what is the best way to remove rust of this degree (besides elbow grease). I have heard that sand blasting can warp the metal on different parts of a vehicle, but then others say that is amazing and fast.

 

I've heard of it messing with the metal but not on anything that big of pieces. I sand blasted my hood which was similar in spots and had no problems with it. Wasn't as fast as what you see on over hauling though lol but maybe because I was using a smaller bucket and nozzle. I also looked in to dipping but only found one place by me and it was expensive.

 

So what kind of sand blaster did u get

 

I dont know what you are complaining about. It looks drivable to me...

 

Lol I'd drive her in a heart beat If she ran

 

If you plan on the DIY version , better do your home work . Try to find a local powder coat shop .They may media blast using black beauty ( coal dust ) it does not create heat during the process or may imbed itself in the metal .. Sand blasting is tricky on large panels , time consuming , mesy ,and hazardous to your health . Knowing this from yrs. of expierence I now take all large items to a powder coater who uses this system .The price is way cheaper than the DIY way and every piece comes out perfectly clean . All small items that fit in the sand blast cabinet are done in shop .Hope this helps . Later , Denny

 

I'm using accessories to my angle grinder like

Norton Rapid Strip 4 in. x 1 in. Extra-Coarse Non-Woven Disc - 01220 at The Home Depot

Norton 20X 4-1/2 in. x 5/8-11 in. 60-Grit Flap Disc - 03212 at The Home Depot


Wagner 4-1/2 in. Paint Eater Replacement Disc - 0513041 at The Home Depot

They work really well. Dont warp the steel and are cleaner on your lungs then sand blasting. Still wear a mask though for protection.

 

The big bennefit of farming out for mida blasting is saving a lot of time and mess. Those disks probably work well but if you are talking big pieces like a cab and doors I could see where that wouldn't be cost effective in comarrison to time. I've used those and they work well but they can be troublesome in tighter places or overlaped metal. I myself plan on taking everything to a blaster if and when I ever get to that point.

 

You better hope your blaster knows what he's doing. Blasting large panels with the amount of crown that the F100 panels have is just asking for trouble. If the blaster doesn't know what they are doing you'll end up with a rust free panel that is warped so bad it's not usable.

I'm just going to strip my panels with a combination of flap disc on an angle grinder and a DA sander. But if you aren't careful you damage the panels with those too.

 

So basically i would be safe getting the chassi, engine block and other parts blasted, but as for body parts elbow grease would be the best way.

 

You are very right about that fordman. I've been looking around down here to find someone who is auto/vintage experienced off and on for 2 years. I'm avoiding the guys who blast industrial equipment because I know that's asking for a warped project. Lucky for me I do my best research when I'm not ready to "jump in head first", meaning I'm still months away from sheet metal blasting. We have a lot of blasters here but I'm not letting them touch my hard work with out them having lots of verifiable experience dealing with vehicles.

 

You can have the body media blasted. But just do your research and make sure the person you have do it knows what they are doing.

And I personally don't like blasting engine blocks. If you are tearing down and rebuilding the engine have it hot tanked or baked. If the engine is staying together clean it up with elbow grease.

 

Second and third that on getting someone thats kows what they are doing.I send my doors out that where perfect just a little rust and old paint and they came back all warpped to you konw what.Now my doors are going to be filled with bondo just to get them flat again.

 

I have to agree with a lot of the comments above about the dangers of sandblasting. Just about every big sheet of metal I've blasted has deformed to some degree.

Have you considered dipping the body parts? I found this place online:

Metal Dipping MetalWorks Acid Dipping Paint and Rust Removal

Haven't used them, but their pictures look good and their prices are posted online.

 

The down side to dipping is the chemicals can seep out of the seams and ruin your paint down the road. That and if I had some of my panels dipped I wouldn't get much back!