I've got a really old Terraplane, one of the first half dozen produced. The heavy layer of custom paint is bubbling extensively and flaking. How do I strip it without damaging the fiberglass, with all those angles and curves I'm afraid to use a grinder.
What would it cost to have a good paint job applied after the paints stripped? Never tried shooting paint before so I thought a pro would be better off doing it.
Thanks all,Ken
I'm not a painter, but a friend who is recommends that you line up yours before you start stripping and seek his (or her) advice. He says that in too many cases, a well meaning owner doubles his work and the price by using the wrong chemicals or methods to prepare the body. They are usually happy to let you do the work, but do it the way they suggest.
I painted my sidecar myself. I'm no pro but I feel I take a bit more pride than if I had someone else do it. It's always good to pick up an extra skill here and there. I would do it all by hand. Scrape the peeling areas (careful not to gouge the fiberglass) and hand sand the rest. Probably wet sand it. Take your time and have a lot of patience. Your prep job is extremely important. The terraplane has a lot of curves so be careful on the edges. if you have small scratches or gouges in the fiberglass use a good glazing putty. Evercoat is a good brand. Also by hand sanding it you will be able to feel any tiny imperfections that may show through the paint. Read all the instruction on all the products you use. For your paint use the same brand for everything, ie... Dupont Paint, Dupont thinner, Dupont clearcoat, Dupont hardener etc... I wouldn't mix and match. Be sure you filter you paint and primers so get as many funnel filters and stir sticks as you can. I hope this helps and encourages you to go for it.
Many Blessings,
Dan Clark
575-993-6716
Las Cruces, NM
As a master painter with over 45 years of professional experience, may I add, Good luck.
Lonnie Cook
Northwest Sidecars
I have never done a sidecar but do not know how many boats I have done. When this came up before I found a good site that puts it in plane words.
I bought a 1980 Motorvation fiberglass side car and I am in the prosess of painting it...It has a gel coat on it but there were some painted panels that I striped with air craft paint striper....good to use on fiberglass...I got it at O'Reileys $6.00 a quart and the stuff worked great....I just finished filling all the snap holes with epoxy filler....wet sanded the hole car with 400 grit and I'm gonna prime with a 2 part epoxy primer....
Hello Kan,
I rebuilt precision machinery for 17 years and may add. I never paint machines because it will be scratched again in 2 weeks and the new paint never lasts as much as the original.
Those clients who used stripper chemicals paid VERY expensive for it. Practically allways some tiny rest of the chemical stays in microscopic pores. and somewhen, (normally less then a year) corrosion and paint bubbles start to charge their toll.
I first thought of sand blasting to avoid chemicals, but then remembered the irregular surface you will cause on fibreglass. => used sand or glass would insert iron particles into the surface. => imagine a corroded fibreglass boat.
So enjoy the long winter nights with sanding by hand. Hopefully in a warm place.
Other option: Better be called a person with a rat's complex...in stead of spoiling completely a sidecar. (I drove my first rig 3 years with bitumen like wax on the rims and solid machinery hammer pitch paint because of the salt on the roads) It was ugly like hell, but the only corrosion was inside the boat in the luggage compartment, ahh... and on the muffler bow comeing out of the cylinder.
Regards
Sven Peter Pan
