Question # 456. 77 Corvette will be about the 7th or so car I will paint.However this one comes with a problem(maybe).The original factory factory primer and paint have been painted over (15 yrs. ago) with more primer and Emron single stage.Looking for input about the 3rd paint job.Must I remove the emron? Naturally,someone has already told me to sand the entire car with 80 grit,prime and then bc/cc.I have already tried the razor blade deal,and I am not to cool with that method...too many gauges. For those not familiar with Emron,you can't chip it with a jack hammer! Nasty paint,tough as my wife.I'll take all the help here I can get.  Thanks again.

If it ain't flaking off, I'd leave it on and paint over, as long as the paint will stick to it.

Ask your paint supplier if your new primer is compatible with Imron. If you can get the primer to adhere to the remnants of the Imron then you can avoid stripping it to the glass. A store handling Dupont products can steer you in the right direction

If it's not lifting or spiderwebbing anywhere, I would block and wetsand in stages, prime and paint. Did that over an Imron job on a 70 Chevelle. 5 years later, paint still looked great before I sold it. I used a BC/CC system.

hubby says,if your into 3 layers of paint you could be getting too thick.that can be a new problem on its own. Joanne2007-02-25 09:43:27

Lukes Vette, What do you mean about "in stages".This next paint job,(if I don't remove the Imron) would be the 3rd lift of primer and paint.I have never even done a 2nd coat of paint on a car,no less 3.I'm concerned about that.Should I block the Imron and paint the PPG bc/cc w/out using primer under the PPG?

Mike, this is my 2 cents worth on this. I would not leave the emron on the car if you are planning on keeping it. Hard to say what kind of trouble it may cause you down the road. I asked by brother-in-law (Sprayer for 28 years) what he would do and he said that he would suggest what he suggested for my car and what I did end up doing. I had 5 coats of paint to remove and a surface of clear coat that was as hard as rocks. I couln't chip it with a chizel point let alone a razor blade. What he suggested was Chemical stripper. And that is what he is suggesting to remove the emoron and then finish the job with 80 grit down to the original surface. If you aren't planning to keep the car you can do a complete 80 grit sanding over the emron and then buy Epoxy Primer/Sealer and shoot the car in two coats of that. Then after it dries for two hours get at least two coats of sandable primer on it. It will effectively seal the old surface and create a new surface to work from. That is only IF YOU DON'T Have any spydering or bubbles in the emron surface. The Epoxy Primer/Sealer is not real expensive and works well. I used it on my car to give it an added layer of protection after all the body work was done and before all the primer and blocking I did. Still lots to decide and it wont be much less work either way you go. Hope this helps... fedexbicman762007-03-02 06:55:13

What about the horror stories of the stripper effecting the finished paint job "down the road".I tried sanding on the hood,just for fun,with 80 grit in my air file,and did not get very far.So I tried some 40 grit (carefully) and did make some head way.I'm now seeing the original factory red enamel.Took me 1 hr. for that process. I'm concerned about using stripper.and understand it will speed up the removal of the Emron.If I can the Emron off,I'll be OK priming over the factory enamel.

Mike,

The guy painting my car showed me the other day that there are 3 layers of primer/paint over the original paint.  He will be sanding/razoring down to the original finish, then using stripper. 

He will be coming back up with PPG product but I don't know what stripper or primer he will be using.  He was a painter on the Oklahoma GM assembly line for 25+yrs until they shut the plant down.  Now he takes on guys like me and there is a line to get into his shop.  The point being, he isn't concerned about the stripper affecting the new paint job.