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what are the best sanding techniques,etc

1K views 7 replies 8 participants last post by  jcclark 
#1 ·
I am currently bringing my 71 camaro down to bare metal. I have been using the basic tools, such as electric sander and grinder, plus paint remover. I have some rust on the roof. I am grinding away as much as the rust as I can. What is the best,cheapest and quickest way to remove all the paint and rust. I want to get it down to bare metal. I noticed it has about two other coats underneath. The majority of the car is in grey primer. I dont have access to a sandblaster yet.Also, should I remove any bondo that I come across? I think I should do one section at a time. Thanks for any help
 
#4 ·
I think it's pretty much a pain any way you go. I used paint stripper and a blade on mine and it still took a week. The paint got all goopy and sloppy after the paint stripper was on it for a while and made a mess. I found that the large orbital sand discs with some 60 grit or so really rips through quick.... also eats through the body filler good. Atleast it was cleaner but if you apply the aircraft stripper in medium levels around ti and let it dry then hit it with orbital sanding discs it should do the job.
 
#5 ·
Apply a thick coating of aircraft stripper then cover it with a thin piece of plastic to keep it from drying out, let it set for an hour or two then pull the plastic and scrape off the paint with a razor scraper. Do a few panels at a time. When most of the paint and primer is off wash the part good with water to scrub off any residue and neutralize any possible remaining stripper. Then finish off by sanding with 80 grit on a DA, use 3M Klean and strip discs on the edges and tight areas. Clean and prime with a good quality epoxy ASAP. When all is in primer you can now go back and work on any dents or rust issues that need attention without having to worry about flash rusting.
 
#6 · (Edited)
What are the best sanding techniques, etc.

It's a little late for you, but maybe this will help someone else. Always, and I mean ALWAYS wash you vehicle with both soap & water then solvent designed
for that job. Otherwise you'll be sanding contaminates into the metal. This is a
major cause of after paint problems. The shops that spend the $$ and take the
time to do this, seldom have problems with their paint jobs. They take the time to do it right, so they don't have to find the time to do it over. Used razor blades work the best as they won't dig into the metal as easily. This is especially important when your refinishing aluminum. Also if you've had decals or such on the painted areas, you may find ghost images in the metal that will show up in the finished work.You cure this by priming and block sanding back to the image until it doesn't show anymore. Then continue priming as usual. Good luck and when your sure you've got all the dust off, tack twice more.
 
#7 ·
As you can see, there are many ways to do the job. I am working on a 67 Barracuda right now. Most of the paint was stripped off is with a putty knife type scraper. I sharpen the scraper like a knife, and then I scrape it across a edge to break the paint off for a starting point. Then the scraper will get under the paint relatively easy. As with most any other operation, you should take safety precautions, like safety glasses, dust mask, gloves, etc... The job will wear on your arms and hands, but goes relatively quickly. It is alot easier to clean up afterwards than sanding, where the dust goes everywhere. Once you have scraped all of the relatively flat areas that way, the parts that need sanding and what not are limited, and go quickly.

Aaron
 
#8 ·
louvers said:
It's a little late for you, but maybe this will help someone else. Always, and I mean ALWAYS wash you vehicle with both soap & water then solvent designed
for that job. Otherwise you'll be sanding contaminates into the metal. This is a
major cause of after paint problems.
Amen to that!!! All my fish eye problems disappeared after I started
washing everything first with a strong dishwashing detergent, it's my
very first thing before anything. Good advice.

I just bought some Roloc discs and a high speed air sander (1800 rpm)
because Bondoking swears it strips quicker than anything. I can't
wait to try it on an upcoming boat trailer. I'm told it's twice as fast
as using a DA. Anyone else have this experience? This thread sounds
like a good match for this tool which isn't very expensive. :pimp:
 
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