How to Remove Paint From Car Bodies

Repainting a car is a big job. The car must be properly prepped before new paint is applied; otherwise, the new paint job will not come out very well. The paint will either bubble, chip or peel. The first step in painting a car is to remove all of the paint from the car's body. For the most part, you can do this with a chemical application-paint stripper. For some body parts, however, you won't be able to use stripper or you'll damage the body panels.

Instructions

1

Apply paint stripper to the body panels that are metal. Make sure you get a good, even coat of stripper on the surface of the metal. Don't work the stripper too close to any of the rubber molding or plastic trim or body panels on the vehicle. The stripper will ruin all of these components.

2

Allow the stripper to sit on the metal until the paint starts to bubble and peel.

3

Scrape off the loose paint with a paint scraper.

4

Wash the stripped area with water and a sponge.

5

Remove any paint near rubber molding with 600-grit sandpaper.

6

Remove paint on plastic body panels and trim pieces with 1200-grit sandpaper. You will need patience while doing this, because the 1200-grit is a fine grade of sandpaper. You need to use this grade, however, because you don't want to damage any of the plastic in the process of removing the paint. You may want to wet the sandpaper and keep it, as well as the area you are working on, wet if you are worried about damaging any plastic panels or trim pieces.

7

Wipe down all areas with water and dry the car body with a lint-free cotton towel once all of the paint has been removed.