Okay so I have a 33 BB P/U and want to start body work on it. Mostly straight mainly need to remove the old paint and surface rust where the old black paint was. Can someone(politely) give me some tips on this? Please dont say take it to a body shop- that wont happen. I have a compressor and a sand blaster already but I am more of a mechanic than a body worker, tho thats about to change obviously. I guess my biggest question is whats the best way to get rid of the light surface rust? I used baking soda in the blaster and it didnt really have an effect on it tho the baking soda worked well on the painted areas. What should I use to get the surface rust off? Then what should I think about priming it with to keep the rust from coming back? I was told that these older vehicles will keep the rust under the paint and slowly creep back to the top. I want to do this right. Thanks! You can see the truck in my album under my user name.
have a pro come out and blast it with soda the right way.it don't cost much and you won't even have to mask it off....
equipment,pressure..i don't know what you are using..but if you can go look at a pro setup ,you'll see the difference. small shop equipment can't handle the duty.
While it's very gentle i've always heard that soda won't remove rust. You need a more aggressive media and to be safe, a somewhat skilled operator too. I've seen cars destroyed with a sandblaster in inexperienced hands.
I don't think soda blasting works on rust,blast with fine or extra fine black beauty if you can still find it or patriot blast, try first 80-90 psi. angle nozzle at panels,don't linger in one spot to long,keep moving, then etching primer first,this was proven to me by a long time body man. Not epoxy primer,if it gets scratched or nicked rust will creep,not so with the etch primer.
120 grit alumin oxide in what? palm sander or disc sander? Remember I am new at body work. Keep sending me your thought folks I appreciate it!
I would definitely classify myself as inexperienced! What about hand/electric tools for the job any ideas?
Soda has no effect on rust. Garnet should work just fine, it's not as hazardous as sand, but it can warp if you use to much pressure and keep it in one spot too long.
Paint stripper'Wire wheel 'Metal prep and a real hot day.The old Fashioned way Wont warp panels.. Great on surface rust
I beg to differ. 50 lbs. air pressure. Sugar sand as a media in a pressure pot. Hit surface at 30-45 degrees to horizontal. Keep moving your stream of sand around as the heat can warp metal.
I would use garnet. You might try looking locally for an abrasive or surface prep supply house as buying from Harbor Fright is expensive. If you have a way to contain the grit (could be as simple as a plywood wall) do so. Garnet can be used over again many times. If you are using a small 40lb pressure pot, make sure you screen the used grit real good as even the smallest pebble will clog the tip. Gets very annoying trying to unclog the nozzle every minute. If your pot came with a ball valve type of nozzle, ditch it and go get you a dead man. If your compressor can't keep up, blast in short bursts so that you can get the most out of your pressure. Never blast straight on, always at an angle, and keep moving. The light surface rust will come off as easy as the paint did with the soda. The heavy rust and pitting will have to be gone over multiple times. Give those spots a few minutes in between to cool off. Rounded areas and body lines are a lot stronger than long flat areas, be careful. Also if your compressor is small and running non stop, keep your moisture in line under control. Fine grit and water will turn everything into portland cement. Try your best to leave the sand alone. If you have to use it because you absolutely can't find anything else, make sure your away from others (such as in a field). Make sure there is a slight breeze to carry the dust away and wear a respirator at all times. have a cold beer, and pat yourself on the back. On a truck that big with a pot that small, you will have deserved it!
I'm doing a 50 Pickup and a '55 Merc Wagon. Blasting all the parts. I have a cheapo blaster. Worked OK after replacing all the valves with garage sale US made valves. Panel Warpage only comes from heat. Move around a lot. Don't hit just one spot for any length of time. Check the panel with a bare hand..if its warm you are staying in one place too long. Several quick passes will get the job done WITHOUT any heat buildup. I use regular sand. There is a garvel pit near here that sells sand at $3.00/hundred pounds. It is good for about 3 passes. Then it loses its edge and doesn't cut well. Playgreound sand works ok also. You will have to sift it between passes. I made up a 2" x 36" rectangle of PCV tubing and wrapped it with screen. Makes the sifting go quickly. TAKE YOUR TIME!! Glenn
that truck looks pretty straight! you'll need a big compressor in order to blast and paint it... i used a 60 gallon triple-lung caison, and it wasn't enough, because you have to wait for it to charge back up all the time: http://ciasons.com/new_images/ss-c5060vwa_m.jpg ideally, what you want is a two-stage compressor with a big tank... you also need a plan for keeping the rust under control, i've had it come back in rock-pitted areas of the front end, that were sand blasted before painting. what worked well for me was phosphoric-based metal conditioners, but there were warnings on the bottle that it couldn't be used on sand-blasted metal surfaces... it was automotive stuff, ditzler i think, but you can get phosphoric acid(jasco) from home depot, for probably less money, but it won't leave a zinc phosphate coating after use... here are a couple of different types of phosphoric acid chemicals for auto use: http://www.tcpglobal.com/autobodydepot/rustremove.aspx the automotive paint technology has changed a lot since i did it in the '80's, my buddy was in oxnard last week for the bmw water-borne paint school, i think it was called?? anyway, don't just jump into this and start blasting away, think about a paint system, and watch out for things like using metal prep on top of sandblasted metal: http://www.bapspaint.com/docs/psheets/PPG/Automotive/Deltron/P-226.pdf
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