65 Convertible Destroyed

[BLACK MOON]

I was debating whether to have my 63 media blasted instead of using chemical strippers. I’ve been checking with the only ‘Blaster’ in this area and he shows me a T top that looked like it had been stripped and DA’d but suggests I drop by the following Monday to see a 65 that a customer was going to make a ‘show car’ out of. While there I looked over the car and saw a lot of repairs on the fiberglass, some good and some poor.

Well the next Monday came and I got there as they were cleaning up. I almost threw up when I looked at the car. If it had been mine I’d be in jail for many years. The car literally had holes in it. In addition the majority of the surface felt like about 20 grit sandpaper. They said that the entire car must have been skim coated and that the holes were already there just filled with bondo. I know midyears didn’t have gelcoat but whatever this car had holding it together was gone.

The owner must not be on this forum because we’d be hearing from him. I hope he survived picking up his car or at least what was left.

The price of having my car totally stripped, top to bottom, inside and out kept going up and the last quote was $1,500. Well I left there went to Volunteer Products and bought 2 gallons of ‘Captain Lees’ Spra-Strip. 3 evenings later the paint is gone except for some ‘nooks and craneys. I also bought 50lbs of plastic and with my ‘Northern Equipment’ sandblaster I’m finishing up the jambs and those nooks.

Total investment is less than $200 and a few evenings of my time. I guess my point is sometimes the old fashioned way is cheaper and safer.

A moment of silence for the owner who is probably looking for a new body for his 65 ‘show car’.

 

[studiog]

Hey Moon I have seen Vettes blasted this way to point where the body looked like it was about as thin as a lamp shade. Can you tell me more about how the chemical stripping went? What was your procedure? Did you use a plastic scrapper. Did it eat into the bondo filler areas? Three evenings sounds really quick. Keep us posted on your progress.

 

[wiscane]

It seems to me I read about this car or a similar incident on the NCRS forum a short time back. OUCH! ...Ed

 

[Ol Blue]

I had the same problem with my race car that I had media stripped. Luckily it was just the door jambs and the interior floor. The hard top was already pretty bad, but there was one place on it that looked like a worm trail.

I hear of media stripping places that can strip just one coat of paint at a time, but I think I will use chemical stripper on my daughters 72 LT-1.

I've stripped several cars with the chemical stripper and a plastic bondo spreader with good results. Any bondo in the car that is softened or removed probably should be redone anyway.
Ol Blue

 

[BLACK MOON]

Well this just happened on the 9th.

The first thing I learned was use the right stripper.
The warmer it is the better it works.
I used a plastic scraper and a razor blade scraper.
Spray it on and let it work. If the first application doesn't penetrate and raise the paint just spray a second coat on top of it.
You can tell when it lifts and wrinkles up.
Scrate it off with plastic. Than use the razor at an angle to remove anything left. Sometimes the primer requires an application. I used alot of stripper but it was worth it and I also did the bottom of the car that was sprayed with spray cans due to the ease of removal.
When all the chemical work was done I pulled to body outside, sprayed everything lightly and then washed the entire car with my pressure washer, 3500 psi with a turbo-tip. When I was done it was clean and any paint or stripper residue was gone.

The last step, I dried the car and ran a DA (I use a palm sander) sander with 80 grit over the entire car (outside, under and engine compartment.

Good luck!! and wear gloves. The **** really burns!

 

[BLACK MOON]

'I hear of media stripping places that can strip just one coat of paint at a time'

This shop also bragged about just removing the paint and not the primer. You should have seen the car. It looked like those concrete blocks called 'split face'.

 

[studiog]

Thanks for the tips Moon. Great idea to use pressure washer to get rid of all the miscellaneous goo.

 

[IH2LOSE]

I looked into media blasting for my car and after speaking with 2 different companies i had decided this was not for me.They bothe explained if it was virgin underneith this was ok to do but if there was hidden problems it could ruin the car.

What else I found out was that few people can clean glass proper.too agressive a media ruins the car.too high a pressure ruins the car.too close to the car same results.

My car had 1 repaint on it and 1 small repair
My body shop wet sanded my car almost to bare glass.Allthough my car is straight as an arrow if I had to do it all again I dont know what I would do but certainly blocking the car takes all of the caricter out of the car.I never would have know what caricter was except 3 or 4 years ago I had the pleasure of seeing 2 big block surviver cars owned by one fellow that were untouched and the flaws in the body from the factor is the caricter I am speaking of

 

[paintdaddy]

Media blasting fiberglass is way overhyped.The place I used down here did about four cars with in 3 years.The price went up each time .Started at 600 and the last one was 1500 and looked like a fuzzy tennis ball .The owner of the shop was proud.I on the other hand didnt know wether to laugh or cry.I explained that his prices have skyrocketed and the quality has gotten worse and this would be the last one from me.It took alot of priming and blocking to get it back to normal.Now Ive got it down to a science,I can strip a car for about half that and the owner is much better off.

 

[BLACK MOON]

PD, How are you stripping yours?

 

[paintdaddy]

Basically the same way you are,except in the jambs,nooks and crannies I chemically strip them and then have to hand sand the remainder off.First remove all the trim and emblems.Then I tape up all of the seams with HVAC insulation tape.Its like alluminum foil with adhesive on the back.I press all of the tape down with a bondo spreader .This is to keep it out of the nooks and crannies initially.Then I untape everything and sand the rest off.Then I disassemble the car and do the jambs.It usually takes about a week.

 

[magicv8]

"Media blasting fiberglass is way overhyped."
I agree - and MidValley took the Ditzler Deltron off my car in a day by hand sanding.

 

[BLACK MOON]

Did you say you are regelcoating on the corvette forum?