Tampa 928s

As I am sanding I am noticing a lot of deep scratches, looks like old water spots in the hood, fenders Etc. I have been sanding but as I address these areas either the paint will be too low in spots or I need to take down to the primer. It was suggested to use a stripper never using one before I thought try the hood first. What are the down or up side of using a chemical stripper vs the old fashioned way.

tailpipe

keep sanding if you can feel it with your hand you will see it in the paint

JHowell37

Don't bother with chemical stripper. It's not very effective on catalyzed paints, and there's also the issue with collateral damage.

You have to sand out those scratches and chips, even if it means going all the way down to the metal. Yes, you'll have low spots in the paint that remains. That issue is corrected when you apply a sanding primer and block it. Even if you've never painted a car, you should know that much by now. I would take some time to read painting and bodywork before you get in over your head.

LGL

I'm not a paint person but the guy who repainted my car is a notable expert. He sanded everything but the hood. He found the hood to be a replacement with a different color underneath. For the best job when all paint must come off, he said it should be stripped. It came out very nicely.

Mrmerlin

I would suggest that you remove the paint from the fenders and hood and doors down to bare metal.
Since they are aluminum they will need to be cleaned and then anodized then zinc chromated then hi build primer then painted.
The rest of the car should also be stripped but it will have different requirements, you could still zinc chromate the whole car
if you try to cover the areas you have with a hi build primer chances are good you will see them show up in your new paint and all of your work will be wasted.
Try using media blaster on the front and rear PU covers walnut shells works .
I know this sounds like a lot of work but you will be rewarded with a great paint job that will last for many years.
Paint stripper could be tested on the hood depending on how many applications it takes to cut off the old paint you may choose to just use a DA and some 80 grit (A lot of it) to get the coatings off

Ian928

My advice is to go to the same layer on the whole of the panel. If you need to sand all the way to the metal in one spot you should sand the whole fender... Not funny I know but I have been there and tried to take that shorcut only to regret it after a while when the paint sinks. It is easier for amateurs like us to sand the whole panel than to fill the lower areas. That area is also probably the most visible part of the 928 so you want it to be straight!

FBIII

I like starting with a clean slate. If you start with bare metal you don't have issues with feather edging thru different layers of paint. These cars are all over 20 years old and the potential for paint issues tend to increase over time. If you have relatively straight panels and you are not a professional bodyman, I think an amateur will tend to do a better job starting with bare metal.

Stromius

I remember 20+ years ago helping a buddy using something like sulfur block or sh&t block. Basically smelled like sh&t but the block was a bit bigger than a brick and broke down as you sanded. A few boxes took down a 701/2 camaro (don't). Is that still a recommended approach to paint/primer removal? Why not take it down to metal if you are already sanding?

Ron_H

I'm not an expert, and I respect the opinions of the other posters who may have considerably more experience than I. I would simply like to share what a respected body / paint guy in San Jose has shared with me. This guy only works on Porsches, and prefers older 356 cars and older 911s. His advice is to avoid breaking the factory primer if at all possible. He only strips if absolutely necessary. His paint jobs appear as original, not screaming out at you, but as you might expect to find in the showroom at the time the car was sold. He takes his time, to an extreme, in prep. Just sharing his recommendation, which made sense to me. But as others have advised, there are times when an amateur should not try to compete with a pro. This guy has a touch of delicacy I would like to possess, and he is a pro.

southpaw51

Beadblast down to bare metal and rebuild from there with all the necessary aluminum chemical treatments prior to paint. Do not sandblast as it pits the panels. As above, the older the car, the harder it is to feather the edges.

You spend a lot of time (based on my reading) on your cars, might as well have it look as good as it performs.

Richter12x2

FWIW, I've painted a Best in Class Mercury Capri (my first paintjob) and my wife's Mustang that has a wall of runner-ups and class awards (it's tough to be V6 in a V8 World, but I've fixed that too). The only time I ever take any part of a panel down to bare metal is when I'm trying to get rid of rust, or having to use filler to patch a dent or hole. The only time I've ever taken an entire panel down to metal was when the factory primer was questionable and factory paint was lifting (early 90's GM cars, for example).
The only time I used chemical stripper I ended up having to replace a handful of pieces that were eaten too far by the stripper to be recoverable (adjacent plastic areas that I didn't even know had been touched until they started forming little 'boils' from the reaction). I would recommend chemical stripping as a last resort. If you must, be very, very careful, and don't do it with the panel on the car. Or with the car nearby at all, for that matter.
If you're sanding and spots go to bare metal, no worries, but be sure to seal them with an etching primer before you use a filler primer. You might be fine without it, but then again, you might get hit by a shopping cart and find a large piece of paint missing clear down to the metal.

Tampa 928s

I stripped the hood boy that was fun My friend is a painter so the painting will be left to him. Me I'm the grunt guy in this project. It seems that by stripping the car, it has been painted before I have a good base to start with. I don't mind the work and really want to have it look even so I feel this is the way to go. Besides the second paint job, I don't know how well they laid it down.

DonS

Last weekend I pulled my sunroof since it's the worst of the paint on my car and I was going to get it re-done. Since I'm cheap I was going to go ahead and strip it and save the painter some work. The paint is severely faded and blotched and along the front edge there are large chips missing down to the metal.

I'm considering using 'Jassco Professional Grade Sealer & Adhesive Remover'. When I replaced the liner on the underside of the hood I got this stuff to strip off the old adhesive. Did a great job and in 15 minutes took the adhesive off - with the all the paint! - down to the metal. Luckily the new liner was going to hide it.

Any problem using this stuff instead of a 'paint' remover?

Tampa 928s

I used Jassco and it worked great on the hood. What I have been told is to use a good quality tape on all the seams and paper to cover any cracks to stop the drips. What this does is leaves the edges to sand but stops the stripper from going into cracks and crevices you can't get at to repaint. Justl tape up all the door and fender seams and use the stripper.

Tampa 928s

Though I would do a follow up with some pictures: