K, I know this kinda question gets asked a lot, but heres another one.

Im sanding down my car using a DA and 40/80 grit paper. I've been working 4 days on it, and only have the rear quarter halfway done. The problem is two-fold:
1.) I have to stop and start with the DA 'cause my compressor can't keep up
2.) I found 5 different layers of primer and paint under my current one.

So I've decided to go with a paint stripper. I know aircraft stripper is the best one out there, but does brand matter? Is there any one thats a better value?

How much does it usually take to strip a whole car and will it hurt the metal at all?

Sorry, a lot of questions, I know.

 

try this....www.learnautopainting.com
they explain some of the ways you can strip a car with sand or chemicals

 

i didn't have to much luck with the stripper, it takes some of it off but not all of it, i used quick strip brand, wasnt to impressed with the results, i had the same problem with my sander, so i bought a cheap 20 dollar palm sander, it worked. i did around a panel a day in my free time, so i stripped the whole car in about a week. still took me about 40 hours or so to strip it, i dont think that there is a fast method unless you media blast the car

 

so I guess nobody just uses a hand block with some 80 grit like i've been doing!

 

hope your joking

 

i used a 7" round da sander and was able to get it pretty much all done in about 4 hours. and if you are going to be painting it you can kind of be lazy about it. because you can spray a coat or two of high build primer to fill those small high and low spots. just dont be too lazy or it will look like crap and you will see high and low spots all over.

 

Yeah I did a little more research and decided that aircraft stripper isnt really the way to go for me.
So I went out and bought one of those paint/rust stripper wheels that goes on my electric drill. It worked A LOT better.
I thought it would take about a month or so to get the whole thing done, but now that I got this, I think I'll be done by next weekend tops.

It was only $10, and since the DA pads I was buyin were $5, I think it was a good deal.

 

the only parts I have used a DA on: the small patch of "roof" behind the t-tops, and the decklid, my compresser can't keep a DA going for more than 3 mins, and I would rather not burn it up. I've also been using a long block.

I've finished 80% of the car I still have to do the hood, but thats it.

 

Wow! But how long did it take you?

 

maybe i should ask the question first, are you taking it all down to bare metal, and secondly how long did it take you, and lastly do you have the arms of popeye the sailor man?

 

I am.... I'm using a longboard though. Works great on bondo too

 

I have the famous peeling paint, so for the most part yes, down to bare metal, it's taking a while, I've been at it for about a week and a half. I have alot of time to waste while I save up for paint, but I've heard it will produce better results than a DA too, and no, I don't have popeye arms... yet!

 

very true lol using a block has always been a proven fact to have a better outcome. every high and low spot can be found and yet again good work takes time.

 

if you're useing a block like I am, paper brand does matter, any sanding product by 3M that say's "sandblaster" on it is worth it 105%+1! it's the only stuff I buy!

 

im not sure exactly what brand of paper i used but i used 180 grit and a durablock sanding block set and paper from my local auto paint store. it sticks to the block and makes life really easy.

 

My buddy let me use some of the self adhering paper he had leftover from painting his foxbody, I liked it, but I had already bought some paper, if I need more I'm getting the adhesive backed.

 

ya that stuff saves alot on your hands too lol instead of having to hold it onto the block.

 

my block has a few small nails under a flap that holds the paper, I just liked it because there was no waste, and because the paper always stayed in the same place on the block, with regular paper on my block, it can move about an 1/8", which decreases efficiency.

 

I've used the stuff from VIP auto parts (black can) works pretty good, also you may want to check out Harbor Freight Tools, their not the best make of tools but the price is right and their air compreassures

 

I used 50 or 80 grit to get rid of the clear coat and then paint stripper.

when trying stripper with CC on it did nothing.

 

Usually using aircraft stripper is the fastest way to go. Youy can't apply it in the sun and you have to brush it in one direction. If your car has that many layers of paint it will take two or three applications of stripper to get it off. You have to let it sit on there for a while. If you use stripper make sure you rinse the panel off really good with water or you will have problems later. If you decide to keep sanding be careful. That builds up heat and can warp a panel if your not careful.

 

Unless you have over 5 coats of paint it is not necessary to strip down. But if you insist, But a 3M Scotch Britte disk/pad. You can get them at auto stores, even wall mart has them. (they look like a black coral thing) use it on a buffer/sander.

 

not nessicarily, my '91 needs to be stipped down because it has the paint with adhearence issues, I put a strip of masking tape on it, and the tape peeled the paint off, the tape was there for less than 5 minutes.

 

okay if you have paint with flaking issues or checking issues your going to want to get that coat off.

 

I see I'm not the only one. When I bought my TA the paint was perfect. Had one scratch with I tried to repair with some spray touch up. Taped it, sprayed it, then when I removed the tape my 1' scratch was a 6" hole in the paint. That was a few years ago. Now with more flaking paint I am finally starting to strip the entire car. The Aircraft stripper is working wonders.

 

I decided to go ahead and strip the whole thing because it wascracking in places, a d there were so many coats. I figured it'd be better to just get down to metal and start fresh.
Good thing, too. Practically the whole driver side of the car had a good 1/4-1/2" of bondo caked on for no apparent reason. It was pretty bad.

 

poor man's panel alignment, probably.

 

That's what I'm thinkin, cause the front clip doesn't seem to be aligned quite right

 

lol my car had the exact same thing just on the right side though. good luck with it.

 

I arrive a bit late but I used another method to strip my 79 Firebird (five thick coats of paint, and I couldn't sand the last one which was like...not dry).
Heat the paint with a basic heat gun (dont burn it), and scrape it with a razor blade on a stick. It worked amazingly well, it's a bit long and takes a little practice but most of the time, I could remove big chunks of paint straight to bare metal. There were a few areas with bondo, and this is a little harder to remove.