Firebird V8-305 5.0L (1982)
Paint: Technical Service Bulletins
Paint - Alternative Stripping Procedures
Bulletin Number:
90-SM-4 Reference Number:
Publish Date:
5/90
Subject:
Paint Removal Procedures
A procedure has been developed by "US TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION" as an alternative to current sanding and/or chemical stripping practices.
The attached brochure is supplied for your information.
We believe this source and their equipment to be reliable. There may be additional manufactures of such equipment, however, General Motors does not
endorse, indicate any preference for or assume any responsibility for the products or equipment from these firms or for any such items which may be
available from other sources.
NATIONAL NETWORK FOR NEW
METHOD OF AUTOMOTIVE PAINT REMOVAL ANNOUNCED
At one time or another, most car dealers and auto body shops have had to deal with warranty problems related to paint and other coating failures. While
spot-treatments are sometimes sufficient for solving these problems, more serious conditions will require stripping these surfaces down to a primer level,
or all the way to the substrate panel, before re-coating.
New car dealers, saddled with correcting these problems, have had to resort to either chemical stripping or hand sanding. Both labor intensive, these
methods can tie up a bay for a week, and in the case of chemical strippers, involve waste removal problems.
As an alternative method for removing these problem coatings, dealers can use the services of the Dry Stripping Facilities Network (DSFN). DSFN is
made up of independently owned businesses that use dry stripping (also known as plastic media blasting) techniques for coating removal and surface
preparation. Located throughout the U.S. and Canada, the Network currently has 70 members, and in the not too distant future, facilities located in every
metropolitan area in North America.
The process of dry stripping is similar to sand blasting, but uses equipment specially designed to propel and recover sharp edged nontoxic plastic
granules. The light weight of the plastic allows coating removal at pressures ranging from 10 to 40 psi (normal operating pressures for other blasting
techniques, e.g., silica sand, aluminum oxide, or glass beads, are typically in the 80 to 100 psi range). These low operating pressures, combined with the
relative softness of these plastic particles, permit rapid removal of paint and other coatings from thin steel, aluminum, fiberglass, SMC, urethane, and
other substrate materials without warping panels or damaging surfaces. Clad, anodized, galvanized and phosphate coatings are left intact. In many cases,
paint can be removed layer by layer down to the base substrate, or just down to the primer coating if it is harder than coatings above it. Plastic body filler
can be left intact, or removed as necessary. Surface rust can be removed also; but, deep pitted rust would require additional attention before repainting.
As an alternative to hazardous chemical stripping and laborious sanding, local DSFN members take the hassle out of stripping operations-often with
same-day service. Vehicle or equipment downtime is drastically reduced, and a clean, dry, ready to paint surface is produced-without chemical residues
which can effect future coatings. Prices for dry stripping the outside of a car range from $300 to $600 depending on the geographic location, paint type
and thickness, and size of vehicle.
For further information about the nearest DSFN facility or about dry stripping, contact:
Peter Merrill-Oldham Dry Stripping Facilities Network 79 Connecticut Mills Avenue Danielson, CT 06239 (800) 634-9185 FAX (203) 779-1403 (203)
779-1401
79 Connecticut Mills Avenue, Danielson, CT 06239 (203) 779-1401/(800)634-9185/Telex (910) 250-4502 FAX (203) 779-1403
