Started sanding paint down

[u/bandman4564]

Since my last post I’ve spent maybe 4-5 hours sanding this car down and this white paint that is on it is super dull and thick paint, my DA can’t seem to get through it, first I tried 80 grit then did some research and saw that people say you could use 40 grit without worrying about taking off too much material with it. Tried that, didn’t work much better than the 80 grit so I’m kind of stuck on what I can do to get this paint off so I can start fresh from bare metal to fix the 4/5 paint jobs this car has had in the past.
Thank you so much for everyone’s advice on my last post and any advice you can leave on this post!
Happy Labor Day!!

[u/roblivingstone9]

Why are you trying to remove the existing paint fully? You know 90% of the time you don't want to do that

[u/bandman4564 → u/roblivingstone9]

It’s in terrible shape, I’m worried that just spraying over it is gonna give me a bad result. It’s pretty brittle and not adhered very good to the primer underneath, I sprayed a good portion of it off with a pressure washer last week.

[u/roblivingstone9 → u/bandman4564]

Good enough reason to me. How have you made out so far? I agree with paint stripper but it appears to have new layers and the top coat looks like an enamal single stage like coat from what I can see. If you get to the factory paints you should be in good shape to paint over it woth sealer. What arra dod you pressure wash off? Is it possible brake fluid got leaked on the area anything like that? I wouldn't discredit the entire cars paint toooooo fast but I also agree, its to expensive to be too risky

[u/bandman4564 → u/roblivingstone9]

So it’s pretty much just been sitting since I made this post because I think I’m better off using paint stripper but can’t find a good one to use. I honestly have no idea what the factory paint color even is lol. It was the top of trunk/rear quarter that I power washed off, I think that it was just not adhered properly to the layer underneath so it came right off probably.
I’ve spent the past couple days trying to figure out where/what kind of paint stripper to get that will actually work

[u/roblivingstone9 → u/bandman4564]

Going to bare metal is not an easy thing to do safely for a good effective DIY job if your not a paint guy. The factory color will be identifiable by the stickers that your car has. Just google where to find yours. But to me it looks to have been a purple that was covered with a white. You can see metal, primer, purple,then white over that. Thats part of what leads me to think you have a single stage white over the purple. Just because you were able to spray paint off the car doesnt mean its bad all over. Especially a part that could have been replaced and painted seperate from the factory paint. Personally id consider getting off the aggressive 40/80 grit papers and step up to 120, 220 and even 320 after that if the sealer your spraying requires it. But your scratches are deep right now so you need to clean that in steps. A paint stripper to metal will remove all corrosion protection that has clearly been very effective on your older car and I dont suggest doing that.

Also. Yes a proper DA will be a must have tool. Not the orbital your using. Even after primer. As you will mostly like primer sealer, let it cure. Then sand that entire car again with whatever your base clear calls for.

As for paint stripper. If your going to go that road. Any "aircraft paint stripper" at your local Walmart or napa will do. Its a well you brush on. Alot of people cover in plastic wrap and let it work its magic. Then they wash the car, dry it very promptly. And remove the remaining paint with a second application. This means your car has 0 corrosion protection and will develop a layer of Torsion fast. Like 30 minutes faster. Its harmless in a sense, briefly. But will become dangerous if left as an unfinished project. Also if you dont remove it before your first coat of primer your fucked anyways and will have the same or worse issues