Sand or Strip to Bare Metal? 72 Midget
Posted by pburgh@reddit | projectcar | View on Reddit | 9 comments
That’s my dilemma. A friend is adamant stripping to bare metal is the only way to go but I’d like more opinions.
Removing the horrible vinyl wrap it had is taking a lot of clear with it leaving a flaking patchy mess. That being said the car doesn’t have any cracking and minimal rock chips but definitely has bondo hiding. This is a cheap heap that’ll never be worth much I’m using to learn to paint with.
The previous respray is very old with no real way of knowing just how old. It was a base/clear though.
Planning to use a single stage and don’t care about it being show quality. Mainly get it all one color and presentable while learning a new skill. Is a bare metal strip really the only way to go?
RPE10Ben@reddit
Stripping a car to bare metal is almost never necessary and the amount of extra work that it requires is not worth it on a car you’re only wanting to practice painting on. Just by normal body work sanding, you’re going to go through most of the respray and see the original paint job. Your last paragraph tells you what you should do: ignore your friend lol
pburgh@reddit (OP)
Lol he was ruminating on wishing he’d stripped his vanagon to bare metal but IMO his van looks excellent for a DIY job.
Here’s the door, 50% of the clear came with the vinyl. No amount of heat has helped minimize this either.
RPE10Ben@reddit
The only time anyone ever sands an entire car to bare metal is if the car was in terrible shape and someone is going to spend hundreds of hours on perfecting the bodywork to be a show car. Below this, even professional paint jobs are never taken to completely bare metal, even on classics 50 years old. It just doesn’t make any sense and I don’t think your friend completely understands that undertaking. Definitely don’t do that for yours. Good luck bro I love your car
pburgh@reddit (OP)
Thanks man! It’s been fun so far, got it back on the road last year after sitting since 2004ish. Engine is getting rebuilt too, it still ran fine but was tired.
Agreed in that sense, it’s also a car that’ll never be worth much and I’m fine with it having flaws. It’s just getting single stage and it’s already going to take a huge amount of time.
RPE10Ben@reddit
My 87 MR2 is in the same spot. It’s too much of a shitbox to deserve more than a budget single stage paint job, but I’ll put some labor into it. I’ve got about 18 hours into the exterior so far, and it’ll probably get another 10 before I paint. It takes a long time to do it even the bare minimum correctly, but like everyone else said. 90% prep, 10% painting.
jorzech2@reddit
Don't sandblast youll find stiff you wouldnt habe noticed in 5 years and it will start rusting in2. Years again anyways, that's just how it is
pburgh@reddit (OP)
Wasn’t going to sand blast, was going to use a DA or drum sander to strip to bare metal.
You’re saying don’t strip, sand off the bad clear and feather edges?
TheSeansk1@reddit
If the old paint is that bad, it will be easier to start from bare metal. Otherwise you may lay a nice paint job on top of garbage paint that will make it look bad.
The key to a good paint job is the prep. If the prep is trash, your paint job will be trash. That’s why the cheap-o paint places (Maaco, Earl Scheib, etc) churn out shitty paint.
Ianpu@reddit
Well if you are learning to paint I would think your friend is sending you in the right direction anything you do on top of the old mess will leave your work looking like shit. Post on here of your progress because it looks like a cool car to see completed