I am planning on painting my 3.4 over the summer. It is going to require to be pretty much completely stripped, as it has about 5 coats of poorly shot (thick) paint of multiple colors on it. I did a little looking in the archives, and I saw that pretty much the consensus was that it has to be sanded. Is this for just the bumpers? Can I use a different method on the non-flexible pieces? I am going to be painting it myself because I know it is going to be killer to have a shop strip the car.
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09:40 AM
PFF
System Bot
James Bond 007 Member
Posts: 8868 From: California.U.S.A. Registered: Dec 2002
I would say hand sanding would be best,because of the contours of the body pannels.Maybe you'll get something out of this article I wrote on preping a car for painting.If the paint is thick,your probubly going to want to sand it down as much as possible to the plastic and might require an electric sander,but use caution on contoured pieces,you don't want to shave off any plastic. Fiero Painting Prep Tips for those preping the car for painting I had a car painted a Earl Sheib and they did a great job,I chose a nice Dodge viper red.Maco is also a good choice.They both should prep the car for you, thats sanding and primering.But I wanted to make sure it was done right so I sanded the car my self (I didn't primer though).I wanted to make sure the paint wasn't going to peel off.Get your car painted on sale because Maco charges about $550 when it's not on sale.They also charge a little extra for any body work,like cracked paint in the front nose or rear bumper and Im not talking about cracked plastic, just the paint.These hair line cracks will show up again after the car is painted so be sure to fill them your self or have them fill them, includeing any pits you may have (be sure to use the correct bondo,I think it's a flexible plastic.)As for sanding,I would do one piece at a time,(fender,hood,door) unless your energentic and want to do the whole thing in one day.Start by washing the car this will remove surface grit and will help prevent scratches.Buy some wet and dry sand paper (not too course and not too fine you want to avoid scratches) Have a bucket of soapy water(this will help prevent scratches) and a sponge handy,Cut the sand paper (or tear) into squars. Now rub two piece together to break the surface tension (this will reduce scratches, that can show up later)Dip in your bucket of soapy water and start sanding (by hand), the surface should be dull, your Not removeing the paint completely, just dulling the surface and be carefull all the body parts are plastic so dont use a sanding block because you could shave off a corner. Pay close attention to detail like nooks and cranies (the edge of the hood and were the fenders fold over the top and trunk area.) Rinse your sand paper often and hose off the paint residue,this will greately reduce scratches.When your finished wash the car again and you will may see some shiney spots that you missed sand those.You will probubly end up washing the car at least 3 times or more,you can also use an air hose to blow the dust off the car.Make sure you sand all the shiney spots because this will prevent what is called Fish Eye.Thats were you get a small circle due to the paint being unable to cling to the shiney area.If you want it done right do one to two body pieces a day (removal is not necessary).When you take the car in you will have your choice of paints, includeing metal flake or Peral or both. The metal flake and Peral cost extra and so does painting the door jams, but the door jams can be painted by you prior to painting the car.Be sure to get the Clear Coat and UV protection.They also charge extra to sand and repair pealing paint (Total coast Varries, I paid $280).Be sure to remove any Tar around the lower body panels.After all this is done you end up with a $2,000 paint job.
[This message has been edited by James Bond 007 (edited 04-28-2007).]
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10:49 AM
rogergarrison Member
Posts: 49601 From: A Western Caribbean Island/ Columbus, Ohio Registered: Apr 99
Yeps, hand sanding. You can use a DA sander if you have experience using it. Ive had guys not knowing what theyre doing, DA a Corvette leaving such deep cateyes and waves, pretty much had to be covered end to end with filler and blocked.
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10:57 AM
wikid_one Member
Posts: 2838 From: Ocean City, MD Registered: Dec 2003
You don't *have* to sand it. In fact, with that much paint on it using chemical stripper will probably be a LOT quicker. Just do a small area (about 2 square feet) at a time, & make sure you don't let the chemical soak into the material the parts are made of. Use a good name brand (I use "Aircraft Stripper") on the SMC, & a "bumper stripper" (usually comes in a spray can) on the bumpers. You *may* get away with the strong shtuff on the plastic parts, untill you get most of the paint off, then go to the bumper stripper. Follow the instructions (well ventilated area, etc.), & once you get down to the original paint, stop. It may take one application for each layer of paint, but it may come off quicker than that. Once down to the original paint, make *sure* you clean off all the stripper & you're ready to sand everything smooth. This all makes a big mess: have a cardboard box ready to scrape the shtuff into as you go (cardboard on the floor dosen't hurt either). What I would do is try sanding it first to see how well that goes, & if that's slow as hell then try the chemicals. You may also want to consider buying new (used) panels in some cases, 'cause things like fenders & door skins (& 1/4 panels & decklids & hoods....) can be bought cheap sometimes. With that much paint on it I'd say it would cost you about a grand for a shop to strip it. ~ Paul aka "Tha Driver"
I was a body man in the 80s and i would be careful with chemical stripping a fiero you can remove paint quickly by stripping with a razor,with plastic panels you need a steady hand and attention to each push of the razor knife you can easily nick the plastic,my info is old tech I have no experience with new chemicals try the most simple meathod and see what works for you I am going to paint my notch next winter and the paint is to thick,the secret to a good paint job is the PREPARATION,THE SANDING,CAREFULL TAPING (use NEW MASKING TAPE ) YOU CAN USE RATTLE CANS FOR HARD TO REACH AREAS,if you use new car paint also touch up will be available for years,each post on painting seems to be excellent advice,,a $200.oo to 275.oo special by a pro is worth the cost..I am an expert with rattle can but was never a good quality paint man uhlanstan
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02:39 PM
Francis T Member
Posts: 6620 From: spotsylvania va. usa Registered: Oct 2003
I was a body man in the 80s and i would be careful with chemical stripping a fiero you can remove paint quickly by stripping with a razor,with plastic panels you need a steady hand and attention to each push of the razor knife you can easily nick the plastic,my info is old tech I have no experience with new chemicals try the most simple meathod and see what works for you I am going to paint my notch next winter and the paint is to thick uhlanstan
Yeah; (it's hard to think of everything when posting) a razor blade *may* work if it's painted with crispy non-flexible paint like laquer - or if laquer primer was used. Just make *sure* you keep it flat. I use a tiny vise grip to hold the blade. If you keep gouging the plastic QUIT. :-)
quote
Originally posted by Francis T: At least with all those coats of paint you can start out with some real gritty paper like 60 to get through the top coats quick
Hell I've been know to use a grinder with 24 grit on the *really* thick paint (recently on an aero bumper) to take off the top coats. Whatever you find works best, just be careful to not damage the part itself. Nearly 40 years exp. body/paint/custom work. ~ Paul aka "Tha Driver"
To resist the influence of others, knowledge of one's self is most important.
[This message has been edited by Tha Driver (edited 04-28-2007).]
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05:42 PM
Dennis LaGrua Member
Posts: 15139 From: Hillsborough, NJ U.S.A. Registered: May 2000
You can have the car soda blasted which is a mildly abrasive form of sandblasting. It can be used on plastic without hurting the surface. It will cost you a couple of hundered dollars but save you a weeks worth 0of sanding time. Here is a place that does it. www.finalstrip.com
Hey Pete you live down around the water , there should be a place that will soda blast your parts. Like Dennis said soda blasting is probably the best method,although it might be pricey.
------------------ REMEMBER KIDS 4.9's ARE NOT SBC's
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07:38 PM
PFF
System Bot
Firefox Member
Posts: 4307 From: New Berlin, Wisconsin Registered: Feb 2003
Try to find a different set of body panels and paint those. That's a lot of paint to sand off and if you aren't careful you'll end up with a wavey (sp) surface. You can do it, but I think you'll end up spending less time replacing the panels instead of trying to make yours paintable again. I won't use chemical stripper on any Fiero parts as the stripper can work into the plastic/SMC, and if it's not completely removed and rinsed out it'll trash your paint job. You'll never know if it's all cleaned out until a few months after your new paint is on the car and you start to see some discoloration.