Woodgrain stripping

Discussion in 'Cosmetic & Restoration' started by patrick80, Oct 4, 2012.

  1. patrick80

    patrick80 Wagonista!

    Joined:
    Apr 8, 2008
    Messages:
    3,083
    Likes Received:
    93
    Trophy Points:
    157
    Wagon Garage:
    3
    Location:
    OK
    My neighbor came by this morning to estimate the removal of the woodgrain. He's figured three hours, so that is $300.00. I'm good with that. Now, I need to save a bit before doing that, because I intend to have the area where the woodgrain is, repainted to match the car, so it will be all blue. The trim will remain on the car. Then, this Spring, I'll have the wrap done on the car and it'll be right again.

    So, for now, I'm going to go ahead and finish removing the top layer of the lighter woodgrain and leave what is under that intact. Once I have enough in my pocket to soda blast the old woodgrain off and then get the car to the paint shop, then I'll finish that part of the job.

    All together, I figure the strip, paint, and wrap will run close to two grand. The car will look like new! It's got right at 90K miles on it, so I figure it has a good 100K miles left in it. With only 3,109 Mercury GM CP wagons built in the final year (1991), it is not something you see every day.

    Ideally, I want to limo tint the rear door glass, tailgate and cargo glass. Get new emblems, find a blue leather front seat that is in better condition than my current seat, plus a couple of other minor detail items.
     
    Last edited: Oct 16, 2012
  2. Zal

    Zal Zenior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 28, 2012
    Messages:
    324
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Wagon Garage:
    1
    Location:
    New Brunswick, Canada
    I'm looking forward to seeing the progress. This thread might be the kick in the pants that I need to start working on mine.
     
  3. 66mopar wagon

    66mopar wagon New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 13, 2012
    Messages:
    127
    Likes Received:
    7
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Wagon Garage:
    1
    Location:
    okanagan
    This will be happening on my wagon soon as I finish chemo in Dec. The stripping is a lot like wall paper removal and being a interior house painter tor 30 years I have many horror stories about wall paper. Ill go for the 300 bucks and watch someone else kill their hands. But I will be reading and maybe change my mind
     
  4. patrick80

    patrick80 Wagonista!

    Joined:
    Apr 8, 2008
    Messages:
    3,083
    Likes Received:
    93
    Trophy Points:
    157
    Wagon Garage:
    3
    Location:
    OK
    Got the rest of the second woodgrain applique off the car today. I can see why this car was recovered. Te original layer is in horrible shape! Lots of what looks to be sunburn - again, this originated in north central Florida. Soda-blasting is going to be the only way to get this off right.

    I pulled the side emblems off, too. I will likely see if these can be sourced from Ford new. Putting old emblems on a fresh car just doesn't look right. Gotta be a Ford dealer on the planet that has them. Right?

    I've very tempted to simply have the woodgrain stripped, then have that area repainted blue as the rest of the body. The soda-blasting won't harm the aluminum trim, so I'll have the old wg blasted off that, too, then paint the indented area black and add a gold painted pinstripe inside that area to accent the car. It really depends on the condition of the body under that woodgrain as to what the final plans end up being.
     
  5. patrick80

    patrick80 Wagonista!

    Joined:
    Apr 8, 2008
    Messages:
    3,083
    Likes Received:
    93
    Trophy Points:
    157
    Wagon Garage:
    3
    Location:
    OK
    Here is the breakout for redoing the woodgrain on the Colony Park:

    1) Sodablasting the existing decal off the car, which also involves removing the paint underneath...$300.00 (three hours labor)

    2a) Primering the affected areas, plus needed body repair on tailgate and RF door...$350.00

    2b) Above, plus sealing the primer...$850.00

    2c) Above, plus painting the affected area to matching the car...$1,750.00

    2d) Above, and remove all traces of the woodgrain, fill the trim holes and repaint the sides in the original color...$2,000

    3) Wrapping in woodgrain...$750.00 to $800.00

    1+2a+3= $1,400.00
    1+2b+3= $1,900.00
    1+2c+3= $2,850.00
    1+2d = $2,300.00

    This does NOT include the cost of new trim fasteners, as I assume not all would survive the remove/reinstall process. The second option sounds best to me, in order to restore the original appearance of the car.

    I have considered simply to remove the woodgrain AND the aluminum trim, fill the trim holes, repaint the car entirely in its original dark blue and go that route. He charges a buck per trim hole to fill with metal, so I figure that is a hundred bucks right there. The drawback to this route is that in the dark blue, the car might get confused as a funeral or coroner car.

    I've got the Winter to figure it out and go from that point.
     
    Last edited: Oct 26, 2012
  6. azblackhemi

    azblackhemi Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 16, 2008
    Messages:
    1,040
    Likes Received:
    178
    Trophy Points:
    177
    Location:
    Just West of Phoenix Arizona. In the Desert.
    Patrick, Are you sure that soda blasting will remove the vinyl? I asked my soda guy and he said he didn't think it would because it is soft and the soda would just bounce off. I haven't tried yet that's just what he told me.
     
  7. patrick80

    patrick80 Wagonista!

    Joined:
    Apr 8, 2008
    Messages:
    3,083
    Likes Received:
    93
    Trophy Points:
    157
    Wagon Garage:
    3
    Location:
    OK
    Older appliques like mine (20+ years old) are pretty hard and brittle, according to my blaster guy. He says the woodgrain should blast right off. Had it been a newer applique, the problem you mention would likely be a factor.

    We'll see what really happens when I get around to doing this. Gotta see what evil shiit tax time is going to bring first.
     
  8. patrick80

    patrick80 Wagonista!

    Joined:
    Apr 8, 2008
    Messages:
    3,083
    Likes Received:
    93
    Trophy Points:
    157
    Wagon Garage:
    3
    Location:
    OK
    I'm tossing around another alternative. Strip the existing woodgrain, paint the area dark brown, powder-coat all of the aluminum trim around it to a light oak color, then manually apply a woodgrain to the brown paint! Still going to be in the two grand range overall, but the woodgrain look should last a decade or longer, and the powder-coating of the aluminum trim would provide a unique look to a wagon that did not have that look to start with.
     
  9. the Rev

    the Rev senior junior Charter Member

    Joined:
    Aug 24, 2006
    Messages:
    9,321
    Likes Received:
    24
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Wagon Garage:
    3
    Location:
    BC,canada
    before i read the last post i had copied this one to say.....ya...sounds like cheesecloth and woodstain to me:rofl2::rofl2:

    ...and ....like i said:rofl2:
     
  10. patrick80

    patrick80 Wagonista!

    Joined:
    Apr 8, 2008
    Messages:
    3,083
    Likes Received:
    93
    Trophy Points:
    157
    Wagon Garage:
    3
    Location:
    OK
    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^


    ???????????????????????????????????
     
  11. the Rev

    the Rev senior junior Charter Member

    Joined:
    Aug 24, 2006
    Messages:
    9,321
    Likes Received:
    24
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Wagon Garage:
    3
    Location:
    BC,canada
    what????....did i stutter???:lolup:
     
  12. patrick80

    patrick80 Wagonista!

    Joined:
    Apr 8, 2008
    Messages:
    3,083
    Likes Received:
    93
    Trophy Points:
    157
    Wagon Garage:
    3
    Location:
    OK
    Yes, you did.

    What, exactly, was so "funny" about my post???? Sometimes, your humor is funny only to you.
     
  13. the Rev

    the Rev senior junior Charter Member

    Joined:
    Aug 24, 2006
    Messages:
    9,321
    Likes Received:
    24
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Wagon Garage:
    3
    Location:
    BC,canada
    :lolup:........ya...i know...:D
    I have a tendancy to write as if we actually did meet and do know each other;)

    anyhoo..I wasnt laughing at your post.....I was chucklin at the fact that you and I had the same idea...of just doin the old "kitchen cabinet" treatment to the beast (y)
     
    Last edited: Nov 5, 2012
  14. MichaelO

    MichaelO New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 21, 2012
    Messages:
    17
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Location:
    Southwestern Connecticut
    Just reading this thread and I'm pulling vinyl myself. Having been a bit involved with auto racing, I've been through some real vinyl removal nightmares, complete with bleeding fingernails and ruined paint.

    Well, I'm sure there are a bunch of effective techniques, I've got just one that I really like. Tools are scissors, a plastic scraper and a heat gun. My preferred scraper is an expired credit or debit card (sometimes you need something stiffer). As for a heat gun, that's a heat gun, not a hair dryer. The hair dryer is too much air for the heat, and though less heat seems easier to control, I get impatient and distracted, and I just go back and forth between too little and too much heat.

    The whole game is, there is a very narrow window of the right amount of heat. I grab a seat, set the scraper on my leg. One hand for the heat gun, and the other hand free. I work a pretty small area. Say, the area covered by spread hand and fingers, or twice that.

    Work the heat gun over the area with one hand, and keep checking the surface temp with the other. Very roughly, you are looking for it to be not too hot to touch, but uncomfortable to hold your hand on it for very long. The perfect temp is different every time; you need to find it.

    So, once it is good and warm, start working up an edge with the scraper. The edge of the vinyl is the worst, and it will keep cracking off. Once you are 3/4" in, you are usually into good material. If it's still cracking, you need more heat. Once you have a good edge up, like a 1/2" or so, put the scraper back on your lap and grab the edge with your fingers. Start pulling. Put the heat gun down, and feel the temperature of the surface as you go. Pull straight off the surface. Steer the bit you're tearing in the direction of the heat.

    Once you've got the feel for what works, you can work the heat gun ahead of the bit you are pulling in arcs, back and forth.

    You can only go so far before you end up working too big of an area and it will cool below the magic point. You can't go back and heat the bit near where you're pulling, while you pull. The same temperature that softens the material and glue, while on the surface, will melt holes and weaken it off the surface. So, once you hit that point of too cool, cut the excess off with scissors, and start the heat and feel approach again. With practice, you'll quit by feel, before you snap it off, so you don't have to restart the edge.

    When it's just right, it stretches slightly as it comes up. Pull straight off, or at a slightly acute angle. Be patient, don't bite off to much. If the whole sheet is coming, great. If it keeps breaking, it's going to keep breaking; go back to reasonable size pieces.

    If I figure out how, I'll video the process a bit.

    Good luck on what is often a frustrating process.
     
    Last edited: Dec 1, 2012
  15. patrick80

    patrick80 Wagonista!

    Joined:
    Apr 8, 2008
    Messages:
    3,083
    Likes Received:
    93
    Trophy Points:
    157
    Wagon Garage:
    3
    Location:
    OK
    Since the paint is crap on the left rear door and quarter panel, I have no qualms about simply soda-blasting all of the woodgrain off the car, repaint the stripped areas, and redoing the woodgrain.

    I've managed to get an even better deal on everything! A friend works at the local vo-tech. I'm having my neighbor do the soda-blasting, and having a powder-coater do the trim in an ash finish. The vo-tech will be doing the painting of the stripped areas, and then their graphic arts guys are going to do a woodgrain wrap, with the cost of that being the cost of the materials only. This will save at least half of my original cost!
     

Share This Page