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Thread: Best way to strip body of paint panel/section at a time.

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    Bodger Richb77's Avatar

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    Best way to strip body of paint panel/section at a time.

    So. I may be getting ahead of myself a little...Maybe not.

    My car was originally Apollo green and i have discovered that over this it has been painted red. Over this red layer is one of primer and then a top coat of another red but its THICK. I mean 0.8mm thick (doesnt sound much it it is) plus its crazed, cracked and peeling. I suspect its something thats been brushed/rollered on.

    I will need to get through this to check the metal and make repairs so am planning stripping areas/panels as needed and wondered what the best method would be.

    I tried Nitromors and its took the thick layer off just fine. But dosing a car in Nitromors (not available in Germany BTW) will bankrupt me. sanding is the only other option i could come up with...Unless there is a CHEAP stripper that works (I dont want the whole car blasted in one as it will corrode too fast for me).

    Ideas and experience is welcome!

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    World Champion Decade Plus User alladdin's Avatar

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    Best way to strip body of paint panel/section at a time.

    The fibrous discs that fit in a grinder work well, I can't remember the name but used for cleaning stainless steel. Google polorico discs.


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    Re: Best way to strip body of paint panel/section at a time.

    Get it shot blasted or dipped.
    Last edited by Erikmex; 08-04-2019 at 18:01.

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    Re: Best way to strip body of paint panel/section at a time.

    discs on a grinder for panels? ouch! you'll end up with high and low spots everywhere...DA sander surely??

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    Re: Best way to strip body of paint panel/section at a time.

    They're called poly strip discs.

    https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/10X-4-Pol...MAAOSwV1Vb0tig

    They're very good, I've used them on a couple of bits admittedly not many though. The trick is not to put too much heat into the panels otherwise you'll be looking at heat distortion.

    They're not a grinding disc at all.

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    Re: Best way to strip body of paint panel/section at a time.

    Yeah i know what they are, for rust removal not panels, ive never seen anyone use a grinder on panels, i dare say they will strip paint off but when it comes to priming there will be lots of sags and you'll need loads of filler and high build primer to flatten out the panel, why not just use a DA sander and have it nice and flat to start with ? you can never expect a panel to be nice and even using a grinder

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    Racer Decade Plus User rallyrob's Avatar

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    Re: Best way to strip body of paint panel/section at a time.

    Quote Originally Posted by Erikmex View Post
    Yeah i know what they are, for rust removal not panels, ive never seen anyone use a grinder on panels, i dare say they will strip paint off but when it comes to priming there will be lots of sags and you'll need loads of filler and high build primer to flatten out the panel, why not just use a DA sander and have it nice and flat to start with ? you can never expect a panel to be nice and even using a grinder

    Maybe not quite the same but I used them to strip the paint off a 2nd hand auto tunnel and was very pleasantly surprised with the results.

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    Re: Best way to strip body of paint panel/section at a time.

    Ive used them for underneath a floor to get underseal and surface rust off, wouldnt use them on a panel tho, i finished my axle with them too before paint.

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    Re: Best way to strip body of paint panel/section at a time.

    I would suggest either a wire brush on that grinder, or even better, a "Roloc" bristle disc (they are brilliant for paint removal).

    Using any sort of abrasive is going to be messy, whichever way to settle on.

    Simon

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    Bodger Richb77's Avatar

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    Re: Best way to strip body of paint panel/section at a time.

    Thanks all.... Im overly cautious on the flapping sanding discs. The bristle roloc things... Great suggestion. I had completely forgot about them. Thanks all.

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    Re: Best way to strip body of paint panel/section at a time.

    I have used those poly discs / grinder to remove the paint on all my escort panels, they don't seem to put much heat into the panel at all and i haven't warped anything yet :-)
    Expensive but worth their weight in gold

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    Best way to strip body of paint panel/section at a time.

    Quote Originally Posted by 5tox View Post
    I have used those poly discs / grinder to remove the paint on all my escort panels, they don't seem to put much heat into the panel at all and i haven't warped anything yet :-)
    Expensive but worth their weight in gold
    Correct
    Never ventured ...........

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    Re: Best way to strip body of paint panel/section at a time.

    Its not about heat its about making it uneven, you will never see anyone in a bodyshop take an angle grinder to a panel except to cut it off. Id love to see the paint job after doing that.

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    Re: Best way to strip body of paint panel/section at a time.

    i removed the paint and filler! lots of it, from my roof with a poly disc, no issues at all

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    Re: Best way to strip body of paint panel/section at a time.

    Use paint stripper then go over it with an orbital sander that's the best way, I'd never use anything on a grinder its to fast and could warp a panel easy

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    Spanner Monkey

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    Re: Best way to strip body of paint panel/section at a time.

    As has already been said above I used poly discs and have had no issues just a nice light touch and then finish with orbital, I also used 3m discs that fit on a grinder

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    Re: Best way to strip body of paint panel/section at a time.

    Hi Richb,
    Poly discs as already suggested.
    Understand you want to get down to bare metal, not flat off paint, so your car will be having new paint and primer etc, and you need to do it section by section.
    Of course as suggested Dipping or blasting are great but not always a viable option to all for various reasons.
    The poly discs are very efficient, far more so than sanding discs. It will be messy, but no more than using paint stripper. Also paint stripper has to be thoroughly cleaned off as any trace will cause a problem in future.
    The poly disc will leave you with a smooth shinny surface, taking away any surface rust that maybe below the paint. They will also polish off any surface rust that forms on areas that you've stripped and not been able to to apply a primer coat to.
    I've extensively stripped back my car to bare metal with poly discs, without any issue. There is no real heating effect.
    They are particularly good/efficient on flat panels. You don't need to apply any pressure, just let the weight of the grinder do the work. The reason they go on a grinder is the high rev rate you get with a grinder.
    Take care around any points on the panels that can snag the disc, as the disc material will get stripped off if its caught on metal edges. Good quality steel wire discs in a hand drill will get into the awkward areas and corners.
    If you go down the poly disc route, buy them in multiple packs it's cheaper, you'll get through them over a course of time, and inevitably you'll snag the odd disc reducing how much stripping it will do.
    A couple of pictures of my rear quarter, stripped back through 3 or 4 layers of paint and a layer of thick filler. Took about 15 minuets, and before it was primed I took off the paint up the rear pillar, about 5 minuets work.
    No warping, scratching or distortion there..

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