media blast v acid strip

[fe hotrod]

Havent been on here for a while!!im building my windowless fc van and im wondering what is the best??media/sand verses acid dipping?? has any one had good/bad experiances.... cheeras jamie

[john253a]

my personal opinion is media blast, i like the plastic or walnut myself,
because it doesnt need to be wash,
but it has id down side, it cant get everywhere

[GMB-58FC]

I've just been comparing to do the samething myself and now after weighing up all options I'm going to strip the car myself as I go.

Will post more later on pros/cons of why when I have more time.

Cheers

Ben

[fcwrangler]

I've heard the chemical dip is a great thing for a complete clean out, but the down side is just that, it cleans out everything seam sealer and all.So if that is not a problem, it would be a good choice. But if you just want the body done and not all the nooks and cranies, then media blasting would be the way to go.
Regards Jim

[fink fc]

Too easy dude! a 20gal drum of industrial paint stripper,1/2doz scrapers,a 6mtr super cheap plastik tarp,2 wheelie bins,newspaper,gloves and the one thing that will get us ''motivated'' a fridge full of JDmmm
Just might be able to con Brett and Greyham to lend a hand,wodayarekon Jamie ? Gazza!

[john253a]

and then after you count the cost and the owed favors, it was probably cheaper to blast,

i was quoted 1500, for a complete car striped,

motivation only goes so far

[Not Happy Jan]

$1500 for the job is a good price!!!! I'd take it and stuff trying to do it yourself!
my motivation is pretty thin on the ground at the moment! Unlike the paint!
Nick

[Ed]

Prob just comes down to how much you want to spend..

I've used fink's method in the past.. works well and a lot cheaper than 2k.  Sure it's a little messy but IMO it's the easiest way to strip a car. 

While blasting is probably the ultimate finish, I think you can get good results with paint stripper and scotch brites.  Once it's neutralised with water, further prep with deoxidine will get rid of any surface rust... and a good quality etch over the top will seal it all up.

[GMB-58FC]

Starting my new project I looked into media blast, soda/sand blast, acid dip and other alternatives to prep the entire car ready for panel/body work.

I was originally contemplating soda blasting but after checking out the local operation I was never going to leave my car there.  Acid dip is expensive and pretty much non existent in my area, media blast is limited to reaching certain areas and the clean up from the sand did my head in on a previous project.

So for me I've decided to strip the car one panel at a time with paint stripper and or Josco strip it discs.  Sure it will take a little longer but it also gives me the option of only doing one panel at a time and not getting sidetracked.

[TTV6FC]

I've probably harped on about this plenty of times but here are my own thoughts.Soda blast does NOT remove rust.It removes almost everything else but won't touch rust.Other media blasting is good but may not be available in all locations.Dipping was really expensive and takes out all sealers which if you are planning on resealing is not a drama (just expensive).Paint stripper gets the paint off,and that's it.Sand blasting was my choice because it was relatively cheap ($700 for the whole shell and bonnet) but you must be carefull not to distort panels using too much pressure.The guy I used was very fussy and ended up doing a fantastic job with no distortion on panels.I ended up with a nice clean shell with dead rust and a good insight into what I had ahead of me.I then used paint stripper,citric acid and Deoxidine on the doors and boot which came up a treat.Everyone will have a preference and this is mine.Hope it helps.Cheers,Jamie.

[zl296]

what about bead blasting,gets rid of paint/rust.
not as harsh as garnet blasting.
and does not start to rust straight way.
good for panels....