it's time to strip down the 4th gen and repaint but it has a lot of plastic

does anyone want to share some tips of getting the mulitple coats of paint off and down to bare plastic so i can prime and then paint?

Metal isn't bad because high build primer takes care of that but I don't want to risk grinding away plastic

how do vette guys/gals do it?

 

"Vette guys", such as myself, tend to have the car media blasted. I deal with (fix/restore) older C3 Vettes, and the glass on these do not have a sealed or gelcoat surface, so using paint stripper that can permeate the glass and potentially ruin a new paint job is a bad idea. And you definitely don't want to sand all the paint off for fear of gouging, not to mention the time it takes (forever). Scraping is out. The plastic panels on your car is a different animal though, and there are strippers that are made to not harm plastic. Be careful with your urethane bumper covers though, those can be more temperamental. Are you trying to do this on the cheap? Blasting means you pay someone else to do it unless you have the equipment, but I still prefer it over using chemicals.

 

i used that aircraft paint remover on my Z worked pretty good but youll need a lot of cans and its like 9$ per

 

am I trying to do it on the cheap? Did you forget who you are asking? I'll allow you that temporary mental blockage.

I'm not going to spring for the blasting. I'll "ask Sherwin Williams" when i'm there getting the base/clear. Maybe they have a magic elixir I can use for the urethane bumpers. I'm going with a guy who gets a 30% discount so I'll get it while I'm there if they have something. I don't want to have to revisit it again for many years so the prep work I fear is going to take quite a while.

 

Note to self.....t.i.g. is a cheep bastid! Ok, got it. Lmao

 

Have you ever used the scotch bright pads for stripping paint by 3M? I seem to have a lot more control with these pads then with any other type of sanding process. I think you could still damage the plastic if you not carful, maybe set your beer down and use two hand,,, I know, I know it was tuff for me too but it might be worth it.

Strip Disc System Backing Pad And 3 Discs

 

Set your beer down? What planet are you from? lol

 

The process is not optimal but if you chipmunk half the can and take small swallow it is not to bad and the weekend or evening can progress as planned.

 

I go up the grits of sandpaper but will give those a try. I've done a fibergalss hood before but all I did was rough it up with 220, wet sand with 400 and then sprayed it with a couple coats of single stage. I sold the car after 2 years so have no clue how long that job lasted.

The bumpers and plastic panels/roof I understand need a bit of TLC and I don't want to have divots in them