I have several methods some not so good.

Torch it off and risk setting something on fire.
Sandblast it and spend years getting sand out of everthing.

Eastwood does make some stuff that is supposed to remove undecoating but I have no experience with it.

Nasty job no matter how you do it.

 

Try using a Wire Cup Brush for your angle grinder like this one from HF: 2-1/2" Twisted Wire Cup Brush

Might get you a little further since it tucks up in tight places a little better than the wheel type.

Once you get the undercoating off and back down to metal, you can use a phosphoric acid based prep to convert remaining surface rust and etch the metal for a coating. You can use something like ZeroRust, POR15, Epoxy Primer, metal etch primer, etc., and then top coat with semi-gloss black. Some guys just respray it with new undercoat too.

 

Alright, thanks guys. Got some more sanding stuff and realize it's just going to be a lot...LOT...of work removing all this junk.

But onto the 2nd half of this question:

What's the best way to remove paint? I know aircraft stripper is great, but my car is in the garage, and can't roll out. I guess I could do of the body parts - like fenders, hood, and trunk - in the backyard with the stripper, but I don't know what to do about the paint on the rest of the body. Any suggestions??

Forgot to mention - for what it's worth, there appear to be 3 coats of paint: faded red on top, followed by green(ish), followed by the original Sahara Beige.

 

The last car I took down to bare metal had several previous paint jobs on it and I ended up using a razor blade to get the bulk of it off. I know it sounds like a pain but if it gets under the paint it flakes off pretty fast.

 

+1 on the razor blade and/or strap one of these on to your angle grinder and go to town:

4-1/2" Nylon Abrasive Wheel

(watch out around sheet metal edges)

 

I use a combination of grinder (with the wire cup and disc), heat gun, and chisel. I've actually found that a nice strong chisel works the best for me. I don't have to heat up the undercoating, and if I get in the groove I can do a relatively large section at a time. Since mine is a driver, I'm actually trying to preserve the original primer for later. I'm taking off all the undercoating and crud, sanding off the old layers of paint to the primer, and then prepping and painting with red oxide primer and then Eastwood Chassis Satin Black.

The part that almost made me quit - in between the gas tank and rear frame rail. No space to work, and very tedious.

 

you can use the stripper in the garage if you just go in sections. The paint scrapes right off. When I've used it, I always used the plastic putty knives to get the stuff off. Just make sure you wash the panel down with a bucket and plenty of old rags since you can't pull it out to use the hose. Then before you actually get up to the priming stage, actually give it a real wash outside. Also, Harbor Freight sells a tool they call a paint remover and it uses the wheels linked above. Its kind of a grinder thats setup in a position like a router. It works pretty good for 30 bucks. They're not great to cut through several layers or years of paint jobs. My car actually had at least 3 full paint jobs with all the primer etc in between. At 3 layers, yours might actually not be that bad. Anyhow if your not trying to remove 10 layers of crap, they do a great job once you've done the stripper to get the last remnants off in a hurry and you get a nice shiny metal surface that needs minimal prep (less risk of parent metal damage like with a regular grinder). This is mainly for the broader panels. But in places like inside a trunk, jams, etc, you will just need old fashoned elbow grease. The stripper works good all around. You just need patience with it. If you are in more of a hurry, use the wire wheels in the hard to reach places. I also have had good luck with the flap sand wheels on a 4 inch grinder for the tighter areas. Aside from sanding disks, wire wheels, and the nylon thing, I've also used media blast and many times, a combination of everything. If you're doing the whole car, you probably will have to as well. Good luck!

 

Thanks all, I will grab one of those nylon discs for the angle grinder.

I will work on setting up some good ventilation in the garage to possibly do the aircraft stripper on the big body panels (roof, quarters, etc.). Thanks for all the tips