New to Site and have ? about Bill Thomas cars

[TDW]

Jim...Sounds like it is a very nice car. How did you get all the gloss black paint off? I am going through some miserable work on mine right now. It was rustproofed when new, and someone sprayed black paint all through the engine compartment. I have the rustproofing off the brakes, steering, and suspension so far. It actually preserved most of the factory paint dabs. The spray paint is giving me fits. Thanks...Tony

[69Chevelle L78Deluxe300]

Tony
It sounds like there was another black paint villain at work!
When I bought my car I had no idea how much work it would be to get rid or the black paint mess in the engine compartment. I tried some Zip Strip and figured I would either go blind or spatter it on the body paint before I was through. I was saved from despair when through a stroke of luck I found the guy in AZ who is the most experienced baking soda blaster in the country. I had him look at the car and followed his advice. I took everything apart and had him soda blast it. The baking soda doesn't damage bearings, plastic, or rubber, so he did the wiper motor and linkage, heater motor, radiator support, suspension, and I even had him do the entire cowl. You can then clean it all up with a vacuum, an air hose, and a wet rag. I had him take it down to the clean metal, then I repainted everything. The baking soda works great at taking off the old undercoating but would probably take off the paint dabs too. The best part is that it doesn't disturb any of the metal texture like bead blasting. It won't even dull chrome or etch glass, but it also does absolutly nothing to remove rust.
Hope this helps! Email me if you need more details.
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