Packard Forum Index » Pre-War (1899-1942)

I'm actually not in a hurry at all. I just happen to have a little time this week between semesters and wanted to experiment.

You can often scrape off paint with a razor blade scraper. Not the factory paint but repaints may not be stuck on too tight especially if the paint is peeling.

When this works you can peel off long strips of paint as fast as you can move the scraper. You have to be careful but if you get just the right angle you can scrape off the top layer and not even nick the bottom layer. There is a bit of a knack to it. Once you get going you can strip a car pretty fast, faster than sandpaper or stripper.

I have used the aircraft stripper, It's fast and good. I cleaned up the panels afterwards, it wasn't that difficult, then epoxy primed and started filling/sanding/blocking. I know of cars we did 10 years ago and the paint still looks like the day we finished. Sanding is fine, it just takes a long time and uses a lot of air. We had a few cars blasted with walnut shells, that was a great way to go, and got the job done for about $300, no chemicals to deal with.

Thanks for all the info! I really appreciate everyone taking the time to help me out.

Sorry that I didn't chime in earlier but I was not able to get to a computer. You might want to go to the "Forum" on TCP Global's web sitepaintersforum.com/ and pose the question. I think you'll need to register, but it is free.

It is also a good place to ask other car painting questions or to find answers. By the way, I'm reasonably certain that their store brand paint is identical to that of PPG at almost half the price.

My gut feeling is that you save lots of time by getting it soda blasted.

I don't like strippers because of the mess they make. You might try a heat gun to soften the paint and a good sharp edged scraper. I have had good success with this method and find it quick, clean and efficient as it will cut thru even a heavy coat of bondo.

Jim Wayman
640 Phaeton