Sages,

Is there a way to remove crappy respray'ed paint over an original factory paint / patina?

Areas of it scratch off with my fingernail but dont want to fingernail the whole car if it can be avoided.

Thanks,

Greg

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http://www.youtube.com/hyperpack

My current project, a '68 notchback Barracuda, had a layer of dull respray on it that felt like 320 grit sand paper.

So I started with 400 grit wet sanding. Then 600, 800, 1000, 1500, and then heavy cut polish, glaze, and wax.

The good news is the bulk of it came out pretty nice. The bad news is that it is impossible to know how thick the paint is, and I did buff through to layers below. In some spots 4 or 5 layers of respray where body work had been done in the '70s or '80s. There is no way to know what is under that top layer. It does create some unusual patina, and is certainly a conversation starter.

My attitude going into it was- It all has to come off if I'm going to have a nice paint job. But if I do that, I will exceed the value of the car in paint work.

If your top layer is chipping off, is it possible to blow it off with compressed air? Remember safety glasses.

My body shop guys "stripped" my 1992 Spirit, which had bad factory topcoat but really good factory primer underneath. They used razor blades, and I think some kind of mild paint stripper. Yep, they did it by hand with razor blades. They said there were going to strip it to bare metal, but when they saw how well the primer was preserved and adhering, they just stopped there and it was a clean break. I was happy with that.

When I saw it partially done, they had removed just the (mostly peeling off) base/clear but not the primer. Then they spot primed some spots and painted it. I'll try to remember to ask them next time I'm there (soon) as to what they did.

Such dedication to original/patina, Greg. I do not have that aesthetic or patience... My guys are so cheap and they do a good job, so I just send stuff to them 95% of the time. They are exceedingly non-greedy people. Quite refreshing. I always give them a tip.

Lou

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Home of Slant6-powered fun machines

Thanks for the Ideas Guys.

I was picking at it with a Resin / Plastic glass moulding tool.. then Compressed air, then the garden hose.

Got some substantial amounts off and made a mess of the shop.

Next is the pressure washer.

There are some areas where the stuff seems to be sticking better... we'll see how it turns out.


Greg

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http://www.youtube.com/hyperpack

When I had a '97 Neon with bad original paint I took off large areas of paint with my 6 hp pressure washer. The car was a beater so I just feathered the edges and painted it with Rustoleum. It was a fun beater though that got 30+ MPG and would run 16.6 in the 1/4 on a cool evening.

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Joshua

All that I have to do to get the paint off of my 96 Dakota is to drive it and watch it fly, though the primer underneath seems ok except on the cab roof

DA sander with a very fine grit for the stubborn areas?

Using pressure washer and razor blade now.. faster results.


Greg

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http://www.youtube.com/hyperpack