How to Paint Your Car

have had excellent results using Capt'n Lee's Spray and Strip Paint Stripper. I have had no damage to fiberglass or metal nor any reaction with primers or topcoats applied after the stripping process. This does not mean that this is the only product which will produce these results, it's just the one that I am familiar with.

In order to strip your paint you should first remove as many items from the body of the car as possible. This includes bumpers (metal or urethane) , moldings, door handles and trim, headlights, side marker lights and any emblems that can be removed. This is not just because you are using a chemical stripper but because any quality refinish requires their removal. Dirt and wax can build up under these parts and cause problems in the topcoats, not to mention how they look when you try to mask around them. Be careful when removing them and place them in individual plastic bags, if small enough, or wrapped in paper or plastic marked with their location and any special comments or diagrams required for their reinstallation. You would be amazed how the reinstallation of a bag of parts becomes impossible to understand when you removed them from the vehicle 6 months or a year before. A few moments spent now with a pencil will save hours of aggravation later. If you are not changing the color of your car you will not have to strip the door jams or under the hood and trunk. In this case 1/2 inch masking tape should be applied to the seams so that the stripper does not damage the places that you do not wish to strip. On Corvettes or other vehicles with pop-up headlights also mask the seams so that stripper doesn't drip inside the mechanisms. Once the stripping process is completed you can sand these small areas with wet-or-dry sandpaper to remove the line of paint left by the masking tape. If you are changing the complete color of your car you will have to strip these areas the same as the body. In this case make sure that you mask off anything that can be damaged by the stripper including the engine compartment. I have found that using 4 mil clear plastic, that you can buy at most home centers or hardware stores, works very well since the plastic doesn't absorb any water or chemicals. Also make sure that you cover the wheels of the car since stripper will drip and cause damage to these also. You can cover them with large trash bags and secure them with masking tape. If you are going to do this work in your garage or driveway it's probably a good idea to also lay out plastic sheeting and drive the car on to it so that your garage floor or concrete isn't permanently stained.

Ok, you've been brave so far and have prepared the car properly for the stripping process. You have kept repeating to yourself over and over "I Can Do This". But as you stand there with the stripper in one hand and scraper in the other your confidence starts to fail. Don't let it. All that is ahead of you is a lot of hard work but the end results will justify any hours that you put in to the job. If you doubt this just look at my completed pictures and read on.