In a message dated 12/24/2006 6:12:55 AM Central Standard Time,
DLylis@aol.com writes:
> I am preparing for the refinish of the body on my 3A and have determined
> that I cannot respray the car. It is now on it's third color and the paint
> has
> become so thick that the last finish has the "alligator" appearance from
> cracking. The paint needs to be removed. Obviously the beauty of a 3A is
> the
> ability to remove the panels easily. Does anyone on the list have
> experience
> with "dip stripping", or is the recommended method the thankless and
> agonizing
> task of chemical stripping? Any input here is appreciated.
> Happy Holidays to all and thanks for the sanity you guys have imparted over
>
> the past year!
>
I have had two cars chemically stripped and will do it again. I've heard
horror stories about how the chemical get's caught in recesses and will seep
out
after the car is finished and ruin the paint but I have not had any such
experiences. I had the TR3 dipped this past August and on the way back from
the
dipper I stopped off at a car wash and pressure washed the entire thing with
the
intent of flushing out any remaining solution.
I would recommend that before you go look for all the bondo and fibreglass
and remove that with a propane torch and a putty knife. The dipping won't take
that off. It would if they left it in there long enough but time in the tank
is money so take it off before you go.
An alternative is sand blasting. A friend of mine had his big Healey
sandblasted. He then spend much time with an airgun blowing sand out of all
the
recesses and still got sand showers years after the car was finished. That
stuff
goes everywhere.
I had my doors sandblased because I was afraid the wood frames would absorb
the stripper (which is phosphoic acid to remove rust and a caustic bath to
remove paint and aluminum).
BTW, I had the frame sandblasted, too. Then I took it to Ziebart where they
treated it with a rust arrestor and then coated the inside surfaces with their
special goo. The main intent is to trap any remaining sand so it doesn't
rain out over time.
Dave Massey
57 TR3
71 TR6
80 TR8
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