Stripping Any Old Hot Rod Classic Car

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So now you have found that old jewel siting back behind farmers Dave's barn where it has rested peacefully for 25 years. First you negotiate a reasonable price then you carefully drag it on your trailer, haul it to your garage and placed it ever so gently on the concrete floor of your garage. You step back, rub your chin, scratch your head, take another sip of your Coke and attempt to decide where to start. Your wife steps in to look at it and sees it one way and you see it another. To her and some friends they see junk, but you see a custom built, shinny, fire breathing Street Rod and Hot Rod waiting for your loving touch.

Your first step is to calm your wife down and convince her you have made a wise decision and invite her to help you with it. After she clarifies her no way thoughts you move on to the next step. Your next objective should be to begin stripping/removing each valuable little part. Bag it in plastic refrigerator bags or brown paper lunch bags and mark each one with a black marker for future identification. Locate a shelf or cabinet to place them all where they will be found easily later on. This is a Hot Rod project that will most likely take a year and maybe 5 years to complete depending on your time schedule. Organization will save you money on hot rod parts. Insure you can relocate them when needed and identify where each part was removed and what it was for. If this is a body off project (necessary if you are wanting a classic Hot Rod) then all the mounts need to be bagged also and consideration given to using polyurethane instead of rubber for replacement. Polyurethane mounts will last and perform much better than rubber mounts. Since we are still on the subject of stripping (Cars) then the paint will fall into the same category. However, we will not be placing the old paint in bags for storage, but use an approved disposal service. (Don't laugh! I have met them all) Old classic cars use to use lacquer paints until the 1980's when the government required water base paints and lower releases into the air. Depending upon the rust attribute of the car itself and whether the paint is still there at all and still acting as as protection against the elements will also depend on the best method for stripping it. I just finished a 1976 Corvette and you do not use the same stripping methods as you would on metal. Corvette fiberglass requires a more delicate process such as soda blasting which cost approximately a $1000.00 depending upon your area to using an appropriate chemical stripper. Even here you must be careful as some are to caustic to body, nose and car and will ruin the fiberglass gel coat. I chose to use a Citrus stripper I purchased at Wal-Mart for $8.00 a can in spray form and one small quart to pour.

Using the Citrus Stripper I found was very effective, clean, safe, less odor, and no damage to the surface and my nose was proud of me. It took about 14 cans to do the job, but still far below the cost of some strippers and methods. You can read more at my other sight later when I am finished with the article at Americas Corvette. If you are going to strip metal yourself then either a chemical stripper (any will work) or a basting media which requires the right equipment to use like Eastwood provides.  I purchased a retrofit they have that attaches to my pressure sandblaster so as to use soda media instead of sand. Sand is great for the frame because of its heavy gauge and you can remove the retro for soda when you are ready for sand. Using sand on sheet metal can heat the metal and warp it if not done right. You can also use walnut shells, glass beads, ground glass, poly plastic or soda. With soda and plastic you find less damage and can be used without damaging glass and chrome. Although these should have been removed in a complete restoration job. Some of the material can be recovered, strained and reused again if completed in an enclosed room. Note: use protective gear such as face shield and appropriate mask when blasting. Don't take chances with your health. I know of one friend who is paying the price dearly now at 52 years old because, of the damage done to his lungs over the years. If your metal surface area has a lot of surface rust then blasting is the best way to go in removing the paint and the rust. The metal will still need treatment of a rust preventive when completed, especially if there is any serous pitting. There also new abrasives for your grinder to help remove paint and rust. Using an 80 grit disk recklessly can cause serious metal distortion so be careful with this and look for some of the new type of disks that create less heat. Eastwood carries all of the necessary products and are quick in shipping them to you. Also, if your garage doesn't have that neon Hot Rod muscle car look then drop by Buy Rite Shopper and pick up some Neon, Signs, Clocks, Stools and logo cups to compliment that new project. Your wife may be more impressed with the improvement to your garage. At least until it is finished.

The following are just a few selected items. Click a photo and see others that may apply to you as well as ask the professionals further questions concerning your needs and applications in obtaining the best results.