What is the best way to get paint off of a car?

Question

I have a tiny car (VW beetle) and I want to repaint. WHat's the best way to get the paint off? It was originally stock yellow, and then it got painted over with crappy paint, like house paint or something. I want to get it down to the bare metal.

Ideally, I would want to go quicker than just manual sanding.

Thanks

Answer 1

Power sanding can remove too much metal, and also warp the metal with heat. Chemical solvents do work, but are messy. Brake fluild EASILY takes the paint off, but you need to clean the metal THOROUGHLY afterwards with the proper solvents, or the paint won't stick. If you've never painted a car before, you MIGHT want to try just one piece ( fender, etc ) to see how you do, before tackling the whole car. I'm no painter so can't tell you exactly WHAT to do, but I can tell you what you SHOULDN'T do. LOL.

  Brake fluid is probably not recommended by the experts, though. But it is easy, as it takes the paint right off ( Dot 3,  the mineral variety, not Dot 4 or Dot 5 ). Good luck!

- The Gremlin Guy - used to own a '68 Beete...

Answer 2

Sanding is the only way to remove the paint properly.

Instead of manual sanding, rent a commercial grade sander to remove the paint.

Answer 3

Paint stripper will work> just watch the rubber moldings>