In a message dated 96-09-26 21:18:38 EDT, JBlack2881@aol.com writes:
<< Has anybody used Redi-Strip ? Their ad in Hemmings sounds good. What
about their price? >>
I used Redi-Strip for my MGA in 1978. The car was completely dissassembled,
dipped the body and all associated parts, brackets, bits, wheels (not the
frame, suspension or drive train parts). Cost was $450, but I understand it
may have doubled since then.
I did most of the body work and rust repair before they did their thing.
They did a good job, soaked it in paint remover bath for a couple of days
first to remove all old paint and bondo, then electro etched it. It came
back all nice and shiny with lots of little pit marks where the rust used to
be (very easy to fill and sand), and with a water soluable coating to
preserve it for a short while. The coating will last a few months in
protected storage, washes right off when you're ready to paint it.
Be sure you tell them which parts are non-ferris. I was a bit ignorant at
the time, didn't know anything about the process, just told them to clean up
everything. When they were finished there was a 2" hole in the aluminum skin
of the bonnett and it was also very thin all around the hole. The zinc or
aluminum knurled heads on the windscreen wiper spindles were almost gone, new
wheel boxes are not cheap. Also gone was the brass flare nut on the wiper
drive tube where it attaches to the wiper motor. This bit has a strange
thread, was irreplacable, had to modify the fitting in the wiper gearbox to
fit a newer standard flare nut, and cut and re-flare the tube to install the
new nut. A few other miscellaneous brass and aluminum parts may also have
dissappeared in the process. If you tell them which parts are non-ferris,
they will be treated differently.
Collect all the loose pieces of sheet metal and brackets and put them on wire
loops for easy handling and batch processing, maybe 8 to 10 pounds per
bundle. Put all the nuts and bolts in a steel pail with a bail handle, not
more than half full, OK if the bucket has a few small holes in the bottom for
drainage, the fasteners can be cleaned up in the same batch. If the main
body is akward to handle, use lag screws to fasten on a couple of 2x4's, they
stay attached and go right into the bath with no effect. The price will be
more reasonable if you do everything at once. Extra trips with more parts
later only leads to multiple invoices.
Good process, happy to share the experience.
Barney Gaylord -- 1958 MGA
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