At 10:54 AM 8/27/00 -0500, Jason Tilley wrote:
>With all the talk about welding body panels, I'm just trying to get a census
>on what other peoples procedures have been in the past in restoring cars.
>
>I'm wondering if it is better to
> a) get the body sandblasted
> or
> b) get the body chemically dipped
Jason,
This is really a personal preference, availability, and cost issue.
There are only a handfull of places that can dip the body, but a lot of
places that can sandblast it. Next the dipping is usually quite expensive.
I've also heard that while it gets into places that the sand doesn't,
you have problems killing the chemicals, getting paint into those areas,
and then keeping it on. The chemicals keep eating it away. Sandblasting
also leaves sand in a lot of places. You can't seem to ever get it all
out. Another problem, is that if the blaster isn't very carefull, he can
warp the panels.
IMHO I'd sanding the body, and sandblast in very localized areas. And I'd
probably do it myself. On big, heavy parts, like the chassis, I send them
out to sandblasters. They can't do any harm, you get back a nice clean
piece to work on, and you can see the problem areas.
>Also should the areas to be replaced (rusted floors) first, or should it be
>done after the sandblast / chemical dip?
I usually do that after I've sandblasted/stripped the paint. No you can
really see what you have. Initially you might only see a few small pin
holes. But after blasting, realize that it is a very large area that
needs to be cut out.
>and one last question -is it worth
>while having the frame and certain other parts Powder coated?
Hear again it is a cost issue. To have a chassis Powder coated isn't
cheap. You can purchase a quart of POR-15 for about $40 and do most of a
chassis. Power coating will run several hunderd dollars (I think).
Once you have PORed the chassis, you can top coat it with any color you
want.
Hope this helps
John
John T. Blair WA4OHZ email: jblair@exis.net
Va. Beach, Va Phone: (757) 495-8229
48 TR1800 48 #4 Midget 65 Morgan 4/4 Series V
75 Bricklin SV1 77 Spitfire 71 Saab Sonett III
Morgan: www.team.net/www/morgan
Bricklin: www.bricklin.org
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