Hi guys im about to embark in removing the paint off my car...Its only been repainted once...do you guys recommend any products, suggestion, equipment, ect...once im all done, im going to repair all the rust, use body filler to leave the car nice and smooth...and then my cousin is going to paint it for me...how long do you guys think it will take me to remove all the paint if i were to work on it tuesdays and thursdays for about 5 hours each day?
thankyou,
Jose

 

I would use aircraft striper for the big areas and sand or media blast small areas. At 10 hours a week I wold think 2 or 3 months you better rattal can prime the bear metal as you go other wise you are just wasting your time.

 

i cant leave it at bear metal? does it cause it to rott?...so for example say on a tuesday i work on my left front fender and remove the paint...do i paint it with primer ASAP! or can i leave for thursday?...

 

only trip what u can finish that day other wise it will flash rust get a good acid etch primer and and a sandable primer to go over that! to protect it while in between work days

 

ok cool...do you guys know anywhere where i can get some good acid etch primer and sandable primer?...do you guys think its possible to do one fender and primer it and sand it in 5 hours? do i need a power sander or would i get the same results if i do it by hand?

P.S. im a college student and on a very low budget and like everyone on this forum I want my pony looking sharp...the thing is that i have no money to spend on a body shop and my car is in pretty decent shape, so bodywork really wouldnt be a problem...i was thinking on doing what i can do and have a body shop do what i cant...is that possible? any hints or comments? thankyou

 

i wouldnt strip it to bare metal if its not rusting there really no need to do that unless there is a problem. look up finishmasters in the phone book they carry dupont products the nason line of primers are a good value! or u could go with ppg there omni line is a good value also! get an autobody book and read up efore u start! paint work is quite expensive even if u do it urself. yes u can do it all by hand sanding but it will triple if not quadruaple ur time in the project

 

lol this was kind of a happy accident when I started paint removal on my project - We were pressure washing the engine compartment and I moved to the outside of the fender and it started pullin the paint up! So I kept at it and before I knew it 75-80% of the car was stripped--just using water pressure. It was one hell of a mess (paint chips everywhere) but it made for a quick strip down. We hand razored the rest of the car with some good blades and some paint remover.

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thanks guys for the comments...time is really not an issue for me...i just dont want to mess up my car by doing it myself...should i do it myself or have a body shop do it? thanks again,
jose

 

Our plan of attack right now is to use paint stripper on big areas (at least to finish off the bottle we got of the stuff) then take a sander (so we can use our new toy: air compressor) and wire wheels to it. Use rattle can primer from napa (yuck) and then do body work on areas that need it. After everything is fixed and primed we'll tackle the fenders and hoods.

 

dont use a wire wheel to strip paint its acceptable to use it for rust and cleanin that but notfor stripping paint it will "dig ditches" and will make more work for u also if u go the stripper route its a good idea to tape up seam and holes so it doesnt sit at the bottoms of doors etc only to leak out at a later time!