# Removing Paint from an afx body



## ggallin (Mar 5, 2010)

I recently came across an Blue AFX Chevelle that someone painted silver the car's in good shape nothing broken on it. I've tried to remove paint from an AFX before with Pine Sol but it also took off the original paint, Any Ideas how to do this without wrecking it?


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## old blue (May 4, 2007)

I have always had good luck with **** and Span. You do have to be patient.

Old Blue


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

Windex might do the trick on silver paint, without removing the original.
Just be sure you remove the bumpers first because it will remove chrome too.

It may remove the silver outline on the numbers.

_Be sure to test thoroughly in an inconspicuous place before stripping the entire body._


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## Rolls (Jan 1, 2010)

And remember, those A-pillars on either side of the windshield are spectacularly fragile on the AFX Chevelles. You'll have to be extra careful during all the handling you'll have to do to keep them intact. 

I really love that body, btw. Kinda long, but oh so low and wide. In fact, even lower after a pillar gives out. This damaged Chevelle is actually a favorite of mine. It's a runnin' fool with a smooth, smooth MT chassis that handles like a dream. 










But my point is, if you have one with clean pillars, tread lightly during any handling. Especially a rare blue beauty.

Have fun,

Rolls


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

Keep in mind that there's more than one kind of paint, so the solution isnt always the same.

Bottom line is that the soaps, of which most are caustics; pinesol-****-n-span, superclean, yada yada.... will only work on latex, water base acrylics, mineral oil based garden funiture paints like Rustoleum. Many enamels are also sensitive to these products. 

Expecting the soaps to work on any lacquer, two part eurathanes or epoxy paints is asking for a bar of soap to become a magic wand. Both old & new school lacquers actually combine with the top surfaces of the model. Naturally styrene bodies are extremely receptive to solvent and most certainly any lacquer accents are boned.

Bleach, ammonia/windex or easy off (also highly caustic) work great on chrome removal. Of the bunch, easy off is the most caustic and can remove SOME lacquer paints or their like but it's not guaranteed...because?...some paints are tougher than the vintage plastic bodies we're trying to restore 

What is guaranteed is that exposure to any caustic will start to etch the outer surface of the model and begin to dull the finish AND whatever lies on it's surface be it chrome or painted accents. Clearly we all know that the chrome will fly right off. Naturally the damage to the styrene body created by a quick skinny dip in windex or bleach is so fractional that it's undetectable to the eye. After the chrome, the next weakest link is any vintage factory painted accent will start to deteriorate.

Obviously, with exposure to concentrated caustics like brake fluid or easy off the effect is immediately more pronounced and prolonged exposure will eventually take off most all vintage factory paints. HOWEVER! Prolonged exposure can also warp, weaken, or "brittlize" (a popular term among strippers....of paint that is) the styrene body. I prefer to think of it as an accelerant of the aging process.

That which removes paint also removes the volatiles and additives that keep the plastic supple/flexible. So ideally what your tryng to do is use the minimum exposure and the minimum concentration to achieve the maximum result. The problem arises when the paint's properties or character require that you ramp up either or both. As one increases the concentration or the exposure you creep up and cross the line of "Oh, that'll buff right out! or "Aw crap, thats a full restoration!"

IMHO, I wont waste time effort or money on whats clearly a lacquer ruined body unless it's a rare or unique model and I plan to rip it all the way down. GENERALLY a simple test is required for quick analysis, but you have to actually feel the difference. Push your thumnail across the body like a scraper; if it picks up speed as you move across it's doubtful. If your nail bogs down or digs in you may have some luck.


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## slotnewbie69 (Dec 3, 2008)

wow.great answer Bill!so if your nail moves without resistance it means the paint has bonded with the styrene?


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

Not exactly. It just means that the paint is harder than your nail and therefore more-n-likely harder than a vintage styrene body. 

The rule of thumb is... the harder the paint is to your nail, the harder it will be to remove. Most crap paint you encounter has nuttin on the human finner nail and should be fairly easy for even a novice stripper to remove.

So if your nail digs into or stutters along, or the paint, balls up, or flakes; your odds are good. If your nail kites right across or picks up speed your probably gonna go the full 12 rounds.

Remember this is a general rule....not an absolute.


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

What about Brake Cleaner? Or Naval Jelly?


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## ParkRNDL (Mar 20, 2002)

Must be time for me to throw my two cents in and drag out that old before-and-after picture I keep showing around. :wave:

Check this thread:

http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/showthread.php?t=125875

The pics are missing in the first couple of posts, but scroll down to post #4 with the pic of the Cheetah and the El Camino. Those guys just sat in **** N Span for a while. If the paint is typical '70s Testors type hobby stuff, there's a good chance the **** N Span will work for you. But like Bill said, it doesn't work on everything... I got a Roadrunner body that I'm pretty sure was painted with nail polish or something similar. S n S didn't touch it. Only thing taking that stuff off is a blowtorch. 

BTW Rolls, I love those Chevelles too. I just repaired a window post on one of them... I had like 3 yellow ones with partial window posts, so I took the one with the best paint and grafted in a piece of the post from one that was pretty trashed. And I still have the one I painted blue as a kid. :hat:

--rick


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

My experience with stripping silver and gold paints was awful. It softened up some in pinesol, but so did the body. Before the paint could be removed, the roof posts were gone. The odds of stripping that paint off and leaving the factory stuff is slim. If you decide to soak it in anything, check it often, and rescue it before there's nothing left of the body! :lol: 

I have stripped paint off using paint thinner on a paper towel. Rub it on, wipe a few times and keep moving around the body. The odds of losing the factory detail paint is high this way, but it should soften the offending paint quickly. Make sure you wash the body with soapy water quickly after using this method, as the thinner will attack the plastic. This might be a good way to start the stripping process, as the silver and gold paints I've run across usually got applied on the thick side. Once you've removed a good layer of the unwanted paint off, wash the body good and then try the less caustic method for the remainder. 

Just remember, you need to move quick from first thinner application to the washing process, and try to keep it off the plastic.


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## partspig (Mar 12, 2003)

Just use Easy Off. The paint underneath, is gonna be a lost cause. I use Easy Off on almost all my cars, because it works. I also use this stuff called Scale Coat, it washes off with water, but is not as caustic as Easy Off. Easy off will not remove the factory paint completely, but it will lighten it up a bit. JMHOFO pig


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