I'm picking my '32 roadster body up tomorrow from the guy who was metal finishing, he also modified the cowl to resemble more of a '36 cowl and finished it in lead. The body has always been bare metal and now has flash rusting all over, especially under the cowl area and in all the nooks and crannies. Now my question is whether to soda blast the body or get it chemically dipped, both of which I have close to home here in Cincinnati. Neither should affect the lead work, but I know after soda blasting the body will need to be neutralized. Which would be the best method in this situation? The body needs to be done inside and outside so I'm leaning more towards dipping it. Any advice is appreciated.
Soda wont take any rust off. Even thin layers of surface rust. I would blast it with a fine abrasive, or sand it off with a DA. I wouldnt consider dipping it, but only because Ive never done it. ROB
I have read, of paint issues w/any remaining crevice hidden dip chemicals. Just a precaution, it may be worked out fine.
Dont dip it!!,,you never get it out of the seams,i finished a restoration on a 66 griffith 600 that was dipped,when it was primmed the acid still worked its way out,, sorry forgot about the caps,,,if its surface rust try ppg's metal prep and a red scuffy, da with 80 the flat surfaces first...
Blasting or dipping both seem a bit overkill and expensive on new metal that has lightly surface rusted. How about cleaning it up with scotchbrite pads and metal prep? Dipping would probably be the easiest way to clean it up, without taking chances of warping the metal or damaging the lead, but when its done with the dip you will still have to clean it and metal prep it before it can be sprayed.
Gl*** bead blast. There is a place close to me and I get to see a lot of cars after gl*** beading. Very nice and no warpage.
Don't dip it, you'll hate yourself when the paint starts to bubble at the seams 2 years later while out in the hot sun at a car show. I would use silica sand and a small pressure pot type blaster. Cover the leaded areas though and yes there will be a mess to clean up when done but you can contain most of it with tarps hung up. Also make sure to blow the seams out a good 3 or 4 times and in between slap the body with your hand to loosen up any stuck areas. Works like a charm for me for many years.
There was a Brookville body on ebay several years ago that was about toast...left outside and eat up with rust.
Do not chemically strip it, soda does not remove rust, and gl*** bead leaves behind tiny streaks of plastic. Aluminum oxide is a good choice. We use aluminum oxide because it doesn't build heat that will warp the body, it removes everything paint, rust, undercoating, etc. Then I would have a phosphate wash done to it to clean all the blasting dust fines out of it, seal the metal, and prepare it for paint, powder coat etc
It is my understanding that isn't "heat" buildup that warps the metal, but that it is "stretched" from the impact of the media, especially when it is a hard media (i.e. sand) coupled with too much (air) pressure. Perhaps that does generate heat, but the stretch is what does the damage. Ray
A knowledgeable and skilled Sandblaster can do a great job with out any warpage. but they better show you proof they know WTF they are doing, its all about the media they use, and the pressures its delivered at, and if they stall too long in one area , thats where the problems come in. I know of a very skilled SB'er..and he has blasted cars costing over 300,000 $ just for the body..like one was a gull wing Mercedes..i saw it..flawless it can be done, just dont take it to an amiture..if he cant show you his work and his history, dont bother, people drag **** to him from all over the place..big $ projects and ford restore guys etc.. the guy is local to the SE Michigan area and has been doing this for over 30 years or more..he aint no beginner.. the stuff I cant do because of size or skill level, I take to him
It is a little tricky to learn how to blast body panels, and if one's not careful you can destroy a body. We do a ton of early Jaguar body's and parts for a local restorer (all are 18 and 20 ga aluminum) and don't have any complaints of warpage, or mis shaping of the panel. Find someone who knows what they are doing like Von Rigg Fink says, you'll be happier with the end results if you do a little foot werk on the front end.
You must be talkin about Lebeau's on Dixie Highway in Newport. Bout a mile down the road from our shop. I know a bunch of old timers that say he is the only guy to trust with a car body. We've had stuff done there. He is very good.
I have a good friend that owns a soda blasting business. He uses a "very fine gl*** bead" to blast surface rust and it comes out FANTASTIC. I'd look into that method. Soda will not remove rust. You're local soda blaster should be set up and equipped to take care of it for you. Definately do NOT chemical (bath) strip the body. As mentioned above, the chemicals get trapped in crevaces etc... and can come back to bite you in the *** !!! Good luck with your project.
Use a black #3M abrasive pad, 7" with velcro backed arbor. on the surface. A good primer/paint system will take care of it. It is a new body, you are overreacting.
Without seeing it..or being where i can get my hands on it..i kinda agree with Tman...how bad can it be?
If you put chemicals on any type of lead work you will get a chemical reaction between the lead and the chemicals that is going to cause a lot of problems. You will have a very difficult time neutralizing the chemicals in relation to the lead, those areas will be problematic later.
Rust Cure and a red scotch brite pad, Done. I am constantly amazed at how good Rust Cure works, and it keeps it from flashing later.
It looks like you are about a two hours or so drive from Streetwerkz shop. Or check one of the other shops that specialize in blasting bodies. Clean bare body, light surface rust an no paint or crud shouldn't take long to get done and be on the way home with a body ready to prep and prime. Stay away from those local sandblasters that usually do truck trailers and equipment as their guys often don't have a lot of finesse with a blasting gun and do a lot more damage than good. Or as suggest before spend a couple of days with the scotch brite pads and metal prep, that will do the job but gets pretty tedious.
Unless it is really heavy rust, I would use Metal Prep and a scotch brite red pad. Works awesome, have done it many times on "Flash" rust on newer metal.
I've had quite a few Brookvilles that got surface rust. A little metal prep with a scotch pad followed by a DA with some fine paper followed by a light shot Gibbs rubbed on with a rag makes for a body that will look like new and stay rustfree for a long time. Also I've not had any trouble painting a body coated with Gibbs if you give it a good wash with wax and grease remover.
See B***' thread about him cleaning his car after Bonneville. I don't think you should waste your money on soda or dipping.
Thanks for the replies guys. I've had the body for about a year and a half actually, it's not brand new off the shelf. I've always had it covered up though and would use a red scuff pad whenever any surface rust popped up, it's been at the metal finishers for a few months now. It's not like holy **** rust, but more like just the powdery type rust on the outer panels, but there is some heavier stuff under the cowl and in the jambs, I'm not too happy about it. At our shop we do have a phosphate bath that I can p*** the body through though if that helps any after any of the processes. I'll get some pics up today.
Don't go with the soda!!! I had a body blasted in the Ionia,Mi area and it was a terrible outcome. Had to have it blasted again with aluminum oxide....now that turned out great!.
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