I used a wheel that is black kinds of reminds me of corral that is working very well on my dash before I paint it. What is used for the larger areas doors, hood etc, the 1950 has a lot of curves to get around.

 

I like the flap discs on a small grinder, 80 grit for heavy buildup, 120 grit for one or two layers or to smooth out the 80 grit scratches. They're expensive at retail but last, if you buy them in quantity online they aren't bad compared to sanding discs. I use course 3M nylon surface prep discs after the flap wheel to take off any remaining paint residue and get into difficult to reach areas. Be a little careful with the flap discs or you'll grind right thru, if you see sparks you're grinding metal.

 

Can you share links to examples of what you're describing ? I am going to purchase a DA sander, I have a 4" angle grinder, a 1/2" drill and a pnuematic die grinder for a selection of tools to attache too.

 

go here: www.pioneerabrasives.com for the flap discs. They have great prices are great to work with (will assort grits to your specs in a 10 pack for example). Their flap discs also seem to hold up better than others I've tried that were double the price. I use 40 grit for grinding welds, 80 grit for heavy paint removal and 100 grit for finer work, and have yet to wear one out. The flap discs also run cooler because of their fanlike construction blows air onto the surface. I use them on my 4" angle grinder.
The 3M surfacing discs looks like plastic steelwool on a backing disc that fits a roloc type mandrel in 1"-4" diameter for your die grinder, it comes in 3 "grits" that are color coded, I use mostly the course (brown). Just be sure you get the right type roloc mandrel for the discs you get, there are 3 different attachment versions. The surfacing discs I have have a plastic screw on the back that screws into the mandrel. You can also find sanding and grinding discs that fit the same mandrels I've purchased most of mine off ebay search for "roloc" and surfacing disc. I find the 2" and 3" diameters most useful, try the 3" on a 2" mandrel if you need to get in tight or concaved places. You can also get unbacked sheets of the 3M material to use on a hand block like sandpaper.
Use the DA with abrasive paper to smooth down the scratches from grinding off paint with flap discs or for removing paint that isn't very thick and/or is on large smooth surfaces like door skins for example. Select specialty paper that is treated to not clog readily when sanding paint and try to avoid overheating the paper or panel. 80 grit is most useful for paint removal and sanding down body filler.

 

Thanks, I need to get off a combination of materials, paint rust etc.

 

The course surfacing discs make short work of surface rust, the flap discs do the same with scale and heavy rust. The DA will be good for feathering any paint you don't want to remove entirely.
OH YAH, safety note, wear eye protection when doing any grinding, preferably a full face shield, the best 20.00 you can spend! Just ask my brother, he has had 3 eye operations so far trying to restore reasonable vision after a wire brush wire punctured his eye.