Anybody know of a place in the San Antonio or surrounding area that can Acid Dip a car body? What about pricing, even if you don't know a place local to me but have info on pricing that would be appreciated. Thanks, BPD
When I looked into having my Merc dipped I found a place in Texas that was reasonably priced and came with good recommendations. It was going to be a bit expensive to ship the car from SoCal so I looked at other dipping businesses in LA and AZ. I have a buddy that does 100 point concours restorations for goldchainers...he cautioned against the dipping. His point was that it is very difficult to rinse all the acid solution out of the body seams and that he had seen quite a few restoration jobs ruined as the seams began to seap. Media blasting is the route I am taking.
Are you talking about actual acid dipping, or chemical paint stripping? There's a big difference. The acid uses, well, acid. Good chemical stripping/dipping uses a non-caustic solution, that dries into an inert powder. It won't eat plastic, rubber or even ink. The chemical strips the paint, and then they put the car in another tank and run a low-voltage electrical charge through it that breaks the bond between rust and the base metal--like de-chroming a bumper. When it's done, only the rust is gone and all the parent metal is still there--even if it's paper thin and full of more holes than a kitchen strainer. The paint stripping solution is water soluable and rinses away. The EPA likes it, and you can flush it down the sewers: but the heavy metals from oil/grease, and paint etc. make the remaining sludge in the bottom of the tank a HazMat. I don't remember the name of the solution though, dammit! Call up chemical strippers and find out what they use--some are tight lipped about it, like it's a trade secret or something. Explain what you're looking for and why, and they should tell you. Media blasting and sand blasting I don't like--you never, ever get that crap out of the car. And then it collects/holds moisture and starts rust again. -Brad
Charlie, is correct. i would look into blasting instead of dipping. the acid will stay between the seams. also any unproticve coating behind hinge pillars or hidden areas will start to rust fast. i would only acid dip parts that don't really have seams or frames but not bodys.
There is/was a billboard by Pick-n-pull a while back that advertised dipping. Don't know if it is still there or not.
I do not recomend acid dipping. A close friend had a '55 Coupe DeVille dipped and has not been able to keep paint on it since. Sand blasting is MUCH better. Just my 2 cents though.
I did a little digging and found the place that I was talking to in Texas... http://www.metalrehab.com They have just relocated to Arlington...I don't know much about Texas (other than it's big) so I'm not sure if this place is close enough for you. These places are dying out fast, most of the ones that were recommended to me had closed. The only others that I found were in IN, OH, MS, and AZ.
[ QUOTE ] Sand blasting is MUCH better. Just my 2 cents though. [/ QUOTE ] Uhhhh.. No... Media blasting preferebly not sand, sand generates alot of heat and can warp panels, it can also pit the metal. Baking Soda kicks ass. Walnut shells can be ok as well. I've been hearing really good things about a Dupont product called Blast Brite but haven't had a chance to use it yet.
I'd NEVER acid dip a car part! We are lucky here in Connecticut to have American Dry Stripping in Milford.
Buddy and I had a Porsche 914-6 acid-dipped in 1992. The car is still on the rotissairre oozing paint lifting crap from the seams. This is afer multiple washings and other experiments to flush the unibody seams!
[ QUOTE ] can I use soda with my regular blaster? where do I get mass volumes of the stuff? [/ QUOTE ] Shouldn't be a problem, you may just have to change the tip. You should be able to find someone under either media blasting or sand blasting supplies in the yellow pages. That's where I found it.
[ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] Sand blasting is MUCH better. Just my 2 cents though. [/ QUOTE ] Uhhhh.. No... Media blasting preferebly not sand, sand generates alot of heat and can warp panels, it can also pit the metal. Baking Soda kicks ass. Walnut shells can be ok as well. I've been hearing really good things about a Dupont product called Blast Brite but haven't had a chance to use it yet. [/ QUOTE ] I don't care if you use pixie dust to do it, JUST NOT ACID!!!! That was my point.
[ QUOTE ] I did a little digging and found the place that I was talking to in Texas... http://www.metalrehab.com They have just relocated to Arlington...I don't know much about Texas (other than it's big) so I'm not sure if this place is close enough for you. These places are dying out fast, most of the ones that were recommended to me had closed. The only others that I found were in IN, OH, MS, and AZ. [/ QUOTE ] Great website. I am going to check them out on tomorrow, I have always wanted to have my 59 dipped. It even looks like they seal the car after they strip it. See the pics of the impala. good enuf for the government is good enuf for me.
I contacted them a while back and it was cheaper to get it media blasted. Metal rehab makes you pay for disposal of the chemicals (like they use it once and throw it away), the dipping and labor and it adds up. That was a while ago maybe there better now.
[ QUOTE ] I don't care if you use pixie dust to do it, JUST NOT ACID!!!! That was my point. [/ QUOTE ] Dude I haven't used acid since the 80's
If removing rust without damaging the metal is the goal, you can use this at home. http://www.safestrustremover.com
Did that, just click on "all users posts" at the bottom of my Profile page. Was I supposed to post my intro somewhere else ????
Wow, I thought this post died. It only had 2 replies last time I looked at it. Thanks for all of the advice. I am still looking into both methods (dipping and blasting). I spoke to someone that garanteed he could blast (sand not media) the car without shrinking the metal or pitting. I just want a good clean starting point. Thanks
I called the guys on yesterday and got a price from them on my 50 el co. They say as big as the car is it would average about 100 bucks. That is would not bleed back thru once painted. Biodegrable stripper. Did also mention that price depends on the amount of rust on the car. 300 bucks for the frame, about 130 bucks for hood and fenders each if I did not dip the car. Small stuff like hinges and fender wells would not get charged if done with the whole car. He mentioned that they offer the service of spraying the car in DP90 once dipped. Says that DP90 is the strongest when sealing the metal, they will spray anywhere there is metal inside rockers everything, of course additional fee. Turn around time 2 weeks.
[ QUOTE ] I called the guys on yesterday and got a price from them on my 50 el co. They say as big as the car is it would average about 100 bucks. [/ QUOTE ] Only $100 for a whole body?
My brothers 38 chevy coupe was dipped at Redi-strip in Tampa(no longer there) about 25 years ago. We soaked it down with Ospho after we got it back and have never had ANY issues. Paint is showing its age but all the seams still look good and haven't had anything pop or grow underneath. Dipping worked fine on this one.
A buddy of mine had his 38 Chevy coupe body (no doors or trunk lid) and grille shell stripped by Metal Rehab about 5 years ago. It cost him around a $1000.00. It looks real good and killed more rust than you could get too with a sand blaster, but it didn't cut the rust in the seams and overlapped panels. In their favor, he had the car primered after that and never had any problems with it lifting or solvent seeping out of the seams.
When I was stripping my car I looked into both dipping and media blasting. I did not find a single person that recommended acid dipping. I have had two cars media blasted and both have worked very well. The little bits of media continue to make their way out of the nooks and crannies forever - but it leaves a great surface for body work and primer. I have had experience with plastic meda - but I'm going to try baking soda next time.
Talked to one of the guys at metal prep, and supposedly they have a proprietary techinique where the acid is neutralized and the metal is cleaned really well. They can also put some DP90 on it for me. Shouldn't be a problem, not too many seams in my T. Not sure how much yet.
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