I go to Walmart or Lowes and buy the cheapest brush on paint remover they have. I use new razor blades in a holder . Once you hit something and the start scratching the metal get a new one. Once you are down to the factory primer I put a heavy coat on and steel wool it off. then wash it with thinner.
If you notice above on the Duster we taped it off and did not remove the paint 1/2 inch from the jams or any opening. I only remove the paint with stripper from the large panels so not to heat them up and also get to actually see what is under the paint such as the factory grinder marks shown above. This car was original paint no rust out.
I do not paint strip any part of a jam or seam for fear of it getting in a seam. Only the flat panels. Cars that are round or do not have fine lines with a flat surface you can go at it with a sander. Do that with a flat panel with lines and you will round it. A good body man can hide the roundness to a point but it will never be flat.
I am 65 yrs old My eyes are not that great but I can tell when a Dart has been stripped with a sander. Unless it is done even and slowly with a coarse grit such as 80 and lower. But even then you should never go over a body line or you will take out the definition . Also never take the dents out behind the doors of a Duster/ Demon. They are there from the factory. Darts and Scamps don't have them. I won a show because the judges noticed the body was Factory perfect. with the factory dents. Notice I said "Was". LOL
I was proud of this car . I did the brown car the same way I will sell when its done or sooner. It will be perfect the only sheet metal that was removed was the fenders. I have two other perfect never rusted bodies for keepers. One was completely stripped to bare metal. I'll get some pictures of those cars when I get them out of the Race trailers this summer.
Rusted junk cars I strip for parts I don't care what came in them . Unless they are here for rust repair and then we spot weld drill them apart. I will never start with a rust bucket to keep for me again. Been there. You can chase the rust forever. And I would never be happy.
Everyone has there own way of doing things and they get to the same result. This is just my way.
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