Polishing Ercoupe

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Lawson Laslo

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Jan 18, 2019
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we are looking at a ercoupe for sale, the paint is bad and we would want to strip the paint and polish it.
how hard would it be to strip the paint and then polish it?
what are the steps to doing this?
Any info helps
Thank you!
 
I have no experience here, but it seems like you might be taking a big chance. I would think that paint can hide a lot of ugly repair work that a polish won’t. Especially on a plane like an ercoupe.
 
Search the forum for polishing threads. I had a beautiful polished Cessna 140 and it's either something you love doing or something you'll hate. I think it limits the number of people who will buy your plane when you sell it. Not everyone wants to polish a plane.

As far as stripping it, it probably depends on how good the paint job was originally. I know two people who tried doing this and gave up. If the metal was etched when preparing to paint it, it's not worth trying. Also, you may find bondo under the paint. I was always told, if you want a polished plane, buy a polished plane and keep it that way. Don't try to start with a painted plane. That being said, if you do it, make a thread and keep us posted on your progress!
 
Lowflynjack said:
Search the forum for polishing threads. I had a beautiful polished Cessna 140 and it's either something you love doing or something you'll hate. I think it limits the number of people who will buy your plane when you sell it. Not everyone wants to polish a plane.

As far as stripping it, it probably depends on how good the paint job was originally. I know two people who tried doing this and gave up. If the metal was etched when preparing to paint it, it's not worth trying. Also, you may find bondo under the paint. I was always told, if you want a polished plane, buy a polished plane and keep it that way. Don't try to start with a painted plane. That being said, if you do it, make a thread and keep us posted on your progress!
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Ok is there anyway of telling I the metal was etched for the paint before stripping the paint?
 
Does the Ercoupe in question have metalized wings? If not, what color are they?
 
Lawson Laslo said:
Well we just went to look at it and it was in bad condition and it needed a overall and wasn’t worth it
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Sorry to hear that. Here's a shiny Cessna 140 in the Atlanta area. There are a number of us here in Atlanta, I'm sure one (or more) of us could go give it a look if you're far away. From the pictures it looks like it could use a little cosmetic work. This 120 is still available, and it looks like a good one.
 
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