PAFORM350

So I am doing the very light bodywork needed to have my 1992 Formula 350 painted. I posted a thread about stripping the paint off the front bumper cover and that was an easy decision as it had been repainted so that and everything else had to come off for a fresh start. But what do you think about the rest of the car? The rest of the body has all the original paint. I heard a lot of different opinions about the old paint being the best primer and so forth. What are the pros and cons of leaving the paint or removing all of the old paint down to bare metal? Thanks.

PAFORM350

Here is a pic of the car. I have the engine out now and will be re doing the entire engine bay, suspension, wheels etc. The paint on it now is actually pretty well but there are just to many imperfections for my liking.

PAFORM350

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PAFORM350

This is a pic when I had GTA wheels on it. My sig has Cenetrline Telstars and M/T ET street and front runners

PAFORM350

Still undecided about what wheels I will be putting on it after paint

mwill316

iTrader: (3)

I stripped mine to bare metal but i wouldnt recommend it nor will i ever do that again. It took far too long imo. Only reason i did it was out of curiosity, a few spots had some bad repair work Andvmy hood had some hail damage. Im by far no expert on this but i dont think there is any real benefit by doing so.

dstss

Mine is the process of being stripped. Long process. But mine had the original paint flaking off and I wanted to start fresh.

ZsTransAm

The downsides are that it takes a LONG time and a lot of sand paper. Don't even consider doing it unless you have a DA sander and a high quality air compressor that can keep up. You will have to prime it and sand it after its stripped, so add more time for that. You will also have to work fairly quickly, as bare metal will start to rust within a couple days in any kind of humidity.

If you don't strip it, theres a chance that the original clear coat (assuming your car came with base/clear and not single stage) will delaminate at some point like most 3rd gens do and ruin the paint on top. I don't know what the chance of that is, if our clear coats delaminate because of uv exposure then you should be safe not stripping it, but I don't know if thats what causes it. Stripping it will at least set your mind at ease about that.

Also stripping it will show you any problems that haven't gotten bad enough to see yet. When I stripped mine I found well over a dozen spots of very minor surface rust hiding under the paint. If I hadn't stripped, they would have grown until they became visible in a few years. Now I don't have to worry about it. You may not have to worry about it anyways- your car looks much cleaner than mine did.

PAFORM350

the paint is actually pretty decent but the original owner had the driver's side fender re sprayed at some point and while it may have matched it sure doesn't now. I appreciate the comments

phasevariance

Striping down to bare metal is an ungodly amount of work. I did it once and that was enough.

SolarGoldRaptor

It depends on how many coats of paints there are. I'd say if it's already been resprayed twice (so three times with the original paint), it's time to strip it.
I stripped mine down even though it had been partially repainted only once, but there was a lot of surface rust and possiblity of shoddy bodywork (none found luckily).

My brother's Ferrari Mondial has been resprayed SEVEN times ! It's like geology at this stage :P No wonder there are reactions all over the body...he had to strip a small part of the rear quarter because of rust, but all those coats of paint are actually very thick.

Hawkeye1980

iTrader: (3)

I bought my 1989 Formula 350 new. I waxed it every 2 weeks back then. About a year in the clear coat started to peel. It was a long story but in '94 I decided to get it repainted, and a difference color. It was black, and I switched it to grey, the same color of my first new 86 firebird. I did not have it taken down to metal, and I regret that. The painter did a great job and for several years the car looked great. BUT, the underlying paint was still bad. Fast forward, the clear coat is all but gone on the hood, and coming off on the rest of the car.

So I will have it stripped to metal and painted black, to bring it back to its former glory. Your car looks nice, and I believe GM resolved the paint issue in the 90s.

tgarcia76513

As a professional painter would never strip a complete car. That would be a waste of time. However all paint that is peeling does need to be feathered out. The same goes for scratches. Only sand to the bottom of the scratch not further. I would however sand the entire car with 320 and spay primer surfacer over it and when starting out with primer only apply a few coats to the damaged areas first then the entire panel. Just whatever u do just know the mose u sand the more prime its going to take to make the finished product straight. All rust must be either removed or treated b4 applying the surfacer. If u have any questions u are more than welcome to shoot me a message and I would be happy to give u some professional advice.

Ron U.S.M.C.

Here's how a Professional ( and good friend )did mine.
That was 6 years ago. He did not take it to bare metal as mentioned above .=
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/body/543541-prep-paint-photos.html

Hawkeye1980

iTrader: (3)

I understand, but I paid a lot of money back in 1994, $3000, to get it painted. Even to a different color, still the garbage paint below destroyed the new paint job. I was told by several expert painters who know about the GM paint issue back in the late 80s all said, strip it down to metal to get rid of the original paint.

I don't have the funds right now anyway, but some day it will get done. Thank for the input!

tgarcia76513

Well if you decide to take it all the way down to metal make sure you prime it the same day otherwise i can asure you it will have surface rust the next day. And try not to touch the bare metal with your bare hands. The oil from your skin will speed up the corrosion process. We have a mustang in the shop now that the paint is failing on.most of the clear coat is flaking of with compressed air. If my preper dosent prime it this weekend i will post a few pics of what i am suggesting you do.

Hawkeye1980

iTrader: (3)

Yes I am aware of the bare metal concerns with skin, rust, etc. As for the pics, much appreciated! Not sure when I will get this done but I am tired of looking at a nice car with lousy paint and now a split rubber spoiler.

Ron U.S.M.C.

Hawkeye1980, that really does suck about the experience you had with a paint job that cost so much.


I washed my car with water for almost three months as suggested after paint then started using the breathable Synthetic Polymer Sealers that my painter recommended. No wax of any kind has been on the new paint and I believe that has played a role in my paints success.
I guess that's why he suggested it.

Just a thought for next time. Only water then Synthetics.

Heres what I use instead of wax once every two months. = http://www.meguiars.com/en/automotiv...ate-wax-paste/
and Race Glaze Polish and sealant once a year = http://www.raceglaze.com/welcome2.html
Meguiar's Gold Class Shampoo & Conditioner ,
Grit Guard bucket screen

California Duster
and this to dry
That's it.

Hawkeye1980

iTrader: (3)

Thanks but I cant blame the painter. He did sand it all down. He had it for 3 months and went over it daily to take out any small dings, etc. I was very happy with the job and the car look really good.

Anyway that was 21 years ago!!! hard to believe its been that long. But I will return it to its former glory some day, black, with formula 350 emblems, etc.

Ron U.S.M.C.

Im not pointing a finger at anyone just offering a suggestion other than wax.

Hawkeye1980

iTrader: (3)

By no means did I think you were sir! I just wanted everyone to know the guy worked very hard on the body and I was very happy with his work. I have spoken to many painters and people very familiar with the GM paint back in the late 80s. Many cars had this problem with peeling. I believe it was cars painted in CA? But I cant remember.

But again you make a good point about waxing after a paint job. I too did not wax it for 5 months, just hand wash and wipe. But again that was a long time ago. Now I have some minor rust on the fenders and one of the doors on the lower side. So she will need some TLC for sure.

Ron U.S.M.C.

It sounds like you are just as passionate and bonded to your car as I am and I'm sure it will look just as pristine as the image you have envisioned.
I like to use the word " perseverance ".

haps

iTrader: (4)

A professional would know that peeling paint is a sign of delamination and the best way to deal with delamination is to strip the panel. Feathering peeling paint is just a bad idea, plain and simple. When in doubt strip it, or pay somebody to strip it. It'll be better in the long run.

Tibo

iTrader: (15)

Why are so many people scared of stripping paint? Have it media blasted for a few hundred or buy a few gallons of aircraft paint remover. Even sanding it isn't that bad, bust out the 80 grit on a da or circular and be done in few hours with the metal and a few more for the bumpers. 80s camaro can be stripped completely on the outside in a weekend, 91-92.gfx take a little more time.

Hawkeye1980

iTrader: (3)

HAPS

That's my feeling on it as well. After a second really good paint job, the crap underneath ruined it. So to bare metal it goes. And I may have someone do the work, I was looking into soda blasting myself. I have stripped a car to bare metal years ago. I re did a 1971 CJ5. It was not that big of a deal then. I am in no rush. And it wont be this year I am sure.

haps

iTrader: (4)

I just finished stripping the hood of my 91. Aircraft stripper and 80grit on a da and a few hours. You'll be glad you did.

Metalizer

Stripping my z28 down to metal seems like a must with the horrible paint job that was done to it.

The paint is cracking and peeling, looks like the previous owner scuffed the factory blue, masked it and put a nice thick coat of silver paint on it.

I originally planned on stripping with a DA, but chemical strip seems to work more efficiently. I'm constantly on the hunt for the best product before I dive in.

haps

iTrader: (4)

This'll help. Don't forget part 2.