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MG TD TF 1500 - New paint stripper advice?

What have you RECENTLY used to successfully strip paint from body panels? The new EPA mandated Non-Methylene Chloride paint strippers are almost useless. Looking for a good chemical stripper that I can use to remove most of the paint prior to using mechanical stripping tools.

The paint is 35-year old base-coat clear-coat. The undercoating is a mystery substance that isn't hard. It's a black tar like substance. Undercoating in the wheel wells is top coated with the same paint as on the body. The undercoating on inside of the panels is not top coated.

I'm partially stripping panels on my TF to evaluate rust and body problems that I can show to a painter. On this rear quarter panel, I used a Black Hawk Strip Disc, wire-cup wheel, non-methylene chloride stripper, lacquer thinner, putty knife, finish sander with 100g paper. I also used gasoline to soften the tar-like undercoating beneath the paint in the wheel wells.

The undercoating gums up the Black Hawk disc.

Not fun in 95-deg Florida heat + humidity.

Thanks,

Lonnie
TF7211


LM Cook

I used aircraft paint remover. Very toxic stuff but it works! Available on line or elsewhere I'm sure.
efh Haskell

I can't find Aircraft stripper that has methylene-chloride.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2019/03/15/epa-bans-deadly-chemical-used-paint-strippers-provides-loophole-commercial-operators/

This Kleanstrip Aircraft paint stripper takes 45-minutes
http://kleanstripauto.com/products/aircraft-non-methylene-chloride-paint-remover-liquid

Does any paint stripper available today work?

Lonnie
TF7211
LM Cook

Its been a few years but your KleenStrip picture looks very familiar to what I remember. I would give it a try.

efh Haskell

Package remained the same. EPA changed the formula in 2019. The stripper in my photo was excellent a couple of years ago. Bought it this year - - new formula without methylene chloride is in same package but is crap.

Lonnie
TF7211
LM Cook

Lonnie,

It sounds like the previous owner coated some of your panels with the dreaded rubber/tar type spray which was used around the 60s and 70s as a stone guard.

I have had to remove this material from under front and rear guards when stripping down the TF1500 panels. I successfully applied a heat gun to carefully heat the panel and then used a paint scraper to remove the tar looking junk.

You are on the right track with regard to manual stripping of your body panels. It is very tempting to resort to sand blasting, which however on T type panels, can be a hazardous exercise.

Manual stripping is time consuming and often frustrating but the rewards
rise up when you look at your repainted, pristine non distorted 1500 body.

The actual paint stripper I used about two(2) had methylene chloride in it
and was very effective.

Cheers
Rob Grantham
TF3719("Aramis"),TF9177("Athos").
Rob Grantham

Yep, due to a few deaths from people that could not read the instructions, the federal government put a ban on methylene chloride paint strippers. I bought 3 gallons prior to the ban.

Lonnie, I am surprised the undercoating is gumming up the Black Hawk Disk. I had tar based undercoating on my underside fenders and it cut through it pretty well.

We know DOT 3 brake fluid is a pretty good paint stripper. I have not tried it on anything large. (semi joking)

Unfortunately, I have not used a lot of the strippers left on the market to know how they work on automotive paint.
Bruce Cunha

Plenty of options to using sand blasting on auto panels these days. Glass, seed or soda blasting are all options used without the tendency to pit panels.

I had the reward of purchasing a TF where the front panels had been sand blasted, lost count of the number of under coats applied to resolve the pitting.

Using chemical strippers has disadvantages also as you will never completely remove the chemical residue from the seams in panels. Corrosion created can become your worst enemy.
G Evans

Not sure if this is relevant but the PO of TF2071 had had the panels wet media blasted then primed with something black. There was no distortion evident but my paint supplier wouldn’t guarantee that his 2k would stick to the 4 year old primer so it all had to come off. Off the shelf stripper proved to be quite capable of softening it enough to be scraped away as it wasn’t amenable to any mechanical means that I tried.
Chris
C I Twidle

Why would you muck around with toxic chemicals when results like this are achievable?

https://www.newcastlevapourblasting.com/
G Evans

Hi Lonnie, Google dustless blasting. There are a number of places in central Fla. One brand was featured on one of the Motor Trend restoration shows recently. They come to you, really slick deal. I'm not sure what would be worse- the burning horrible old stripper or the new stuff that doesn't work! George
George Butz III

This is what I used, it actually softened 1/4 inch undercoating in some areas. Lot of work, lots of scraping! Not fun no mater what you use. I made up a couple special scrapers for the curved sections. PJ

PJ Jennings

Forgot to ad, make sure there is plenty of ventilation, I did mine outside. PJ
PJ Jennings

I had used Jasco before too with good results. Note, as usual, there is a special formulation for Calif, that does not apply to Lonnie.
Christopher Couper

How about acetone??

Cheers

Gary
79 MGB
gary hansen

For removal of the asphalt based undercoating, especially when the parts are off the car, make a dam around the area you wish to remove with styrofoam and put dry ice in the center and cover . wait until the dry ice freezes the undercoat then hammer it of. It shatters and comes away clean.

DOT 3 removes the vintage paint. As we all know.

.. CR
CR Tyrell

Here's an update on my paint remover question. I talked to a company that chemically dip-strips cars. He agreed that the new non-methylene chloride paint strippers that are available to the public are not very effective. When I told him that the paint to be stripped was base-coat / clear-coat, he immediately told me that he would not do the job. His chemicals can't strip BC/CC. He said that a propane torch and a razor blade are the best way to remove it.

During my attempts to remove paint with non-methylene chloride stripper, I found that it was a little more effective to grind off some of the clearcoat and scuff the base coat, then apply the chemical stripper and scrape with a putty knife. Sometimes the softened paint could be removed with a Black Hawk strip-disc. Be careful, the Black Hawk disc can cut into metal.

This PPG paint stripper is available for industrial use only. Doesn't have methylene chloride, but I'm told that it works great.
http://www.ppgaerospace.com/Products/Coatings-Removers-Cleaners/Surface-Solutions/Strippers/Eldorado-PR-3500-Paint-Remover,-Epoxy-Systems.aspx

Available online:
https://www.skygeek.com/ppg-prc-desoto-pr-3500-methylene-chloride-based-paint-stripper.html

The dip-stripper also told me that heat and a putty knife is the best way to remove the tar-like undercoating on my car. Club members and MG Enthusiasts BBS members agree that heat is best way.

Bottom line - - I'm letting the painter strip the paint.

Lonnie
TF7211
LM Cook

I bought the industrial grade paint stripper that contains methylene chloride and phenol. The DIY sheds don't sell it, but over here you can buy it through the internet and have it delivered.
Dave H
Dave Hill

Very good move letting someone else do it! George
George Butz III

Caustic soda?
Art Pearse

This thread was discussed between 15/07/2020 and 20/07/2020

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