I am thinking of taking my 51 F-I cab and doors to media blast before repairing the rusted floors. After talking to the guy that does the media blasting, I got to thinking – which method is best – media blasting to remove all the paint inside and out or taking my time and sanding things down by hand.

So, here are my questions to you all who are more experienced in this than I am:
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Should I have the truck media blasted down to bare metal prior to making rust repairs?
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Or
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Should I do it the old fashioned way ?– hand sand with air or electric powered sanders?
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The Media Blaster says he will remove all the paint down to the factory finish on the bare metal for $89 per hour (3-4 hours). The Plastic media will not remove the rust.
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He says it won’t etch the metal or remove the coating the factory puts on the sheet metal.

Once the media blast is done, I can take the cab home and repair the rust (complete floor replacement at a min). Once the rust repairs are done, he wants the cab back to abrasive blast the cab. He says it will remove any misc. rust and etch the metal for epoxy primer.<O</O
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So this is a two step process that costs around $700.
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I am thinking that after the first media blast, I can repair the rust, finish the body work, clean everything up, and primer the metal myself saving around $350.
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I am somewhat concerned that if I have all the paint blasted off, I might not be able to adequately cover the metal (in the hard to reach areas) with primer and paint.
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If I hand sand the cab, then my cost will be my time and any materials I may need.
(Much cheaper, but more time consuming).
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Any ideas?
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Share your experiences or opinions please.
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I would like to hear your pros and cons.
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Thanks
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Dan

 

Dan -

The 2-step process that guy is talking about doesn't make sense to me. I have done both media blast and hand sand. The media blast is far superior, both for paint and rust removal as well as paint prep.

Ask him to abrasive media blast (forget the plastic), then epoxy coat everything. The epoxy will prevent further rusting, you can take all the time you need to do your repairs, and you can do bodywork (filler) right over it. For the rust patch repairs, just grind away the epoxy immediately around the cut hole, weld in your patch, then prime the whole patch area.

This process is how the pro's do it, so it should be good enough for us amateurs. This method will lower the total cost substantially and save tons of time also.

 

Just depends on how long you want it to take to get the truck done. Also take into mind how much time your gonna have to work on it. If all you get to work on it is 1 weekend a month you might consider the more expensive time saving route to get the project done faster. Me personally I would have it blasted by a pro because I don't trust myself to hand sand it and do a good job. I have seen the work of blasting on a 50's model chevy pickup at a local blasting shop and it looked really good. all the nuk's and cranies were cleaned. Oh that is something to think about too, hand sanding the places where finger tips dont fit.

 

You can get by with getting it sandbalsted. I had a frame blasted and a bunch of other parts including the fan shroud. which is very very thin steel it had no warping to it at all. I think it depends more on the experience of the person sandblasting. Also for thin metal they should not blast at a 90 degree angle they should keep it at a 45 or less to prevent it from heating up and warping.

 

From what I've seen over the years with builds most people go the blasting route... I couldn't afford it when I did my car (and I doubt I will with my truck, lol) so I used an angle grinder and wire brush (be damn sure to have several layers of protection, espcially your eyes! Glasses, googles AND a face shield... or use the plastic wire ones). Also air-craft stripper will take that paint off pretty quick, but it does make a little bit of a mess.

 

Just had a hood , 2 front fenders , 2 running boards & lower gravel pan media blasted .He used black beauty which is coal dust . It does not warp sheet metal like sand will . Make sure you have all your epoxy primer material ready with ample time to do it . Also handle any bare metal piece with gloves .

 

Yeh-what he said!!^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Especially make sure you have a face shield.

 

It's amazing what appears after sandblasting. You will have more holes than you might have thought, which is good. Use SPI epoxy primer then start your rust repair, then reprime and move on with filler, primer paint etc...

 

never heard of the 2 step method. have it done like randy jack said. sand blasting can warp metal if not done right. i did mine with chemicals, wire wheels and sanding. always worried if i got all the chemicals flushed off. buy the time i finished buying everything almost cost the same

 

I would and have gone the blasting route. You won't actually save any money by sanding by hand. Don't concider your time as free. You won't once you've spent 40 hours working and find you haven't accomplished much. Also, look on the ground and in the trash can to see all of the sanding discs and paper you've used, at 10-20 cents apiece it adds up real quick. Also, don't think you're going to save any by blasting the big items yourself. You have to consider set up time, actual blasting time and all of the clean up time. Unless you live out in the middle of nowhere where the mess doesn't matter, you be cleaning up grit for weeks. I worked for a truck body shop and did my share of blasting, it's a job I would never do again. I have a 6'X6' metal cube I use as a blast cabinet for small items but all of the big stuff I take to a pro. You have to shop around, prices vary. Also, find some one who knows how to blast sheet metal. Many blasters work on heavy equipment or other heavy fixtures and have no clue the care it takes to blast thin sheet metal. Find a place that will also spray on a good coat of epoxy primer. As mentioned earlier, the epoxy will allow you time to work on the truck. Metal will start to rust as soon as it's exposed to the air. The more humid the faster it's going to rust.

I am going to have my newest project blasted. The car is rough and want the blaster to blast everything that is rotted away. I want to see what needs repairing and replacing.

Good luck with your project.

 

Ditto's on the above,..low pressure sand/black beauty blast..then wipe it clean right away and epoxy primer. You can now inspect and plan repairs on your schedule..a little here and there. Media blasting (if plastic} will not remove embedded rust, you may consider cleaning/then neutralizing remaing rust with a phosporic acid/water rinse product,prior to epoxy primer.Good Luck!

 

I've done my own sandblasting and removing with 3M type strip it discs etc, and its all a lot of "hard work" and that sand and strip-it discs etc are expensive if you do a whole truck. If I had convenient access and a good price I'd definitley go with RandyJacks advice and get the whole thing abrasive blasted and epoxy primed. After that you can approach each area as your schedule allows.

Good luck
Tom

 

I concur.. I WILL NEVER SANDBLAST MYSELF AGAIN! messy, time consuming, lots of air required, PPE, mess (yes I said that twice!)

worth the money for someone else to do it.

 

Has anyone used this on the frame? POR15, Inc. - Stop Rust Permanently - Repair Gas & Fuel Tanks

 

And those prices are for the stuff made in India, which is a false economy. Quality Norton or 3M abrasives are over a buck a sheet, but they last a lot longer.

I used up $30 worth of supplies on my hood before I threw in the towel and told the bodyman to do it. I was sick of the mess, the fumes from stripper, everything. You have to pick your battles.