Tin car scale

[GentleForge]

Hi everyone,

I’ve got a question for you. I’ve picked up a tin car model free of charge. I know I can do something beautiful with it, but I could use some help with the things that are bothering me. 
 

First of all, the material is very thin. I want to cut out the doors, hood and trunk to make the moveable. However, how can I make sure that the material stays strong enough. Should I use resin on the inside to add some weight and structure to it?

Secondly, I want to strip the paint off. What is the best way to do this without damaging the surface.