used chemicals, blast media, grinders, sanders, even razor blades. They all work and all have their short commings. I offered the grinder/wire cup suggestion as an alternative when considering the sanding method. It will definitely yank some paint off in a hurry, and anyone who has sanded a car down to bare metal knows how long and tedious it is. But, as with any friction method, you can't concentrate in one spot as I suggested, you have to keep the equipment moving. Also, I don't know the correct name for them but basically their two style wire cups, one has the strands twisted together like dread locks, making the cup very stiff, I find this one to be the least desireable. The cup with the free standing strands is the one to use for paint stripping. You can also lock out the DA from orbital to rotation only, this will really speed things up when used with 80 grit. The one place I would be cautious is the roof. If your not real confident with the grinder then use the sander. And finally when you get to those tight places that can't be reached with the sanders, like the roof rail gutter, some lacquer thinner and a wire brush work great. Using chemical strippers can get inside body seams and if not completely removed can cause paint adhesion/lifting or rust problems, but the lacquer thinner will completely evaporate. Good luck with the frame off, Rob

I have stripped many panels and cars using a grinder(6 or 8") with a 36 grit pad. Using a rough pad cuts down on the heat buildup and as stated, don't attempt to get every last bit of paint. After using the grinder I like to finish the panel using a 4 1/2 inch grinder with a 3M Bristle pad. The Bristle pad works great to remove the last of the paint and smooth any grinder marks. Use a good epoxy primer like PPG DP and your ready for any body work.

I have also tried chemicals and blasting but this method seems to be the fastest with the best results, at least for me.

66rat, I have seen so many cars destroyed with these methods, that is why I am so cautious to advise them. The 6" DA just doesn't strip fast enough, and will produce heat. You are obviously very skilled at it, I just hate do see someone "learn" on their classic Chevelle. I can't tell you how much I support getting it media blasted, if the car is already stripped of glass and interior, God it is a no brainer! Media blast it.

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1965 Buick Gran Sport Convertible
1965 Buick Skylark H/T

[This message has been edited by MARTINSR (edited 09-08-2000).]

I'm with Rob. An angle grinder with a wire cup will strip paint quickly. If you keep the wheel moving you will not damage the surface. don't attempt to get all of the paint with one though, just cut until metal starts to show in most places. This has become my favorite method to strip paint when I'm not blasting.

Or, use an angle or high speed sander with sanding disks. What I remember about this I seem to recall that this produces more heat than the wire wheel but is faster.

Forget the DA sander for stripping paint unless you like wasting time. It will work well though for removing the leftover bits and getting ready to paint. I don't use my DA much anymore. I've found that it's fairly useless to sand filler flat too. Last time I used it was to strip my house wall to repaint it last year.

Peter