Custom Paint Removal - Just Take It Off And Strip

Getting at the door handle fastener is tight, but with the linkage disconnected and two 7/16-inch nuts removed, the handle is out. the door lock is freed by removing a clip from inside the door.

Here is the reason many corvettes of this vintage need to be stripped of all paint. looking close, the paint is covered in fine cracks, and these go right down to the bottom layer of primer. Painting over a surface like this will inevitably lead to the cracks reappearing.

Our choice for paint removal was a commercial paint stripper. Although sometimes paints can be tough, ours literally melted as the stripper was applied. Work a panel or smaller area at a time, putting a thick, even layer of stripper on the surface with a brush.

Once the stripper has had time to work, use a plastic bondo spreader to scrape the bulk of the goo from the surface and into a container. Our topcoat came off with a single application.

After scraping, the stripped panels were wiped with a clean rag wet with acetone. this removed the remaining paint and most of the stripper residue. the remaining primer is soft compared to the paint and easily sands off.