I just recently purchased a cab for my 54 that is what i consider an excellent 50 year old survivor and would like to have it either acid dipped or media bead blasted which i read was better, so my question is has anybody had either done and if so, how much money am i expected to pay.

your friend fever

 

I only know what I've read. Problem with acid dip is IF it doesn't all get neutralized it can cause the paint to blister as it wicks back out of cracks and crevices.

Some media blast is ok. Sand blast can warp metal. I think soda-blast is a better choice. Doesn't distort the metal, is enviromentally friendly and cost is comparable.

That's the best I can do for you.

 

I'll go on record as saying the chance of warping 50 year old sheetmetal with sand blasting is minimal. This is "real metal" not some sissy boy new car sheet metal. Keep the pressure under control and keep moving and you should be just fine. I blasted the firewall with a HF pressurized blaster a few years ago on my '55 and it went quite well. I'm going to have my cab either sand or soda blasted, depending on price and local availability. It will need cab corners, but the floors and everything else are very solid.

Ron

 

I priced media blasting my 55 cab, doors and hood.. $450-$500 if I deliver and pick up. 4-5 days time.. so another $75 in trailer rentals.

So far, I'll keep going myself..

This is Austin Texas.

Sam

 

Thanks guys for the help, i expected about 400 dollars for the blasting and having the cab acid dipped does drawl some concerns. I'm just tring to cover all the bases before i start, don't just want to jump into it if you know what i mean! mistakes can be very costly i think we can all agree on that.

 

I had a guy sandblast my truck with an industrial sandblaster. I would have been OK if he hadn't blasted the doors to much, leaving them warped and basically unusable. After that I had a guy acid dip my new doors, hood and front fenders. Like the guys said, you need to make sure the parts are neutralized after acid dipping but I would definitely go that route again. Either way will work, just make sure you get someone who knows what they're doing or be very careful if you do it yourself.

 

JDMICK, if you don't mind me asking what did you pay for the dipping?

 

If I remember correct it was around $400 for the doors, hood, front fenders and some misc. smaller parts. To do it correctly requires a multi step process using different chemicals. It was done by a guy in Grand Forks ND (I'm told it's illegal in MN) who has also done some high end show cars. What was left of his clothes was a good indicator of his occupation. The parts come out perfectly smooth looking like the came right out of the dies.

 

Thanks for the much appreciated info, by the way my dad had a 48 f-1 and it was red he called it the red baron! he owned it for 16 years, man i loved that truck, sad though, it passed on and so did he at the early age of 50.

Your friend 54 Fever

 

I had my 55 cab acid dipped in Ohio for $350. The price was from $300
to $400, depending on how much paint & rust they have to remove. They use different tanks & mixes for paint or rust. Heavy paint or rust also takes more tank time. The results were amazing. That price was just the bare cab shell, no doors, hood, fenders, etc.

I picked up the cab on a small trailer and drove right to a self-serve car wash with the high pressure spray hoses with hot soappy water and blasted every seam, nook & cranny and also did a high pressure hot clean rinse.

From the car wash I drove directly to the auto paint shop and had the epoxy primer shot on to prevent any rust. The cab has been primed for about 18 months now and I don't see any problems with seepage or blistering or rust.

 

i pulled mine out in the alley and sandblasted mine with a harbor frieght sandblaster worked great and saved money.

 

Hey Shawn - That Harbor Freight sandblaster sounds pretty good. What model is it?
I just paid $135 to get my hood blasted. I could pay for a cheapo blaster pretty fast at that rate.
BTW - your truck looks awsome! When will it be on the street?

 

hey thanks randy,should be driving by spring,only thing left is blocking and painting. i'm at work right now and dont get off until tomorrow, but but its not real big i think it holds about 80pounds of sand. they work great ,be sure to put a water filter and get plenty of tips but i have saved tons of money blasting everything myself.

 

Randy Jack

How much air compressor do you own? I use that blaster and am just getting by with an 80 gallon single stage 6HP that puts out a max of 130 PSI. It can;t keep up well at all. Not trying to discourage you. I love to blast.

 

i have a 6 horse that stays about 75-80 psi and works just fine.
yeah may be slower but it gets the job done