Those car bodies produced in the 1980s and the 1990s require a different renovation process than older vehicles. They rarely corrode to a point that demands full bodywork restoration. They most often see the replacement of corroded pieces of panels; full plating parts, like rocker panels or wheel fenders are replaced with new parts, because they are largely available today.
It is essential to remove old paint coats for a full body refinish. With the coats stripped away, the condition of the sheet steel can be properly assessed while any emerging corrosion can be identified when not visible under the paint coat.

POWER STRIPPING
Power sanding is the best, tested, proven and most popular method of old coating removal. It provides the best control over the stripping process, although it is most time intensive. Rotary or eccentric sanders are used with coarse grain grit paper or dedicated Nylon pads. In most cases, power stripping is excellent for the removal of incipient corrosion. It is good practice to remove old coats in a two-step sanding process:

• Step one is rough sanding with P60 grit
• Step two is finish sanding with P80-P120 grit

ABRASIVE BLASTING
This process is generally recommended for cleaning and stripping:

• Engine compartment
• Boot compartment
• Chassis
• All confined surfaces

With good judgement and the right grit material, this process works well with the removal of old coats from entire bodies of older vehicles. Younger vehicles feature galvanized/zinc-coated panels which are thinner than those from earlier decades and are easier to deform by abrasive blasting.

HIGH-PRESSURE WATER CLEANING OF COATINGS
This processing method is gaining in popularity and preference because it entails no risk of panel deformation or overheating when stripping old paint. Water is used in this process with corrosion inhibitors that eliminate the risk of accelerated corrosion. The process leaves the surface fully dry, clean and smooth. Smooth steel needs sanding with a rotary or eccentric tool and P80-P120 paper to promote good mechanical adhesion of the layers applied during the downstream steps of the refinishing process.