TOPIC:

Hi and thanks for looking ...Just as the title says I am stripping the pain from an old RR body I acquired. I've let in sit for over a week with DOT4 all over it with the occasionally scrub, wipe, and re-apply like I've done in the past. But this is what I ended up with. No damage to the body, but it looks like it was originally sanded down with coarse sandpaper in preparation for paint and the areas where decals were eventually applied seem to be holding onto the paint. The paint seems to be stuck in the fine sandpaper scratches.

So what I'm asking is , is there something else I can do to remove the rest of the red, or should I just sand and prep it for primer. I am really worried that the primer will peel due to the left over red paint residue.

Any input would be truly grateful

RS you are lucky.
I made the same with my MR body and the result is a clouded plastic part and brocken. You have to disgrease with alcohol 90°. Apply a coat of primer.

I'd say it's likely the body was painted with automotive or other solvent-based paint, which "bites" (Partially melts) into the top surface of the plastic & no "paint release method" will ever get all of it off & you'll probably have to resort to sanding to get the rest off.

Before you do though, it's worth noting that slarring brake fluid over the body NEVER works as well as totally immersing it in a bucket of the stuff & leaving it (Sometimes can take a few days). Ask your local garage nicely & they'll often be happy to dump waste fluid in an old 5 litre oil can you supply (Filling a can can take a few weeks, so give them the can long before you plan to do the job)

I don't think I'd be worrying too much about that ...

I'd just give it a thorough sand (800 grit wet & dry, or finer), paying particular attention to "feathering" the edges where the red paint is still fairly dense - if paint is going to react, it's far more likely to do it at the edges of the old paint.

Lots of very light coats of a good auto acrylic "plastic" primer & I'm sure it'll be fine

The only thing that worries me about that is the possibility that brake fluid may have found it's way into/under the leftover paint & could rear its ugly head either during new painting or at a later date. Personally I'd be trying to get the rest of it off, & if that meant sanding, so be it. It might be fine without, but I personally wouldn't risk it, just in case (If it does go titsup, it's a waste of paint & you're back to stripping it all off again)

thanks for the tips guys... this is my dilemna , remove the rest of the paint, or just sand and prime and see how things go. Luckily for me this is just a resto-body since I already have a complete Rough Rider....I just figured I'd bring this body back from the dead and maybe a chassis will come it's way

I think what I'll do is work a bit harder to remove the rest of the paint, clean it very thoroughly, give it a good sanding, and then prep for paint....I'll post some pics as to the progress as I'm sure this would help all of us out.

thanks again for the tips....

Don't let me put you off a gamble to save time by just priming & painting, I was just thinking along the lines of cost of paint & primer if it doesn't work out.

Always being skint has me thinking about stuff like that all the time - if you have to paint it twice, that's pretty much the cost of a new body, & a new body wouldn't have needed the effort of getting the original paint off

Hi RS,

I've made the same experience on a few restored bodies.
On my ongoing project, it's also a Rough Rider, with a body in bad shape wich i'd let in DOT4 for almost 4 days came out more or less like yours.

As mentionned by Eddrick i don't take the risk that the brake fluid "shows his ugly head" after painting the body. I just sand it the best way i can until the paint goes off.

Once this done i apply 1 or 2 coats of primer, wait 1 or 2 days and see it ther's a reaction. Honestly speaking until today i haver had strange reactions after the primering coats. In addition to this i have to say that after the long DOT bath i clean the bodies in water. Water "neutralizes" the DOT action due to his hygroscopic propreties.

Looking at my body comming out his brake fluid bath i noticed that yours is in a better shape than mine. Like Eddrick said, i think that our bodies were painted with automotive paint, which maked it real hard to get it off.

This is my body after 4 days in DOT4



Almost a week later, sanding, filling applying primer and sanding again...







Well the pics are after the first coat of primer, once it has more coats on it all the previous paint should be fully covered.

Good luck with your body

Hot soapy water (& rinse after) would be better than just plain water though - there's all manner of additives in brake fluid (Which is basically a hydraulic oil product) which probably won't be removed by water alone. For example, we know brake fluid is hygroscopic (Attracts water) so it makes sense that there would be something added to the brake fluid to try to prevent this happening

Look as though its been painted with PS Paint rather than the TS Acrylic paint.

My first attempt at a F350 highlift was the same. My method is heat you tin of paint in hot water.


Heat body with a hair dryer apply light coat of primer apply heat again with hair dryer repeat 4 to 5 time or until your primer runs out

Remember to keep putting tin of paint in hot water whilst you apply heat to you body shell

Regards

Darren