mlitz

so i have seen a few discussions here and there about dipping your car and media blasting it. i know most of the pros and cons. but what did you guys do did you like it or did you hate it?

boeing747arowair

i prefer media blasting; feels like i get a cleaner surface for some reason. ive never had a problem with it except for particles flying all over the place

LCC

Blasting. Dipping will thin the metal and seems to never dry.

68SCode4speed

Dipping gets to places that you won't be able to put paint back onto...
At least with media blasting you still have paint (albiet the wrong color - but no one will ever lay eyes on it) to cover bare metal and keep it from rusting.

THUMPIN455

Unless its so rusted that you want to get the rust out of the places youcant reach with a blaster.. Ask how I know..lol.

Both have advantages, dipping will clean every last spec of anything off the car and it wont warp the metal although it can thin it as mentioned above.

Blasting is only where you can actually see and get the nozzle into, soda is the safest but it takes a long time to get hard core rust out with the light abrasives. it alsy takes a large amount of space and work if you are doing it yourself. Of course you cant dip your car yourself, so that is a plus to some, and not to others.

The 65 GTO will get dipped, simply because it is so rusty everywhere its the only way I know its gone. Also it has been bondoed in a few places and I have enough bondo dust in my environment already.

The Cougar and Mustang, and many others that will go through the shop, are getting blasted, an upgrade to something other than sand would be a nice change.

mlitz

OK thanks guys i guess i will be going to get it media blasted. dose any one know how much it cost for some else else to do it?

THUMPIN455

Usually it depends on the size of the vehicle and how disassembled it is. Dipping it needs to have EVERYTHING removed that you want to keep or can get off it.

Figure $800-$1200 for media blasting a complete Mustang body that is down to the bare shell. You could probably leave the suspension on it, but the interior, glass, engine, trans, and the electrical system should all be pulled out. It would cost you that much for he tools to do it yourself too.. ask how I know..lol...

hess

Typically, blast it before or after welding?

I will have a lot of work to do with floorboards and rear quarter areas, but I suspect I'll uncover more once i blast.
If I blast first, I worry about additional rust to the bare metal while I'm busy with welding projects...

Not a body guy, sorry, this is the first time I'm trying to do 100% of the restoration myself...

Thanks all,
John

THUMPIN455

Depends on whre you live, and how much condensation you get where the car is. The 71 has been bare metal since last year, the Cougar has been since October, not a spot of rust has appeared. If you have high humidity then you will have to do it in sections. Blast an area, fix the rust, then paint it.

I guess I am lucky since the cars only rust if you drive them here..lol.