Remove spray paint from cladding?

[RickOKC]

deermagnet found a gas door recently at a boneyard. You can see if he has the pieces to get this one 'back to operational'.

Thank you for telling me about that. Who knows, maybe someone just needs to spend a few minutes fixing the one that's on it now.

I think the cladding would be painted over most likely to hide scuffs - they just used the wrong stuff and perhaps didn't even prep the cladding.

I'm eager to find out the reason for that. My friend who checked it out knows what cladding is supposed to look like (had an Avalanche for years) and he was curious why it was done. There are a few scrapes, but other than that he said it looked good. I wonder if it had faded and they thought $40 in rattle cans was a better deal than using the "good stuff."

[nfpgasmask]

If the VX is in otherwise good shape, I would use the spray painted cladding and wheels as a bargining point. Then buy it, ditch the wheels for some aftermarket rims that are nicer and cooler looking, and then just take your time cleaning the cladding. It will be some work, but can be done I would think.

Go rescue this VX!

Bart

PS - When a person spray paints a vehicle, they MUST know that they are making a conscious decision to commit to the vehicle, most likely forever.

[Grif]

Go rescue this VX!

X2

Rescue it!! Sounds do-able to me.

I hate to see 'em die.

[89Vette]

Do you know that it WASN'T painted with Gatorback cladding paint? This forum made me aware of that option -- which sounds pretty decent.

FWIW, I saw a product at O'Reillys the other day called "Peeler". Description said removes paint while leaving undercoating intact. That might be worth a try. Another product said to apply and use forced air to release, but I forgot what it was called.

It might be worthwhile to try one of these products on a lower panel (kickpanels?) and try using a high-pressure carwash to release any paint. There might be a point where the pressure of the water would be enough to flex the plastic and cause the paint to "pop-off". If it doesn't, I might be inclined to try that Gatorback stuff over the top of paint -- to get a uniform result. (Feather any edges if necessary -- all uneven edges show under paint.)

[Mile High VX]

It will take a little longer, but if you use the Gatorback coating remove the cladding and prep it good. "Paint" it with the Gatorback and then reinstall.

You'll be glad you took the extra time and made it look great!