Chip,
I have stripped fenders several ways in the past. I have used aircraft paint
remover that you can purchase from the local auto paint store. It is messy
stuff and you need to wear a respirator since it has a very strong ammonia
smell and all kind of warnings on the label. The good part is that it is
water soluble, however it does leave a mess with all the old paint.
I have also taken parts to these chemical dip places, but I don't believe
there are many left since the EPA has closed most of them down. Those work
well as long as there is not much rust. This process removes old bondo and
rust, so if the fenders are in bad shape from rust there may not be much
left when you get the parts back.
The other way is to sand blast, but the problem with this is metal
deformation. The places that know what they are doing don't actually use
sand, but something more like a fine powder that shouldn't deform the metal.
I have seen advertised a place in Connecticut that has process that is
suppose to not deform the metal. Their name is American Dry Strip, their
phone number is 203-336-9187 and they are located in Bridgeport, Ct. I would
be interested if anyone has experience using them or their process. I am
thinking about stripping down my MGB this winter and I am considering this
place.
Regards,
Phil Roettjer
67 +4
67 MGB
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ernest(Chip) Brown [SMTP:ebrown@ms.com]
> Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 1999 10:50 AM
> To: Morgans@Autox.Team.Net
> Subject: Technical Advice From the list, please!
>
> Although I rarely do things like this, after I get my brakes back
> together, I'm going to remove my crunched left front wing and cracked
> right front wing and strip the paint off of both of these, preparatory
> to a straightening and reinforcing job at Morgan Spares in late-Sept.
>
> I need some advice from my colleagues, (and Larry Eckler, you can weigh
> in here too, once back from your West Coast debauch).
>
> Do I have to take off that cowling in front of the radiator and the
> bonnet to pull off the wings, or can I just unbolt those umpty-ump
> fasteners to get the wing off? I tend to take cars completely apart and
> then find there's an easier way, so I thought I'd ask the list.
>
> What is the best way to strip paint off these surfaces? Can I take the
> wings to my local dip shop and expect anything usable to come back? Do I
> need to etch the metal with one of those preparatory compounds (like I
> used twenty years ago on my PV544) before bringing all to my wing man
> (the aforementioned Larry)? I know these wings are made of pieces of
> metal & I am tempted to strip em with the same stuff I use on old
> furniture, which , after all, is what we're dealing with here. But maybe
> I'm being overly cautious. I am not naive enough not to expect quarts of
> Bondo (TM) slathered all over said wings.
>
> By the way, I've ordered a set of Carbotech brake linings for my 4 whl
> drum brakes, and will be installing same over Labor Day weekend. I will
> report back to the list on how this goes. They are expensive, I think,
> but may provide the brakes that I need the next time I approach the
> chicane at Pittsburgh for the eighth time in a row.
>
> Best to all of you. Has been a long (glorious) Summer.
>
> Chip Brown
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