Technical Starting Bodywork on my 1969 500L

[Luke W]

Hi All,I have a 1969 Fiat 500L that I purchased about a year ago and am planning on starting a body restoration on it.
It has a fair amount of rust in what seems to be the typical areas, door sills, fenders, around the rear window ect and probably lots of other areas that I haven't uncovered yet.*Also, it was also apparently*side swiped at some point and poorly repaired with bondo, so all the panels and door*on the drivers side will need*to be replaced.
Both doors and door sills look pretty rusted out too.
I am new to car*restoration, however I worked as a*metal fabricator*and owned and worked on Moto Guzzi's and other bikes in*the*past. So I am*not too afraid to take on this project.
I have a couple of questions and was looking on some advice before I start*taking*it apart. I am planning on doing most of the bodywork myself and then having it finished and painted by the pros.*

1. I am wondering what is the best way to strip the paint and figure out the*extent of the rust. Should I strip the car to the body shell and have it sand blasted, is it possible or advisable to keep the wheels on and have it sandblasted for ease of mobility.*
2. Or should I strip the paint with sanders and chemical strippers, and keep the wheels on until I can see the extent of the rust. I realize this will be a lot more labor intensive on my end.

Thanks in advance for any advice,Luke

 

[Franko500]

That all depends on how bad it is and how far you want to go.
Generally if you can see rust then there will be twice as much when you remove the paint.
These cars usually turn into a full restoration so I would strip the car to a bare shell. Scrape any heavy sealer or stone chip coating and then get it blasted. Either glass bead or soda blast.
Then you will see what you have left.

 

[Luke W]

Thanks for the advice, I figured it would make sense to strip it to the shell.
Luke