2 rope edge chairs that have been painted over  

sand blasting may work, or ev...
sand blasting may work, or even a heavy chemical paint remover. I dont see any real reason why you would expose the rope edge and paint the rest.... Let me know if you are interested in selling the gray shell.

Both options
Will risk damaging the gel coat, but it's probably inevitable anyway. Even citrus-based paint remover will be a bear since the early shells have so much fiber texture.

my two cents:
The beauty of the early shells is not only the rope edge but also the translucency of the resin and visibility of the fibres. You should be extra careful with these to preserve originality.
Sanding is too risky, it might ruin the shell, painting it over is a no-go as well as it will cover up the whole beauty.
My suggestion would be to strip the paint of chemically, cautiously and with a sponge. Be sure not to leave the stripping agent on too long. When the paint is gone, a new coat must be applied. You could use penetrol as chairfag suggests or a clear finish.
Given the rarity and value of the shells you might consider giving it to a professional as well.
EDIT: oops, too slow I was... but basically we all seem to agree here

Are you interested in...
Are you interested in purchasing the grey shell in it's current condition or after I am done doing whatever I do to try and restore them.

Citrus strip did the job for...
Citrus strip did the job for me on two first generation, Zenith arm chairs. They were covered on both sides with paint. It took a lot of time, as both shells were basically in poor shape before they were painted. I probably spent 16 hours on the pair!
The chairs were rough before they were painted, and the paint was in the chair scratches. The stripper did not really seem to harm the gel coat, the gel coat was likely thinned and scratched before the chairs were initially painted. This was proved because the bottom side of the shells stripped nicer than the top side. I have even used citrus strip to remove latex paint from plaster walls in my home. It didn't harm the plaster.
I first loosened the paint bond with a good soaking of the orange citus stripper, and then removed as much paint as possible with a plastic scrapper.
Next add more stripper to remove all the paint that remains, using a bristle brush, or towel. It requires time to work the paint from the pores, using a towel and water. This did the trick fine, and the gel coat that was in good shape, stayed in good shape.
I was even able to save the checker label by loosening the paint over it, with stripper, and then wiping it with water at the point when the stripper was getting into the original label.
When everything was stripped, and neutralized, I had two chairs that were rough, and had color fading. Its unlikely you will have a mint chair underneath, as thats why the shells were painted in the first place. They are still worth more than painted ones, and no paint remained.
good luck

I would take the gray shell...
I would take the gray shell for a cheap price as is. I like projects. Please email me with pictures and a price if you are interested. (jbnickovich@gmail.com) I also have a couple shells maybe for trade. One is a Lemon Yellow Zenith Rope Edge.

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started the stripping
Well I tried the citrus strip on the back side of the tan chair and it took off a huge amount of paint I felt like and made a huge mess but the fiberglass was exposed in a few tony spots other then that the chair is still covered in paint. Should I just keep applying a layer letting it sit and then scrapping it? I just want to make sure the stripper won?t be ruining the fiberglass once I get down to it.

It may take several...
It may take several applications of stripper, depending on how many times its been painted. I don't think you will hurt the chair gel coat with citrus. I have heard that stripper has a need for temps above 70 degrees, to get maximum stripping action. I don't know for sure if this is true.

Also, just work a small area...
Also, just work a small area like 10 x 10 inches and then move on when complete.

PS....
still interested in the gray one.
contact me at jbnickovich@gmail.com

so far so good
Well the underside of my dark tan rope chair is close to done and I have also stripped some on the top. This is my 5th coating of the stripper. Which I have found works well and does not hurt the fiberglass. I am shocked to find that the chair appears to be in very good condition and might have been painted just to change the color and not because the chair was in bad condition. I have been taking pictures with each coat and scrape so that when I am done I can post the pictures. Thanks everyone that has put there 2 cents in.
I was up till 3 am last night scrapping away. Labor of love

Glad to hear...
That you are making progress. Look forward to seeing the photos.