FE-FC Holden Discussion Forum

Do many restorers of these types of cars use sandblasting?  I was thinking that it may be the quickest and easiest way to strip the body, subframe etc right back to expose any rust or filler.  I read the article by streatneat on his custom FC and he mentioned that it can do a lot of damage to panels (by the way great car Mr streatneat !).  

If it is a good thing is it better to drag it into a shop or hire a portable sandblaster and do it yourself?

any advice?

Nige

I am having 'Hilda" sandblasted, but after reading Streets posts I have instructed the dude to only do one side of a panel.

I think that is safe and it sure is quicker.
Ya need to find a good blaster. Its like all tradesman, there's good n bad.

The good ones will take the time, use the right products, and produce a good finish with no damage.

Whaddyathink Street. Ur da expoit.

Matt F

Emu, I would avoid sandblasting at all costs on any panel for outside of the car. I prefer and get done beadblasting. the reason is it leaves the metal nice and smooth and "SHINY" like new metal, this is then easier to prepare for painting. Of course if you have any bad areas then you will have to sand blast

Beware though not all sandblasters are artists of there craft and have been known to destroy some things, so get recommendations before you entrust "HILDA" to someone.


ChrisB  8)

The guys I use for my blasting use recycled glass grit. It's not as sharp as when it is new, and therefore does not roughen the metal.

They won't do large flat panels, due to the risk of distortion, however large flat panels are few and far between on an FC!

To date, subframes, sills and floors have been fine, as have guards and bonnets.

However, when it comes to the roof and quarters, I'll get the paint stripper, the rubber gloves, and the nearby bucket of water for the inevitable burns.

For wht it is worth, I've also had panels dipped in the past, however the amount of work required afterwards to get the lanolin preservative off them to get them ready for painting wasn't worth it.

Regards

Edward

I have posted the pics of the results of Hilda's sandblasting in the "Real Cars" section under "Hilda's Extreme Makover"

Here's one pic to whet the appetite.

Emu
(http://photo.starblvd.net/Emu_FC/2-4-4-1084960964?m=1&pg=1&ro=3&co=3&pw=*315B4080F804)

Looking good Emu. :)

Regards
Sarge

Hi guys,
Are you talking about "what's easiest" or "what gives the best results"?

Sandblasting/beadblasting etc can be relatively quick & easy, but I believe you get get the best results by using paint stripper. This also ensures that the zinc phosphate coating applied at the factory when new, is not removed.

Cheers,


Graham.

Hi gp,
Can you tell me what brand of paint stripper you use? ;)
I have tried most brands of stripper on  FE and FC with original paint with no real success. :'(
Regards ACE 8)

Doesn't matter what brand is used, but you might find that the original paint is VERY thick in some places, and you'll need to go over the same area 2, 3, or even 4 times until you get successful results. When you're finished, wipe over the panels with a rag soaked in thinners, and the metal should come up like new.
Like I said, stripping is not the quickest or easiest method, but I believe it gives the best result.

Like any job, the more effort that's put in, the better the end result.

Cheers,

Graham.
:)

I think a lot of FE-FC owners have opted for beadblasting  because the modern paint stripper on nitro-celluose lacquer cars is unsuccessfull.I've used paint stripper on cars painted in Acrylic and its worked great. ;)
Has anyone else had problems stripping the original paint and primer off their FE-FC with paint stripper?   :'(
ACE 8)

The reason I was opting for sandblasting is so that the tons of bodyfiller there is in the rocket will be removed to reveal any little suprises.  Will paint stripper kill bog as well?

I phoned around and the cheapest quote I could get was $500 is this about right?


Nige

Not sure if the stripper removes bog, as my FC still had the original paint (i.e. nitro cellulose lacquer).
If the sandblasting is used to remove bog, wouldn't you run the risk of panel damage?? :o

Regards,

Graham.

Paint stripper will destroy body filler, but not necessarily remove it. It soaks in and softens the filler, rendering it unsuitable for refinishing.

Blasting gives you the option of removing the filler, or leaving it if the repaired area is sound.

Once again, operator skill will be the determining factor in potential panel damage in any blasting operation.

I've had similar experiences to others with regards to the removal of factory finishes, ie difficult to remove with paint stripper. It works very well with acrylic laquer refinish coats, but poorly with the factory coats.

Perserverance, steel wool, thinners and an angle grinder with a wire brush are the only succesful elements I have found to complete the paint stripping job properly.

Sorry I'm late to this discussion... :-[
The  preferred method for body preparation is by far sandblasting . Most professional shops use this method  as its cost effective and sure to remove rust,paint and leave the surface ready for priming. I use and reccomend epoxy primers such as PPG DP40  for panel prep after blasting . This seals the steel up nicely and is an excellent bonding agent for body fillers .
To dispell any myths about sand blasting  I will try and explain what happens when its undertaken:
The process is akin to shot peening  or stress releiving the steel. Not a good thing under bonnets as only some of the panel is exposed  in between the bracing  thus causing warpage due to only some of the area being stress relieved. Its ok in the hands of an experienced operator  to do the insides of other areas of the car but be wary if you have already done heatshrinking of welding repairs in large unsuported areas.. hence the damage done to my FC Coupe... I was able to re -repair these areas and learned about the stress relief factor....
Some prefer using different medias which is softer on the steel but its a personal choice issue. My operators use Garnite which gives a nice smooth finish when he runs back over the car with some worn down garnite . Shop around for the best sandblasters and go with what others have had done . Chemical or even paint stripping has the hazards of chemicals leaching back from under joins or leaded areas . I am not a fan of paint stripping but I do sometimes use this for large flat areas such as bonnets. The beauty of blasting in my opinoin  is its quick and effective.  Paint stipper wont remove rust  nor prepare the surface for priming.  Its a bugger to get out of the nooks and crannys. I still go over these areas with a small hand held blaster to make sure I have got the stripper out of the seams on the occasions I do paint strip smaller parts or individual panels.
Hope all this info helps ...cheers streetneat

This is a little I can offer on the topic. I agree with streetneat . Humidity & time of day are very important! We start mid morning & finish mid-afternoon.It is important to air-blow & prime ASAP.-- use a 2 pac red etch. As each panel is blasted, clean & paint while the blaster continues. [costs more,but the metal is sealed for a longer time as panel repairs are made ] paint strip large flat panels to avoid heat distortion. Blasting does not remove body filler. Do this b4 blasting.                       We use ilmenite [black fines]   my ute had 3 trips to the blaster! [1] initially,just to see what we were up against  [2] after unplugging the rails [3] after all die-grinding & angle grinding were finished.  as Streetneat says go 4 blasting (a good operator will not stretch metal) & in any case you want the job to last! CHEERS old-blu

Howdy there.

I work with sandblasters and have blasted a couple of HR shells myself(one which im selling if there is anyone interested), and i would not do the job yourself unless you knew what you were doing.

I used garnett, as ilmenite is a very fine abrasive, you tend to stay in the one area too long to remove the paint. This however creates too much heat, wich then distorts the panells.

Also you have to blast on a sharp angle, nearly blasting parallel to the panells, (not pointing the nozzel directly onto the panell).This will generate the least amount of heat. Be quick, dont muck around in the one area for too long, and keep at least a good 800 to 900 mm from the area you are blasting. Turn the pressure down a bit on the hopper too.

Still i think that blasting is by far the quickest and easiest method of taking it back to bear metal.

The result is so clean, and a perfect surface to start from. Someone mentioned earlier that it is good to have a smooth surface, it is not always better to have it as smooth as posible.

Blasting gives the metal a profile(minute little divits and spikes), but this is a good thing, as the paint does need something to stick to, and if it is too smooth the paint will not stick. A couple coats of primer, sanding back in between coats, fills this profile, but still has a good hold on the metal.

Hope this helps you in deciding which way to go. Any further information needed, just let me know.

cheers.

Blown red     :)

g,day to all,i have recently paint stripped my fe sub frame as i to had the problem's that go with this method.until i tried using a wire wheel on a drill instead of a scraper,boy did it make the job faster.and it ripped everything off bare took me hour and half to do the whole sub frame inner and outter guard's.only tip i got is to make sure protective  equipment on your body,and to keep the wheel spinning away from you at all time's. then 1200 wet sand papper light rub down hose off then wipe down with thinner's then etch prime and so on.P.S. messy but very very very cheap,fast,and effective if you want bare metal.P.S.S. that's my thought for the day.COL58FE. ;)

G'day Col,

You are spot on there!  I decided sandblasting was too expensive and did the same thing.  Paint came off a treat and apart from the mess it was easy and cost me 18 bucks for a couple of different shaped wire wheels.

good darts  ;D

Nige

gday
i had my ute sandblasted by a old guy i was put on to. he picked my car up sandblasted it inside out and underneath undercoated it 4 me, did a top job ,no warped panels.5 years ago he charged me 250.00 dallars.also i know of a place that can dip the whole car 4 you in acid.it is a good process but u have to seal the metal b4 it goes of and starts to rust again
cheers
mad ozi hunter

Hi Guys,
I am probably gonna throw a cat amongst the pidgeons here but looking at doing smilar with my project starting soon and was wondering about stripping, have heard about emersion paint removal where the car is submersed in a tank of stripper and then sealed? has anyone done this and what were the results? is it safer (for distortion) than blasting, also I have heard of Powder blasting any info would br greatly appreciated!
Thanks
Matt
??? ??? ???

gday
redistrip
at blacktown
m_o_h