Rust/Paint Removal Options

[azsteve]

So far with my resto process I have considered many different options for removal of rust/paint/bondo etc from frame/body etc....

I have no desire to spend hundreds of hours with a grinder/sander working to remove a bunch of crap. My time is more valuable than that. I've also priced out media blasting (by contractors and renting the equipment myself) and have consistently gotten quotes between 1 and 2k$. It seemed that I was going to have to bite the bullet and blast it. But after following some of the more in-depth frame off restos that others have done, it occurred to me that a big problem area was the interior of the frame and some body panels. The only thing that can get to those spots is gas or liquid, and that wont work for some guy with a fancy pants blaster rig, no matter how good he is. Also, after having something blasted you have to worry about the residual media, blowing it out, wiping the pieces down, making sure there are no granules that can ruin paint/get into components...

This led me to "alkaline electrolytic immersion rust removal". A service offered by dip strip places. The bread and butter for these shops, it seems, is acid dipping. This has traditionally been used to do the whole shebang... paint, bondo, rust on all parts of the vehicle... but after reading about that process a bit I was scared away by terms like "seam embrittlement" and "virgin metal pitting". So now I am still going to opt for the acid dip process, but only a short 1 day dunk solely to remove paint followed by the Electro-blah-blah-removal process, which can last a week or more.

I have a tentative quote from the redi strip based in tempe near me of 1500$ for frame, body, drivetrain, engine/trans/xcase... Even if it goes to 2k (my limit) i feel that I'm getting a service superior to any blasting method. It seems to be not only the most thorough but also the most non-invasive/destructive method for removal of paint, bondo and, most importantly, rust! Best of both worlds!

I am wondering if anyone has had this done and if so, what were the results? The only drawback I have found is a chemical film which has to be removed by pressure blasting with water before priming (...from anecdotal postings on other classic car resto sites).

here is a link to an aussie website on antique tool renovation. not about cars, but the concepts still apply. Also, it has a recipe (pretty much) which i intend to use for smaller trim pieces myself. explains the process pretty well.
http://www.htpaa.org.au/article-electro.php

[Sierra Patrol]

Just be careful with the blasting, the Patrol hood fenders etc, are a smaller gauge steel, so if the blasters are don't know what they are doing they can warp the panels.

[rawml]

Media blasting is the way to go. Using a wire wheel might work on the frame, but it won't do on the body. Especially on the areas where water will sit. I guess you won't have to worry much about water in Phoenix.
A good media blaster will have different products such a walnuts or baking soda to use on thin steel. However, unless you take the Patrol apart, you won't be able to get all the rust.
I had my entire Patrol media blasted for under $1000. I completely took it apart and hauled it to the sandblasters in a 14ft Home Depot Cargo Van. After I did the paperwork at the media blasters, the dude asked me, "Where is your vehicle?". You should have seen his face when I told him it was in the van. The nice thing about doing it in pieces is you know there is no rust hiding afterwards. But you have to be ready for the holes that appear when the the rust you didn't see under the paint is gone. The tub and firewall section hide this rust very well. The rear of my tub looked like it had a little small rust spots. This area looked like swiss cheese after media blasting. The firewall and floor looked the same.

Your maroon Patrol you got here in Loveland, CO has rust in the same areas as mine. The most difficult to deal with is the rust above your rear wheel wells. You can see it on yours right above rear fender. Mine looked exactly like that. Luckily, Colorado uses Mag/Cloride instead of Salt on the road so it didn't rust too much. If you have this media blasted you will be left with a large hole that runs horizontally along the tub. I fixed mine by Tig welding in a piece of 16 gauge steel on the inside of the tub and then filling in from the outside with a bondo-like product by POR15. Building patch panels are fairly easy because most of the Patrol is a box. I used a MIG welder on most of mine but had to use a TIG on some of the thinner areas.

I don't mean to hijack your post with my pictures, but I think they are typical of the results you will have after your body parts are sandblasted.

This is a picture of my firewall. You can see the side vent areas and foot area completely disappeared during media blasting.


This is the rear of my tub. You can see the swiss cheese looking holes left in areas where the rear troop seats were mounted. The rear pieces had to be replaced because most of it was gone.

[RiverPatrol]

Great information! Thanks for sharing.

[g60350]

Have you had a look at at Mollasses/water dip,have set this up at home behind shed with stock water trough approx 6ft in dia and 2ft deep,at a mix of 8 parts water and 1 part mollasses.This is big enough for bonnet,doors ,guards etc,takes approx 2-3 weeks but the best thing is you have always got it when needed,also the cost is 2 parts of f all compared to any other process.160kg of molaases cost me $220 and works sweet,there is no disformation of any fragile panels and every scrap of rust is gone from every corner,crease seam.

[RiverPatrol]

Have you had a look at at Mollasses/water dip,have set this up at home behind shed with stock water trough approx 6ft in dia and 2ft deep,at a mix of 8 parts water and 1 part mollasses.This is big enough for bonnet,doors ,guards etc,takes approx 2-3 weeks but the best thing is you have always got it when needed,also the cost is 2 parts of f all compared to any other process.160kg of molaases cost me $220 and works sweet,there is disformation of any fragile panels and every scrap of rust is gone from every corner,crease seam.

Wow, I've never heard of that process before. That sounds amazingly simple! Does it attract many flies?

[bosque]

160kg of molaases cost me $220 and works sweet

I'll bet!

[bosque]

Sorry azsteve for the hijack but check this out.
My Chemistry teacher wife commonly is asked by her students, "...how is this going to relate to the real world?"
http://blog.1aauto.com/2011/02/21/did-y ... t-remover/

[RiverPatrol]

Again, amazing! I am trying to visualize the size of the tub it would take to submerge the Patrol's firewall. And just how much molasses would that take?

[g60350]

The trough wouldnt have to be that big in dia but the depth would need to be approx 3 ft,if you could have the trough under coverie.shed you could do half then turn it around,if your in no hurry this does work brilliantly.iI have had the same mix now for 18 months,not only used for car panels/parts but anything that you need to remove rust on.If i remember i will take some pics of front guards that i have soaking,been in approx 1 week