Let us (er) strip...

Post by **Cal_Gary** » Tue Sep 15, 2009 12:31 pm

Sorry-that was Keith who mentioned the original paint-must be the fumes...

knattrass · Post by **knattrass** » Wed Sep 16, 2009 9:06 am

Gary - call me crazy but a 4" and a 6" wire wheel on a var-speed drill works thru the original paint/primer. So long as you go slow and aim it away from you, it won't put racing stripes on your garage wall. Keith

Post by **Cal_Gary** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 5:57 am

Garage?! I WISH!! This is outdoor living via the apartment parking lot! Seriously, though Keith, I've been giving your suggestion some thought and will give it a try. I have a cone-shaped wire wheel and 7-amp variable speed, reversible drill that will handle the load easily. If that should cause any problems I can always pick up a wire wheel for my body grinder that would surely conquer all. I also learned that if I leave the stripper on overnight it loosens it all up then dries to a flaky residue that the wire wheel should remove with ease. I had to take an evening off last night but will resume tonight. If I can get it all stripped inside between tonight, tomorrow night, and Saturday, I should be able to lay down the primer on Sunday morning (that's the plan).

Thanks as always for the support!
Gary

k8icu · Post by **k8icu** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 5:51 pm

I bet the land lord just loves you....

So do you pay extra a month to mess up the parking lot.

Post by **Cal_Gary** » Fri Sep 18, 2009 6:20 am

No no no-I use EVERY precaution as to not alarm the Apartment population. I only make noise when nobody is around, I clean up after myself, and keep my spare parts under cover in the back of my M or (oops-that's AND) my S-10. The only times it got dicey was when the hen across the way started cackling about where and when I should park it (the same biddy who thought I was dumping antifreeze out of the tarp after a hard rain). Oh, and the two days when I swapped the cab, and the bed, but that was out in two lone spaces far away from the office.

Everybody is cool about it now (except the battle-axe across the way....)

Oh yeah, the M makes a good reference point for the pizza delivery guys, too-as soon as I say "Look for the old Army Truck..." they say "Oh, I know right where you are!" Makes for a hotter pizza since they no longer get lost....
Gary

Post by **Cal_Gary** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 6:02 am

Still at it Boys and Girls--even the wire wheel is crying for relief. I had to use my body grinder on some of the toughest remnants, so I will see about a heavier grade wire wheel that can attach to the body grinder, in order to work it all off.
Gary

Brett · Post by **Brett** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 2:42 pm

Gary you can try a Zec Wheel. I tried one the other night on one of my fenders. took off all 12 coats of paint off from one side in about 2 minutes and didn't hurt the metal. I'm going to get some 4.5 inch blades to try. All I had was a 7 inch which is kind of cumbersome to use. I'm also not sure what grit I have, it has been bouncing around in the tool box of my daily driver for quite a while
http://www.joedue.com/modules/cart/navi ... nav_id/178

Brett

Post by **Cal_Gary** » Tue Sep 22, 2009 5:48 am

A ZEC wheel? Hmm, I'll go see about picking one up. Thanks Brett! My M will never look new again but I'd like the dash to look pristine and that has some of the toughest paint clinging to it.
Gary

Post by **T. Highway** » Tue Sep 22, 2009 9:14 am

Cal_Gary,
You crack me up with this statement "Everybody is cool about it now (except the battle-axe across the way....) "
It brings back some memories.
When I lived in town 15 years ago, I had this old battle-axe that lived across the street and she would find ANY reason to call the police on me. The police finally told her to stop calling because I had done nothing wrong. The only problem was that the police explained this to me also, I then pushed the envelope until I moved.
Post some pictures of your progress.

Post by **Cal_Gary** » Tue Sep 22, 2009 12:02 pm

Thanks Highway-we laugh to keep from cying sometimes!

Oh, I couldn't find any Zec items at the hardware store, Brett, but I did find some Makita 4'' flappers that look like they'll take off everything short of steel so I'll give them a try tonight.
Gary

m-37Bruce · Post by **m-37Bruce** » Tue Sep 22, 2009 2:33 pm

Brett wrote:Gary you can try a Zec Wheel. I tried one the other night on one of my fenders. took off all 12 coats of paint off from one side in about 2 minutes and didn't hurt the metal. I'm going to get some 4.5 inch blades to try. All I had was a 7 inch which is kind of cumbersome to use. I'm also not sure what grit I have, it has been bouncing around in the tool box of my daily driver for quite a while
http://www.joedue.com/modules/cart/navi ... nav_id/178

Brett

Those wheels are great, I've worn a few out so far! Gary, Are you using the Gillespie primer, if so, are you thinning it with ?

Man, I'm lucky, no neighbors for a few thousand feet in any direction, sometimes I flip my welding mask up and I'm surrounded by a dozen or so deer! (We've lived here almost 25 years)
If you need some help w/pic's let me know?

Post by **Cal_Gary** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 5:55 am

Thanks Guys! Bruce you are right-I tried the 60 grit Makita wheel last night-stripped half of the dash in no time at all and made me wish I'd gone this route in the first place! Since the flapper wheels have no "give" like a wire wheel, I quickly learned to apply just enough pressure and movement until I saw some sparks-that told me I was down to bare metal-polished to a mirror finish!

I don't have Gillespie primer but I do have a gallon of Gillespie 24087 for the finish coats. I've got mineral spirits for the thinner. With vacation out of town looming starting this weekend thru Columbus Day, I hope to finish stripping the dash tonight and laying down the primer tomorrow night so it has some protection while I'm away.

Pictures? Yes, but still a film camera. Once I need no more parts I'll spring for the digital. OH, let me ask this: If I send you jpeg pix from the CDs can you post them here?
Thanks,
Gary

m-37Bruce · Post by **m-37Bruce** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 9:19 am

Hey Gary,
I be happy to do it, send all you want, what I'll do is host them on my webshots page for you and post 'em here, if that's OK?

Post by **Cal_Gary** » Tue Oct 27, 2009 6:03 am

Well folks I'm still at it. Saturday was a great day to flap off some more paint, until the apartment assistant manager and her husband stopped by to rain on my parade: the old battle axe across the way again reared her ugly head and complained about the noise, so I packed all the gear up, move the M37 to the street and continued flapping off the old paint. This was around 12:30 in the afternoon-no matter that a chain saw down the road was as loud as my grinder-I still had to move.

Anyway, I know of nobody that enjoys this part of any restoration. It is just tedious, down right dirty work. I know, sandblasting would have been great, but simply not in my budget. It will pay off in the end, though, and on top of that, I finally ordered a long-needed distributor to replace the existing one, so once it arrives and is installed I can hit the road with confidence; which is why I am still prepping the "living room"!

More to follow,
Gary

Let us (er) strip...

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