Topic: paint job
in Forum: C3 Body
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West Bend, WI - USA
Joined: 3/18/2010
Posts: 46
Vette(s): 1985 silver coupe & 1975 red coupe
I need a little help here guys. I've got a 1975 Vette that needs a paint job. I'm being told that media blasting off all the old paint so you can see what's going on with the body is the only way to go. Some shops say just sanding the old paint and than painting is OK. I intend to keep this car a long time and want it done right so what do you guys think. Also, I live in SE Wisconsin so anybody knows of a good Vette painter in the West Bend, Milwaukee, Madison area please let me know. Thanks tons, Darrell
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Lifetime MemberModerator
Duncanville, TX - USA
Joined: 11/8/2003
Posts: 20214
Vette(s): #1-1974 L-48 4spd Cp Med Red Metallic/Black deluxe int w/AC/tilt/tele./p/w-p/b/
Am-Fm/map light National/Regional/Chapter NCRS "Top Flight"
#2-1985 Bright Red/Carmine Cp.L-98/auto
Member: NCRS, NCRS Texas, Corvette Legends of Texas
Media blasting(walnut shells, etc) will damage the fiberglass....even with a skilled operator. Soda blasting is safer, but that stuff will get everywhere...and I do mean EVERYWHERE.
Sanding is the safest way to go, but even that takes some skill to not mess up some of the creases.
It's really a crap shoot. What the final paint job looks like depends heavily on the prep.
Joel Adams
C3VR Lifetime Member #56 
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"Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comforting to cry in a CORVETTE than in a Kia"
Lifetime MemberLemon Grove, CA - USA
Joined: 10/17/2007
Posts: 2041
Vette(s): 1982 C3 Collectors Edition 44000 miles, sat in the sun most of its life, My wife purchased it for me for Father's Day in 2007 from her girlfriend that had it for 19 years. It is on the road again. I'm retired but it is now my daily driver.
I saw a guy use a pressure washer to strip the paint off his vet. Wonder what type of damage that would do to the fiberglass?
As Joel stated above soda blasting works but gets everywhere. It won't hurt your chrome, windows or plastic lens. When completed all residue needs to be cleaned and washed or you will have paint issues. Even if you do the soda blasting there's a good chance you'll need to do work on the seems which means filling and sanding. I can't say what the cost of blasting would be but for my 72 we went the old fashion way and sanded since it had to have other work for him. No matter which way you go the key will be the block sanding and prep before the paint.
Best of luck
Rodney
|UPDATED|7/9/2013 9:35:06 AM (AZT)|/UPDATED|
|UPDATED|7/9/2013 9:35:06 AM (AZT)|/UPDATED|
Lifetime MemberModerator
Duncanville, TX - USA
Joined: 11/8/2003
Posts: 20214
Vette(s): #1-1974 L-48 4spd Cp Med Red Metallic/Black deluxe int w/AC/tilt/tele./p/w-p/b/
Am-Fm/map light National/Regional/Chapter NCRS "Top Flight"
#2-1985 Bright Red/Carmine Cp.L-98/auto
Member: NCRS, NCRS Texas, Corvette Legends of Texas
A pressure washer? Musta been a bad paint job....or there was some chemicals involved.
Don't know that a pressure washer would damage the 'glass, unless it was held in one spot too long. Bet you could burn a hole in it pretty quick, if ya wanted to! I guess it kinda depends on how MUCH pressure is involved. And...where does the paint go?
It's a neat idea, I s'pose....might be a good deal to get it down to a sandable surface quickly, with no powder residue to clean out of every nook & cranny(what the heck IS a "cranny", anyway?) for the next 20 years.
Joel Adams
C3VR Lifetime Member #56
My Link
(click for Texas-sized view!) NCRS
"Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comforting to cry in a CORVETTE than in a Kia"
Lifetime MemberLemon Grove, CA - USA
Joined: 10/17/2007
Posts: 2041
Vette(s): 1982 C3 Collectors Edition 44000 miles, sat in the sun most of its life, My wife purchased it for me for Father's Day in 2007 from her girlfriend that had it for 19 years. It is on the road again. I'm retired but it is now my daily driver.
I will see if I can find the video again it was on this forum that I saw it posted. I believe he stated it took him only a couple of hours to do it.
He just used water and a home unit. I do not know about how bad of a paint job it was but I do know that paint shops hate you taking your car to a pressure wash to clean it.
New paint jobs seem to hold up but after market California approved paint I'm not to sure about.
I saw a TV show where they used dry ice instead of soda blasting. There is no mess and reportly leaves a very clean and smoth finish . I think it would depend on the " technician " using the equipment . Somebody sacrifice a boat .
Just my. 2 cents . I would. Stay with sanding or soda blasting. Paint striping chemicals will most likely effect the gel coat and the fiberglass resin.
Big Al
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apasbigal said: I saw a TV show where they used dry ice instead of soda blasting. There is no mess and re portly leaves a very clean and smooth finish . I think it would depend on the " technician " using the equipment . .
Big Al
That sounds pretty intriguing.......(Nice seeing you Big Al......)
corvette440hp
ok..here goes, I used a pressure washer for stripping off my 76's paint. I used the No. 15 nozzle to remove 95% of the paint, just found some chipped areas and started away. The washer did not hurt the primer. The rear deck area had some problems and would not strip. Any area that would not peel away with the washer was left alone for the body shop to hand sand! I must mention that this as a second paint job...so might have stripped easier...due to poor work on last job and this was not done in one day. It took several 4 hour sessions to complete. 
|UPDATED|7/11/2013 6:42:35 AM (AZT)|/UPDATED|
|UPDATED|7/11/2013 6:42:35 AM (AZT)|/UPDATED|
in Forum: C3 Body
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