Best tools to use?

[Knight72]

Hey everybody, I am looking to strip my cab and bed to bare metal to see how bad my rust is. I spoke with a mobile media blaster and was quoted $1000. That's too much scratch for me since I'm not in a hurry. What are the best ways to strip paint by hand. Wire wheels, flap disc's, sander and paper (grit?)? Any insight is helpful. Thanks

[bs46488]

I used a 7" sander on a variable speed buffer and a DA with 80 grit. Flap disc isn't the first choice for paint removal. I didn't like the wire wheel.

A majority of the body work was done with a DA, so that's a good one. I bought a 6" one and a variety of grits. 80 grit on the DA did some quick work on removing paint

Don't forget about your personal safety items....a dust mask and eye protection will go a long way.

[Knight72]

Thanks for the quick response. I'll hit up hf today for a cheap sander and some 80 grit disc's.

[mongocanfly]

check with Jeremy at vinemont welding and fab (256-590-2059)....he's blasting my stuff and is very reasonable...you'd just have to get it to him....he's done my whole truck for less than that...
those mobile blasters are proud of their travel prices...
if you use a blaster make dang sure they know how to blast body panels...

[jbarron]

A stripper disk works great for removing paint in bulk.
Something like this:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/4-1-2-x-7-8...YAAOSwubZZ7bym

[Foot Stomper]

There's absolutely no need to strip off perfectly good paint. If the body has areas where you see rust, by all means dig in, but to remove a "tightly adhered coating" is a waste of time and materials and only leaves you with exposed steel that can start to rust. New primer will stick to the old paint too.

[BIGglaSS]

Footstomper, I know you're in the coating business, and I hear what you're saying. But, I could never sleep at night knowing I left paint from 1972. The OP already has rust that he needs to get to the bottom of. Therefore, my opinion is remove everything, and build up a solid foundation from bare metal. To me, the "waste of time and materials" is minimal compared to the waste of time and materials to redo a failure! You're only saving a few minutes, and a few dollars.

The HF sanding disks wont last very long and may cost you more in the long run. You can get the bulk of the top layers off with a heat gun and razor blade. Then finish with 80 grit D/A down to bare steel.

Having it blasted is worth the time and money. It will take you forever and then some to clean all the door jambs, nooks, and crannies that you can't power sand.

[Macdaddy1]

I agree. I finally sent my entire truck out for sand blasting and epoxy primer. I calculated the time and labor and most important the quality of doing it myself and it wasen't if I were to do it myself. I had to save up and bide my time until I could get it done which allowed me to concentrate and work on the mechanical issues of the truck. Good luck which ever way you go.

[tinydb84]

I prefer a stripper disc like mentioned above. You can also ask what they would charge to just blast the jams and hard to reach areas. Should cost less and leave you less chance of warping.

[faribran]

I will suggest paint stripper semi liquid. Have to use safety measures but will not distort metal. 2 applications usually get to base metal.

[sevt_chevelle]

Originally Posted by Foot Stomper

There's absolutely no need to strip off perfectly good paint. If the body has areas where you see rust, by all means dig in, but to remove a "tightly adhered coating" is a waste of time and materials and only leaves you with exposed steel that can start to rust. New primer will stick to the old paint too.

So you are telling me I would have no problems spending thousands of dollars and hundreds of man hours on doing the paint and body on my original paint 1949?

[BR3W CITY]

I've seen eastwood selling a neat looking surface stripper tool. Its like a 5" WIDTH wire wheel (like a wire paint roller) with a little shield etc. It works like the wire wheel but over a larger area so you don't work the hell out of one spot. Haven't tried one yet tho.

[Foot Stomper]

Originally Posted by faribran

I will suggest paint stripper semi liquid. Have to use safety measures but will not distort metal. 2 applications usually get to base metal.

Paint stripper will leave "latent defects" as you never really get rid of it in all the crevasses. Bad idea.

[Foot Stomper]

Originally Posted by sevt_chevelle

So you are telling me I would have no problems spending thousands of dollars and hundreds of man hours on doing the paint and body on my original paint 1949?

Huh? Are you drunk?

[Knight72]

Guys, I really appreciate the follow up. For now I'm going to hit it with the sander and probably the stripper disk. I've sanded a couple of small areas on the cab and it looks like primer and one coat of paint only. It's coming off fairly easy. Also looks like I really only have rust on the rockers, cab corners, inner cowl and drip rails at the front windshield. Back half of the cab looks brand new with no rust on the roof or rear windshield lip. I do have some pitting about 6 inches above the filler cap, but no holes. Will the pitted metal need to be cut out to prevent new rust over time? Is the stripper disk on a grinder with how fast they spin a bad idea?

[jbarron]

I run my stripper disk on a 4 1/2" grinder.
Wear a face mask.

[BIGglaSS]

Will the pitted metal need to be cut out to prevent new rust over time? Is the stripper disk on a grinder with how fast they spin a bad idea?

It really depends on how bad the pitting is. It is best to blast to clean white metal. Also, strip disks leave a smeared rubber contamination. Follow up with 80 grit sandpaper.

[mongocanfly]

sanding won't get the rust out of the pits...blasting will....no need to cut out pitted metal unless its got holes in it....if you just have just a few small pitted spots and a air compressor you can pick up one of those spot blasters....looks like a paint gun....not the most ideal way though...

[Foot Stomper]

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

sanding won't get the rust out of the pits...blasting will....no need to cut out pitted metal unless its got holes in it....if you just have just a few small pitted spots and a air compressor you can pick up one of those spot blasters....looks like a paint gun....not the most ideal way though...

No need to remove all the rusty pin holes. Epoxy primer takes care of those. That's what it's designed for.