Safely remove old paint from plastic.

[Lynn]

All great ideas guys. Would use the goof off if it was typical overspray, but this is very thick in places. Picked up some purple power and will test it in a small area just to be sure before soaking.

DOT 3 for sure eats paint. Has a huge appetite for paint on fenders.

[ronebee]

Wesleys White Wall Tire Cleaner removes paint and will not touch plastic. I have cleaned many a model car body with this stuff and it lifts the paint and leaves the plastic untouched.

[Lynn]

Soaked it for a week in a pvc tube filled with Purple Power.

Good news: didn't harm the plastic.
Bad news: didn't harm the paint, other than making it maybe 10% softer. Still won't come off easily, other than where the paint is really really thin.

Any chance the Castrol Super Clean is stronger?
Hate to start using really strong stuff without knowing whether it may harm the plastic. Pretty sure I won't find another one of these cheap.

[njsteve]

Castrol Super Clean is what I use, full strength. After soaking a day or so, I use an old toothbrush to remove the losse paint and let the liquid get further under the remaining paint. What kind of paint is on the part?

[Lynn]

Steve: Wish I knew. Best guess is enamel. The whole assy was removed from a pace car in 1983, and the car had already had a repaint, but by the time I got to it, there were bubbles coming through, so the paint was not brand new. Would guess 5 or 6 years old.

The car didn't have the correct air cleaner, and the owner didn't care about the flapper. I traded him the labor on changing points and plugs for the whole assy, complete with the solenoid. Although epoxy was around in the 70's, I really don't think it was a high end job. Most of the quickie paint shops around here used enamel in the late 70's.

Will pick up some Super Clean and give it a go. Sad thing is the two bottles were side by side at the parts store, and I bought this stuff to save a dollar.

[enio45]

oven cleaner does well

[SuperNovaSS]

I use power purple with great results. Tempurature is key. I use it on the stove for quick results.

Jason

[BLACKLS5]

Lynn, I can't tell from the picture exactly what it is your stripping but I recently used something called Testors ELO (easy lift off). I bought it at the local hobby shop and they had it in stock. It's a gel like ZipStrip and did a great job on a 70 Chevelle dash housing. It wrinkles up the paint but doesn't hurt the plastic.

[Lynn]

Will go by Hobby Lobby on the way home today.

[Lynn]

Believe it or not Hobby Lobby did not have it. Many other Testor's products.

Bought a quart of Castrol Super Clean. Looks and smells similar to the Purple Power. However, after 24 hours in the Super Clean, most of the paint came off with hot water and a plastic bristle scrub brush. Another 24, and all paint is gone.

So... either the Castrol is just a little stronger, or the Purple Power softened it up for the Castrol. Either way, the Monsanto embossed flapper is back in the original frame with an original solenoid and original bolt holding the solenoid. Even have the original clips.