Paint Stripper Advice

[RUNCHARGER]

Wow: I agree Paint supplies seem to change faster than Ford part changes in the 70's.

[Gary]

I don't know what brand epoxy you are using.   But we use SPI now. There recommendation is to make sure you naturalize any Metal conditioner you use. This is done by rinsing with water while the conditioner is still wet.  Never let it dry, if it does, reapply and then rinse.  Also our PPG rep told us never use etch primer over blasted metal. It can also cause lifting problems later.

[70 Challenger Lover]

I read a few paint/body threads online and more than one person suggested scrubbing with soap and water using a red scotch brite pad before laying down the epoxy. Obviously, the metal was instantly dried first.

On the hood, I'll just sand the piss out of the rust stains to make sure nothing remains but when I do the fenders, both have pretty heavy surface rust inside. The outside of the fenders are original paint with no rust. I like the idea of doing a sample piece of metal to see how the epoxy holds up. If the soap scrub works well, I may just try it on the fender interiors.

[tparker]

I sanded my hood. The outside was no biggie, probably took a couple hours at most. The inside was far more difficult and required a host of different tools. The DA could only do the bigger flatter areas. I resorted to various wire wheels, sanding disks, and even a dremel in a few areas. I took most of it to bare metal and there was a lot of rust that had to be removed.

The major problem I had is I did it over two weekends and it would flash rust. I tried some of eastwoods metal prep or something that was supposed to help with the rust, but the last step is to rinse it off. There should be a coating left on which should prevent rust. But I must have not applied it properly cause it flash rusted right away. LOL. Then I used some of Eastwood's internal frame coating to get inside all the cavities. That stuff dries like rubber if it gets too thick. I should have been a little more careful about applying it.

All and all it was a pain in the but, but is totally doable.

[70 Challenger Lover]

I'm nearly done with the inside. Been hot so I only work on my days off and during the early morning hours when it's cool. I've been covering it up so no flash rust. Before I spray sealer, I will spend some time hand sanding it once more just to make sure it's nice clean metal.

[Topcat]

Let me tell you!

Don't even get one ionic thought in your head that "I'm gonna sand/bead blast it myself" and  save money.

I did the underside of my chassis on a rotisserie and it was miserable. 
10 years later I still have sand coming out of my hair.    just kidding.
Lower back pain lasted a long time as well. 

It's either time or money...your choice.
Humidity is a time factor of course, which we don't have here.