bad paint job - i want the original

[cjs_72f250]

hi guys,

i just bought a 72 f250 this week off of some guy who said he's a carpenter. he painted over the original color with some house paint and a paint brush - he did it himself obviously.

i think the original color on the truck is "Grabber Blue" but whatever it's called, is there any solution or solvent that i can rub (and scrub) away the poor job he did to it? or sand it?

i don't want anything to rip straight through the original paint either...just want that house paint off!

any ideas? thanks!

[greenbank]

I think your only real hope is that he used a paint with a different base than the original...if it's house paint, it's probably latex, and the original was probably enamel (???).

Dunno if there's a solvent which would dissolve latex but leave enamel untouched.

Be aware, too, that the original paint was probably painted over for a reason.

[68F250]

Maybe a pressure washer?

[cjs_72f250]

thanks for the tip...

the seller claimed that he painted over it to make it looked more professional (covering the original blue with an off-white neutral color).

but you raise a good point, maybe he's lying and painted it to cover something up. i didn't think of that.

i'll look into what a pressure-washer might do.

thanks,

[flyboy2610]

The paint man at my favorite auto parts store (Snow Auto Supply, shameless plug there ) recommended soaking the paint down with water and using a pressure washer when I asked him what he would do to get house paint off an aluminum grille.

[mk]

One time I experimented with some easy-off oven cleaner because of a suggestion. Someone tried to cover up a few rust scabs about 1 or 2 inches in diameter with about a square foot of primer. The car was not a pretty sight. I sprayed some easy-off on one of the spots and had a bucket of water and sponge nearby. After a minute I washed the cleaner off. It took the primer but didn't touch the original baked on paint. Every case can be different of course but you might want to try this if the original paint is still underneath and nothing else takes that other paint off. Key words: lots of water nearby, don't leave the cleaner on too long, test on small area first , wear gloves if hands are sensitive

mike

[rjewkes]

can you srape it with your fingernail? it may come off with overspray remover? not sure if it leaves paint alone though. i assume not as overspray is paint.Good luck.If he globbed it on good and thick it might just flake off after all it aint baked on. find a spot that is peeling and hit with pressure washer, be warned some tips on washer gun end can actualy gouge metal so start of slow and with medium pressure tip and go up until something happens.