A few people have asked what I am using to cut the spray paint from everything that was painted. This included the floors, frame rails, engine bay, and the front & rear suspension areas. First off, it looked like a lot of this was enamel spray paint, and I don't think the previous owner or mechanic who painted everything did a very good job of the prep as some of it came off rather easily, and there was no undercoating except for inside the wheel wells. The paint removal product I researched and decided to use was
Lloyd's Fight Back Graffiti remover. It's a biodegradable product that has claims of removing spray paint from multiple surfaces while not harming the original or underlying finish. I went by the application chart and directions on the side of the aerosol spray bomb and started with a small test area to ensure it did not hurt the original floor finish. Check!
Spraying in control bursts I applied the spray pattern to a small 12" x 12" area at a time and let it set up for 1 to 2 minutes. I then used a white (ultra-fine) and/or green (fine) Scotch Brite pad to work the area in either a directional or circular motion to move the spray paint around while it was being softened by the chemicals. I could see the chemicals softening the paint as I worked it and was careful to keep the work area wet where the chemical also became the lubricant for the pad. This also kept the strokes from being too aggressive. Just a light scuff with the pad was all that was needed to work through the softened spray paint while it was still wet. Getting the area wet and letting the product set up for 1-2 minutes was the key as it began to break down each layer of spray paint. It also served to soak and lubricate the Scotch Brite pad and this keeps the process from getting too aggressive or working beyond a single layer of paint at a time. Once it started to thicken or dry I would quickly rinse it down and wipe it off using clean cotton rags. The product calls for a water rinse to neutralize the chemicals. I tried that but it didn't serve well to remove the paint as it started to dry and it seemed to gum up and became tacky again. I switched to using brake clean from a commercial pump sprayer and this was far better at removing all contaminants in a simple swipe.
I would then hit it with one more rinse using brake clean which cleaned each area very nicely. As a safety precaution, I would often open the overhead and shop man doors to air out the shop of any fumes as they build quickly. Concerned with shop safety, I also wore a full face (dual cartridge) respirator mask and good rubber gloves. I also made sure the furnace was off and any source of spark was eliminated prior to using any of these products. It would be better using these chemicals outdoors or in a better environment, but being that it's winter up here and temps are kind of cold, I was working in a heated 3 bay garage that I use for my personal workshop. In any case, you can see from the results here that this product is excellent to soften up and remove any spray paints from the original surfaces and produces excellent results. Not everyone is comfortable with brake clean for rinsing things down, but I thought it was better than many other solvent-based products and worked effectively for this project. Here's the link to a technical datasheet for Lloyd's product.
https://www.lloydslaboratories.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Fight-Back-Graffiti-Remover.pdf
You can buy it in a spray bomb as seen above, or you can buy it in a bulk gallon container and dispense from a large pump-action spray bottle. Just be sure you wear gloves and eye protection. It claims to be a fairly safe chemical and is biodegradable but it states that the spray mist should not be inhaled. Again, I chose a mask to avoid breathing in any fumes or mist caused by the spray, and also wore a mask that integrates full eye protection. A must for working under the car and also while spraying brake cleaner. Better safe than sorry is what I like to practice. Here are a few pics that were taken while working around my shop. In the first shot, I am holding up two bottles of Lloyd's product while wearing a mask and gloves.
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