clean up after stripping the body?

[Bryan L.]

I have a couple of questions regarding how to neutralize chemical strippers and I know from past posts that many of you have used it.

I've almost got the body stripped using stripper made for fiberglass. I use my pressure washer to clean the residue off. The car was painted in bc/cc and had far too much paint on it. It must have 20 coats. I tried sanding it first and lasted a couple of hours and made very little progress. The stripper takes the paint off down to the what I believe is epoxy primer, kind of light yellow to cream colored. I have been diligent in washing the stripped areas well after getting the paint off. There are a few areas that are down to the bare fiberglass. My plan is to now block sand the yellow stuff, fix the bare areas, and re-prime the car.

I have decided to use a single stage urethane instead of lacquer.

It it possible to neutralize stripper? Is it is alkaline or acidic in nature? Is if even necessary to try of neutralize it? I just want to make sure I don't have problems with paint adhesion after working my cajones off getting it ready.

My questions are what do I use to cover the bare areas? Will Slick Sand be compatible with urethane paint? Is there something better?

If I am going about this wrong, please advise. I am open to any suggestions. I don't want to blunder at this point in the game.

Thanks for any advice.

Bryan

[George Daina]

# of ways to neutralize the stripper.......

water if the stripper is water soluble, and most are today. If stripper is not water soluble, use laquer thinner or denatured alcohol.

[Bryan L.]

Re: # of ways to neutralize the stripper.......

George:

It is water soluble. I'm probably in the overkill mode trying to find a way to neutralize it chemically, but I just want to make sure my paint job doesn't come up in pieces. I read in the archives that someone used lacquer thinner after washing it down 3 times.

[Mark Lovejoy]

Re: clean up after stripping the body?

Bryan,

Most paint strippers are high pH about 12. So clean with white vinegar, low pH and lots of water. Pay special attention to door jambs and hood ledge areas. Some folks would wipe down with lacquer thinner after, it's not necessary. It won't hurt anything either.

If you use a modern epoxy primer, the bare spots will take care of themselves.

Being a purist I would paint lacquer, but it has some serious drawbacks as far as durability is concerned. Further, it's your car and you have to do what makes you happy. BC/CC makes for a great finish.

Just assure us you will DRIVE IT and enjoy.

[Gary S.]

Re: clean up after stripping the body?

I used a fiberglass safe stripper and I must have washed my car 6 times to insure that the stripper was removed. Then I wiped down the accessible surfaces with lacquer thinner and washed it again. Yes it was overkill but I haven't had the slightest problem with anything coming back up through the fiberglass. Gary 21316

[Bryan L.]

Re: clean up after stripping the body?

Mark:

I am not 100% sure that I will not use lacquer. My last car was a 69 Z/28 done with lacquer back in 97 and it turned out beautiful. Shot it in my garage. I just wish it was more durable, but the upside it that it is so easy to touch up.

Bryan

[Bill W.]

Re: clean up after stripping the body?

wash it with very hot very soapy water 2 or 3 times when you think your done do it 2 more times . VERY IMPORTANT let car sit in warm sunshine a few days .make sure all parts of the body get as much warm sun as possible before priming. its important for the solvents to weep out of the fiberglass before priming and painting .

[Rick Dorminy]

Re: clean up after stripping the body?

I used regular soap and water. I agree with another post that you should let it sit out in the sun as long as possible to let the stripper weap out. Also wash it again after it sits. Give it a week, wash it one last time before priming. All of the stripper should neutralize or evaporate. I used a BC/CC system on my '77. It would have been awsome if not for the water that shot thru the filter on the CC. You can play with the finish to get the luster you want and it is very durable. From what i researched, lacquer is great but is a major pain and also dangerous. I used Dupont PPG (i believe that is right) and it looks great even after having to fix the clear coat. We did not have any fibers showing so didn't use anything but primer. 2 good coats of primer and a wet sand took care of all fiberglass scratches and a few marks.

good luck

[Bryan L.]

Re: clean up after stripping the body?

Thanks to all who responded. I finished the front end yesterday and washed it down with Dawn and plenty of H20. I intend to do the vinegar wash also and let it get some sun for a couple of days. Hopefully I will not have any problems and can get on with the paint job.

Bryan