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  1. #1

    Default Paint Removal Question

    Hello All,

    I'll try and keep this simple:

    • 1985 hood, orignal paint color Regatta Blue
    • Was painted midnight blue by a body shop
    • Was THEN painted white by a friend who does bodywork as a side biz
    • So it's currently white


    What is the best way to get through the white and back to the midnight blue without damaging the midnight blue color?

    Thanks in advance!

    BG

  2. #2
    Moderator wraithracing's Avatar
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    Default

    I am not sure there is any way to remove the top layer of paint without causing some damage to the midnight blue paint. Truthfully if the white paint has a good bond with the midnight blue, that is most likely because it was damaged by sanding to create a mechanical bond between the white and the midnight blue.

    Not sure what you ultimate goal is here. Obviously I wouldn't recommend painting another layer on top of the current 3 as that is a problem waiting to happen. If you want the hood to be midnight blue, then I would recommend you sand off the white layer and the respray with midnight blue. I don't believe you will be able to remove the white paint without causing some damage to the underlying paint that won't require at least a coat or two of new paint to even out. Hope that helps.
    ​Trey

    "I Don't build it hoping for your approval! I built it because it meets mine!"

    "I've spent most of my money on Mustangs, racing, and women... the rest I just wasted."

    Mustangs Past: Too many to remember!
    Current Mustangs:
    1969 Mach 1
    1979 Pace Car now 5.0/5 speed
    1982 GT Stalled RestoModification
    1984 SVO Still Waiting Restoration
    1986 GT Under going Wide Body Conversion Currently

    Current Capris:
    1981 Capri Roller
    1981 Capri Black Magic Roller Basket Case
    1982 Capri RS 5.0/4spd T-top Full Restoration Stalled in TX
    1984 Capri RS T-top Roller
    1983-84 Gloy Racing Trans Am/IMSA Body Parts

  3. #3

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by bgettel View Post
    Hello All,

    I'll try and keep this simple:

    • 1985 hood, orignal paint color Regatta Blue
    • Was painted midnight blue by a body shop
    • Was THEN painted white by a friend who does bodywork as a side biz
    • So it's currently white


    What is the best way to get through the white and back to the midnight blue without damaging the midnight blue color?

    Thanks in advance!

    BG
    What you are asking, while not 100% impossible, is most likely impracticable. Even if I still had my shop I'd not take on such a project. Instead, I'd strip it down to bare metal, prime, seal, paint and be done with it.

    Bill S

  4. #4

    Default

    OK, so a little background on the "why" behind this idea. It's a bit of a read but I think it's kinda cool.

    My first fox was an 85 GT (purchased in '89 or '90). It was Regatta Blue until the paint began to fail. I had it painted midnight blue.

    A few months later the car was destroyed in an electrical fire. I sold it to a guy that wanted to turn the shell into a dirt track car. That guy became a good friend.

    I replaced the car with another 85GT - the one I own today. It was Oxford White (factory) and I had that good friend paint it Toyota Super White. I parked it in 1993 and am now rebuilding it with my son. It will be his first car.

    He power washed the underside of the hood today and some paint came off. Underneath was a very familiar midnight blue color, which got me thinking.

    I got hold of my friend and confirmed that he had replaced the white hood on my current 85 with the midnight blue hood on my first 85. I do not recall his ever telling me that. Both hoods were/are stock.

    My son - 16 years old and into things nostalgic, especially when it comes to me - wants to keep the car Super White. But he wants to reveal the corner of the hood where the "GT" logo would appear if the factory decal were in place.

    When that hood was painted midnight blue, I didn't have the decal put on. But I had the "GT" logo replicated in sky blue paint. My son is now thrilled to have my second 85 GT, with the hood from my first 85 GT.

    If we can get that little bit of white off and save the midnight blue and the light blue logo, he wants it to appear as if someone wiped or scraped the white paint off just that part of the hood.

    I'm flattered that a little of my hot rod history is of such interest to him that he wants to preserve it. Of course, I'm biased, but I like the idea.

    BG
    Last edited by bgettel; 06-29-2021 at 11:00 PM.

  5. #5

    Default

    Thanks for the feedback, Bill. Check out my follow-up post in this thread. Still gonna be a PITA, but nowhere near as big as it appears at first blush.

    BG

  6. #6
    Moderator wraithracing's Avatar
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    Default

    Not sure that it will work well or not, but I would recommend trying the sanding method over the area you want to expose. You could start with 400 grit wet and see how that goes. If it doesn't really remove much of the white, then you could go courser with 320 or maybe even 220. Once you start to see the colors you want to keep, then you will want to stay with 400 or possibly even go up to 500/600. Most likely to get it to look good and work, you will have to sand it to the point you are happy and at least spray a couple of coats of clear over the exposed area to bring back the shine and protect it. It's all going to depend on what type of prep was done before the white paint was applied as to whether or not it will actually look good. Good luck!
    ​Trey

    "I Don't build it hoping for your approval! I built it because it meets mine!"

    "I've spent most of my money on Mustangs, racing, and women... the rest I just wasted."

    Mustangs Past: Too many to remember!
    Current Mustangs:
    1969 Mach 1
    1979 Pace Car now 5.0/5 speed
    1982 GT Stalled RestoModification
    1984 SVO Still Waiting Restoration
    1986 GT Under going Wide Body Conversion Currently

    Current Capris:
    1981 Capri Roller
    1981 Capri Black Magic Roller Basket Case
    1982 Capri RS 5.0/4spd T-top Full Restoration Stalled in TX
    1984 Capri RS T-top Roller
    1983-84 Gloy Racing Trans Am/IMSA Body Parts

  7. #7

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by wraithracing View Post
    Not sure that it will work well or not, but I would recommend trying the sanding method over the area you want to expose. You could start with 400 grit wet and see how that goes. If it doesn't really remove much of the white, then you could go courser with 320 or maybe even 220. Once you start to see the colors you want to keep, then you will want to stay with 400 or possibly even go up to 500/600. Most likely to get it to look good and work, you will have to sand it to the point you are happy and at least spray a couple of coats of clear over the exposed area to bring back the shine and protect it. It's all going to depend on what type of prep was done before the white paint was applied as to whether or not it will actually look good. Good luck!
    800-1000 grit at the roughest, sure it will take a lot of time, but the idea is to gently sand through each layer of paint (a foam sanding block at least two inches thick will also be required), start with a small area, and work that area only until you have the desired appearance, then move on to another.

  8. #8

    Default

    Thanks very much, guys. This has to be the best of any of the car enthusiast forums on the Web.

    We'll give it a go and I'll try to remember to post the experience/results.

    BG

  9. #9
    Moderator wraithracing's Avatar
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    You can try 800-1000, but IMHO 800-1000 grit will take forever to get down to the blue paint in most cases. If you are trying to remove the actual paint you need at a minimum 600 grit and if you don't want to it to take a lifetime, then drop down to 400 grit. Do the sanding wet which provides lubrication and actually lowers the mechanical action of sanding. As soon as you see any blue residue or color, you can stop with the 400 and go up in grit to prevent removing too much paint. Everything is done by hand so no DA which would remove too much paint too quickly.
    ​Trey

    "I Don't build it hoping for your approval! I built it because it meets mine!"

    "I've spent most of my money on Mustangs, racing, and women... the rest I just wasted."

    Mustangs Past: Too many to remember!
    Current Mustangs:
    1969 Mach 1
    1979 Pace Car now 5.0/5 speed
    1982 GT Stalled RestoModification
    1984 SVO Still Waiting Restoration
    1986 GT Under going Wide Body Conversion Currently

    Current Capris:
    1981 Capri Roller
    1981 Capri Black Magic Roller Basket Case
    1982 Capri RS 5.0/4spd T-top Full Restoration Stalled in TX
    1984 Capri RS T-top Roller
    1983-84 Gloy Racing Trans Am/IMSA Body Parts

  10. #10

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by wraithracing View Post
    You can try 800-1000, but IMHO 800-1000 grit will take forever to get down to the blue paint in most cases. If you are trying to remove the actual paint you need at a minimum 600 grit and if you don't want to it to take a lifetime, then drop down to 400 grit. Do the sanding wet which provides lubrication and actually lowers the mechanical action of sanding. As soon as you see any blue residue or color, you can stop with the 400 and go up in grit to prevent removing too much paint. Everything is done by hand so no DA which would remove too much paint too quickly.
    As I stated above, the 800-1000 grit is a tedious task at best, but then again, I watched a certain enthusiast (my good friend and fellow racer Steve S.) take a dental pic tool to CSX 3047 to remove the 1974 repaint over the original Hertz Gold paint job (1 of 2). It took years to accomplish, and not all could be removed or saved, but the car today is shown just like that, and to accolades no less. if the OP wants to attempt it, then it will indeed be a slow and tedious process, one that cannot be rushed with 400-600 grit, which will not only cut too fast, and almost uncontrollable by someone who is not well trained/expereienced, but will leave sanding scratches within the original paint he so wants to get to that it will be not unreasonable to say it too will need to be stripped and eventually repainted.

    Bill S.

  11. #11

    Default

    If it’s just that small section, I would use a chemical approach such as acetone. Work slowly. I have done this successfully

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