Not my first E-Type refurb.....although this is the first time I bought an unassembled car. I'm sure I'll be asking a lot of questions along the way. Such as, is there any new tech for paint stripping? Ive read some previous posts about sand blasting, glass beading, chem dipping, vapor blasting, etc......many posts noted mixed results. I'm curious what lessons learned / advice everyone may have.

Cheers , Richard

 

You need to tread very warily when considering removals involving air pressure, In particular shot blasting can distort the panels and I would not recommend it. Here in the UK there are firms that will take everything off including rust using a very large tank, and then after washing and prep, will use another tank to prime the bare metal. Many people take the car back after rust and paint removsl, get the rusty panels replaced or repaired then return the shell to the firm for dip priming. This is not cheap process, but where the value of the car will be high after restoration the cost is acceptable.

 

Thanks Fraser, good advice. After doing some checking there is nobody in my area who does the dipping process. Or at least nobody with the experience who I would trust to do it correctly. My thinking at this point is to manually sand down to bare metal everywhere except the bottom of the car which has a thick layer of undercoating. Completely removing that goo is problematic without some sort of stripping process. Has anyone used a dustless blasting service? Ive read the process is effective at lower air pressures (60psi).

Thanks, Richard

 

I've used a dry ice blasting machine to remove built up gypsum from large AC condenser. It was gentle enough to not bend the alloy fins so may be suitable for stripping the body? Don't recall what the machine was called sadly....

 

Here's a couple of options I found, you may have seen them already.
JETSTRIP, INC. Aircraft Paint Stripper - Plastic Media Blasting All Forms of Coatings ? Arizona's Aircraft Paint Stripper Since 1996. Plastic Media Blasting Military Aircraft's, Vehicles and more. No Dangerous Paint Stripping Chemicals such as Methyl
About Xpress ? Xpress Metal Cleaning

 

Removing bitumastic undercoat is a real PITA, but a bit of heat does wonders if used with a paint stripper knife. If you're wanting to apply paint afterwards you have to get rid of every last particle as it won't take paint.

What you can do having removed all the old black stuff, is to apply 3M Paintable Body Schutz. The allows you to paint over the black and makes the wheel arches look better.

 

Thanks for the replies. I used the 3M product on my last restoration and agree it worked well. Have also used "DEI Boom Mat". Neither has a huge amount of buildup and both take top coat very well. The Boom Mat tends to look a little more glossy after paint and has a larger "grain" size.

I knew about Xpress Metal Cleaning but did not find Jetstrip in my original search. Looks like a good possibility. Thanks Norri!

Richard

 

Hi RM9700,
I have heard positive feedback about the dustless paint removal as it uses water and keeps the surface cool, but I have no personal experience with it.
I agree with Fraser regarding the removal of undercoating. A good heat gun and a paint scraper will do a good job. Still, it is a tedious and dirty job, but it is worth it.
Good luck with your project.
Bill.