Paint Stripping

Posted by Rick Black on November 16, 1997 at 11:15:11

In Reply to: Paint Stripping
posted by Joe Cunningham on November 16, 1997 at 07:11:28

Hi Joe.I too have a 1931 Tudor.I had it dipped and stripped in 1972 - the entire body, doors, gas tank, etc. as a complete unit.When they took it out of it's "bath tub", it looked like stainless steel!Bright as new.
On the way back home, I stopped at a coin operated car wash (25 cents a pass in those days) and washed it with hot soapy water - 4 complete cycles with clear water on the last pass.
When I got home, I dried it off and put it in the garage for a few days. A few days later, I used metal prep very generously and then gave it several coats of lacquer primer inside and out.
You can't be in a hurry to put final paint coats on a car that's been dipped.I waited a month and noticed some peeling of the primer in some spots, especially on the interior where panels lapped together (where I didn't do as thorough a job washing off the chemicals.)I cleaned it off and reprimered.
The car sat in that primer for 10 years in my garage before I got around to the finish coat.The primer NEVER came off or peeled during that time.My painter used additional primer over mine, followed by Sikkens acrylic enamel, and the finished result is spectacular.
In summary:
Dipping is pretty thorough, but you can't rush it.And you have to be VERY careful to wash off everything - many times - before you primer. Then wait a LONG time for the primer to dry.Inspect it carefully before deciding to do the final painting. It's a lot friendlier to the metal (and previously repaired spots - bondo and leading) than blasting.

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