PO painting woes

[zbane]

I wish there were a way to take off the red respray the the PO deemed necessary to apply. He must have taken it to one cheap shop, because every day it seems that a little more of the red just flakes off, revealing the beautiful root beer brown beneath.

It's almost as if the painters painted over the brown without removing the wax, that's how nice the original color is underneath. At this point the paint is only coming off around the mirrors, and the inner door jamb area, but the brown areas are growing.

[Zs-ondabrain]

That looks pretty thick. Try a good old fashioned heat gun and peel your woes away. Kinda like peeling a good sunburn. It can be fun for the whole family. See how big of a peice you can get without it tearing off.....

I removed 80% of the previous owners 3 paint jobs with a couple of swipes with my heat gun but make sure you wear some tight cloth/rubber coated gloves. Unless you have calless's like mine. It can get pretty darn hot at times.

OR.......... take some packing tape, you know? the real strong clear tape and rub it on good then rip it off quickly..... I learned that one by accident. But it worked pretty damn well, unfortunately for me.

Good luck.

[zbane]

take some packing tape, you know? the real strong clear tape and rub it on good then rip it off quickly......

Interesting idea-certainly worth trying...Thanks!

[240Z-Fan]

Another possibility is to use a power washer. I would start at a spot where the paint is peeling off and spray kind of close. The water will get under the 'new' paint and start peeling it off.

The gas powered ones you can buy or rent generate 1800-4000 PSI. They usually have various nozzles to give wider or narrower spray patterns, the narrower the pattern the more intense the jet. The ones at a car wash are relatively low pressure (maybe 500 psi) but it may be worth a try.

I watched a high power washer take off the clear coat on my wife's Saturn when the father-in-law got a bit too close. There may be good reasons not to do this, but it is an option.

Al

[Nissanman]

I have had a similar experience with my '65 Roadster.

It was painted Kermit Green and ... well ... it just peeled off:(

However, it had to come off anyway....

[Zak's Z]

My PO had at least 3 coats of red over the old orange on my '72. Not even aircraft stripper would take it off. I ended up using a small propane torch and a paint scraper.

I dont heat it too much, just more than a heat gun can do. That works great for the big areas and for the tight corners and door jambs I use a drill with a wire wheel or the 3M sanding disk thing.

Z

[CANDYBLUE2+2]

I know the last post was a couple months ago, but I have to add that some folks may need some cautious reminders:

1. When using heat, be carefull not to heat the metal too much, as this can cause it to warp and create more work.

2. Compressed air is a good alternative to power washers, as theres more control and air very seldom can do the type of damage a pressure washer can.

3. If using a pressure washer/compressed air, by all means, wear eye protection. A piece of paint flying at speed into the eyes is truly painful.

4. If all else fails, pay someone who has the skills to do it.