Stripping methods?

[Mattwood440]

If the soda blasting or Dustless blasting doesn't remove old filler, you can heat the filler with a propane torch and pop it right out with a putty knife. You aren't going to hurt anything if there's an old dent under that filler....lol. If those trunk gutter pieces aren't available from AMD, you may be able to get some from @Lee Robinson on here. He sells nice sheet metal that he meticulously cuts from parts cars. It sounds like the one man shop you mentioned is a good place to get it done. If you'd like 2nd opinions, go to the Mopar show in Knoxville this coming Saturday (22nd) at Chilhowie Park over by Knoxville Zoo. There will be lots of pretty local to you Mopar people there. Myself included!

I'm familiar with the park. I might have to do that!

 

[JDMopar]

I just remembered, there is a place in Fountain Inn, SC called Carolina Chem Strip that dips cars. I've never had one done, but you could check with them to see if it's affordable. It would be 3 1/2 to 4 hours from you if you came around thru Asheville. It is somewhere near Greenville, SC.

Carolina Chem-Strip

chem-strip.com

 

[J1MMY]

Good thread!

I was just about to post a question (still will) but thought it worth chiming in.

I am mid way through stripping the external paint off my Valiant. I’ve bare-metal’d vehicles before using twist knot discs on a grinder but this time I didn’t want to create the noise, dust or deal with the hand-arm vibration.

Instead I’ve opted for using methylene chloride paint stripper and an array of scrapers. 80% of the car is the original primer and top coat hidden below a coat of primer which was applied by the PO, along with body filler here and there from previous repairs to minor dents.

I have spent around 20 hrs so far and done the trunk lid, passenger rear quarter, door and almost both wings. The paint stripper is potent enough to bubble up and soften most of the filler (sometimes takes a couple of passes). Once a panel is clear I’m applying WD40 liberally to stop rusting. I will reapply as needed as I go. It’s cheap and doesn’t take long.

If you can find the time and are able I’d say why not give it a go yourself, it takes patience but is satisfying and you know exactly where you are condition-wise at the end of it all.