Anyone ever had a panel sandblasted? How'd it turn out?

[TIMSPEED]

I was thinking..instead of taking the time to hand-sand all the metal on my truck. I was just going to take the panels off and then take them down and have them all sand blasted (this is prior to having it professionally painted) Have any of you guys ever done any sandblasting, instead of hand-sanding? Also, maybe what's the price of doing that kinda thing?
I would have basically every part of the truck sandblasted, EXCEPT the inside of the bed (because I"m gonna have a friend who works for LineX hook me up with a Spray-On bedliner.)
(Doors, Front Fenders, Hood, Cab{everything minus the firewall}, Bed sides and front)
Thanks!

[mike reeh]

ask around, they will tell you not to sandblast sheet metal especially large flat areas like the door skin or hood, because their high pressure, high volume guns will leave the metal wavey and wrinkley.... but there is this other stuff they use called powder blasting.. its the same consistency as like flour or baking soda and its extremely effective and leaves the metal pristine.. Its going to be very pricey to do that much metal though. Like approaching the price of new GM metal..

let me know what you find.. another possibility if you've got the cash is having the metal dipped. Dont know much about this process but its supposed to be even BETTER than powder blasting.. Its gets in every crack and crevace... interesting stuff too, keep us posted

mike

[TIMSPEED]

another possibility if you've got the cash is having the metal dipped.

Does that have anything to do with eletricity? I've heard about like electro-something or other...Hmm..what about bead blasting? (Like, a powder coating place would do before powder coating something) If worse comes to worse, I may just have to hand sand everything...

[Nvbowtie]

Tim depending where you have it painted, you might inquire what the additional charge would be for either strip to metal or DA sand the top coat, they may or may not charge too much extra.

[bigblock73]

Soda blasting will not warp the metal. Is does not heat up the metal like sand or other abrasives. I had my cab soda blasted and it turned out great!

-Jeff

[RockHQ]

Like the others said, sandblasting will warp all the thin panels if done by a shop (they'll use high pressure&volume to make it fast&easy). However you can sandblast panels without warping them (very low pressure, fine grit sand, shot at a low angle) but it'll take forever and will be a messy deal. While on the subject of electro-coating i'm pondering whether or not i'll have my cab electrolytic zinc galvanized. Won't be as good as hot galvanizing but better than what paint alone can do.

Also, AFAIK powder-coating is done by connecting the part to be coated to the negative side of a DC power supply (anode) and the spray gun to the positive (kathode) side, the sprayed powder attaches to the part because it's electrically charged, then the part is cooked in an oven to melt the powder. The result is a very good bond between the powder and metal. Ok i'll stop rambling now.

[N2TRUX]

First off lets ask why you want all the panels blasted? Has the truck been repainted? Is the factory paint peeling or flaking? These are reasons to strip old paint. If the old paint is original, and it's just dull, then don't strip it. It is almost impossible to get a better adhesion than what the factory does. When you strip the old paint, you loose most of the primer and some of the filler too. This gets expensive to replace if done correctly.

Ok, so you still feel like it should be stripped. DO NOT sand blast your panels. It will heat the metal, and warp it. It will also harden it, and make it tough to get straight again. What you want to consider is called "media blasting" and comes in many different forms. They use anything from baking soda, plastic pellets, to ground walnut shells. These are all different types of blasting systems that are safe on sheet metal. It will add to the expense of getting the final paint work done too.

Unless you plan to take every part and panel off the truck, DO NOT use chemical stripper, or have it chemical dipped. These processes take EVERYTHING off. If the residue is completely washed and cleaned, you new paint will fail. It is only for the serious restoration project.

Your best bet is to talk to the shop you plan to have paint it. Discuss what you want done, and let them tell you which way to go. If you plan to paint it yourself, you better do more research...

[ElGracho]

Originally posted by TIMSPEED
...I would have basically every part of the truck sandblasted, EXCEPT the inside of the bed (because I"m gonna have a friend who works for LineX hook me up with a Spray-On bedliner.)
(Doors, Front Fenders, Hood, Cab{everything minus the firewall}, Bed sides and front)
Thanks!

Just like you are seeing here, when it comes to stripping body parts there are many options and everybody seems to have their own opinion on what's best. When it comes to "sandblasting" there are really many different materials out there for use. Sometimes you really mean sandblasting and other times you mean media blasting, very similar process, just using stripping materials other than sand.

There are many types of blasting media out there and each have advantages and disadvantages. Like some have said, sand can be overly agressive and heat the metal causing it to warp. Baking soda can have adverse chemical reactions with primers and paints if not completely removed. Glass and plastic seem to be very good for automotive uses.

Home chemical stripping generate lots of hazardous waste and having parts dipped seems to be very expensive.

I've had good results with a local blasting shop that uses a combination of aluminum oxide, plastic and glass bead and have had no parts come back warped. Their particular combo isn't very agressive on rust pits so I've had to hand sand a couple spots on these parts. Here is a link to a thread with pics of some of the parts I've gotten back lately.

You really need to do some research, try to look and see what the particular blaster has done in the past. The skill of the operator can mean the difference between parts ready for show quality paint and those ready for the scrap pile. The cheap way rarely really turns out to be the cheap way, especially if you have to go out and replace a hood or door that was good before you took it to have it stripped...