Removing Auto Body Paint?
We have purchased a dune buggy made from the body of a 1960’s VW and are currently restoring it. Finding parts or having items made for our project hasn’t presented a problem. We finally hit a problem . . . in an effort to save money, we want to strip the paint ourselves. A whole day’s work has produced little results (orbital sander, 3.0 amp, 12,000 opm, using industrial grade abrasive grit sandpaper). It appears there are four coats of a flat finish paint and one coat of metal flake paint on the body. Someone suggested sand-blasting, but since we’re not professionals, we don’t want to warp the sheet metal. There are also chemicals, but we are unsure of the mess we would create. Any suggestions?
Rather than using an orbital sander use a rotary one. These are like a buffer, only they have sanding pads attached. They are good for the rapid removal of paint on sheet metal surfaces, but would grind right through fiberglass or plastic.
Here is one that is carried by Harbor Freight. They also make them in air powered versions.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=90820
Miller Brothers VW EFI Turbo automatic dune buggy
