When to media blast?

[cobramike33]

I picked up a 69' Charger and am getting ready to tear into it. I am going to strip down the interior and unbolt sheetmetal this weekend to get a better picture of what I am dealing with. My question is when do you decide to get a car blasted? Or is it best to replace the metal first and rust neutralize the rest. I am young, but am up to par on sheet metal replacement, frame pulling, bondo, primer, etc. I hope someone will chime in and give me some ideas for a gameplan. Here is some pics of her:

[elitecustombody]

Looks like a good project on your hands, tear it down,cut,drill out and remove all unusable rusted parts, brace it if you have to ,then get it blasted BTW, i replied to your PM on sheetmetal. Good luck and have fun!

[Mike DC]

Yep, that's the deal.  Disassemble everything that comes off with nuts & bolts, then saw off anything that is obviously history.  Just get the big swaths of metal gone like the quarter skins. You don't need to do a perfect spot-weld removal job on all that stuff yet.  Like previously said, you may very well need to weld in some temporary bracing work just to hold the car's unibody in shape by the time you've got so much of the structure removed.  It's a pain in the ass but it's better than warping the body.  

You will need to (not want to, NEED to) coat the whole thing with a decent epoxy primer or some other protectant layer as soon as you get it blasted.  Some blasters actually offer that service as part of the deal, you might wanna look into it.  

Blasting is not a harmless process in the wrong hands.  It can permanently warp sheetmetal and other nasty stuff if it's not done right.  So be careful who you trust it to.  If they've got brains then they have done cars before and they're aware of the issues involved.  For example they should be starting with a softer blasting material like soda or plastic, and then gradually working their way to using actual sand particles when/if it's needed on places like the underside. 





(And if you're not doing a GL, don't toss out those wheels.  Put them on Ebay or Craigslist.  Any kind of 10-spoke Vector style rims that fit on a 2nd-gen Charger have a Dukes fan out there somewhere waiting for them.)



       

[Troy]

Disassemble it and cut off what you know you have to replace. Blast what's left. You don't want to pay to strip paint off pieces that you're going to trash.

Just FYI - your front seats and dash gauge bezels are from a 68.

Troy

[tan top]

yep what the other guys say     

nice original color 

[69 OUR/TEA]

AMD is gonna love you!!!!

[cobramike33]

Thanks for the input everyone. Hopefully there is some sheetmetal left after media 

[lexxman]

Disassemble it and cut off what you know you have to replace. Blast what's left. You don't want to pay to strip paint off pieces that you're going to trash.

Just FYI - your front seats and dash gauge bezels are from a 68.

Troy

Ya that's what I would do too,you got a lot of work there.Good luck.

[chargergirl]

Grill makes up for the trunk...media is safest however we have known a few cars that looked great till they were blasted...but they were painted for a "quick" sale. One car looked great...then the doors looked like your trunk...or your trunk will after the blasting.

[cobramike33]

Would soda blasting kill the kill the rust or will it have to be something more aggresive like walnut,glass, or sand?

[DC_1]

Would soda blasting kill the kill the rust or will it have to be something more aggresive like walnut,glass, or sand?

Soda won't take off the rust, neither will walnut. Go with fine glass and keep it moving to prevent warping.  I wouldn't waste the media until you cut out everything not saveable

[Belgium R/T -68]

Is there any other reason then costsaving for cutting out the bad metal before sandblasting?

Per

[DC_1]

Is there any other reason then costsaving for cutting out the bad metal before sandblasting?

Per

that and sometimes better access to inner areas. You may blast then start cutting out thin metal only to expose inner areas you need to blast again. If your equiped to do it yourself then fine, if you are having someone else do it you may not want to pay to have them do it again to hit areas you can now see.

[twodko]

I used garnet to blast a lot of rusted parts on my 69. Cut very well and was easy on the metal but I kept the nozzle moving. Good luck and keep us posted.

Tom

[Belgium R/T -68]

Is there any other reason then costsaving for cutting out the bad metal before sandblasting?

Per

that and sometimes better access to inner areas. You may blast then start cutting out thin metal only to expose inner areas you need to blast again. If your equiped to do it yourself then fine, if you are having someone else do it you may not want to pay to have them do it again to hit areas you can now see.

Get it thanks, only afraid that since mine is a convertible and they use a forklift for the underside that the floors might help for stability.
Per

[six-tee-nine]

Per if you find a media blaster that is specialized in cars then they will handle your precious with care.

DO NOT go to the firs industrial blaster services you can find since they will probably destroy your car since they use only heavy stuff......

[Belgium R/T -68]

Per if you find a media blaster that is specialized in cars then they will handle your precious with care.

DO NOT go to the firs industrial blaster services you can find since they will probably destroy your car since they use only heavy stuff......

That's not the problem Koen, the company I use have done my charger and all loose parts. They deliver top work but to do the underside you have to lift the car
and a convertible without doors and floor don't have much stability.

Per

[lisiecki1]

Per if you find a media blaster that is specialized in cars then they will handle your precious with care.

DO NOT go to the firs industrial blaster services you can find since they will probably destroy your car since they use only heavy stuff......

That's not the problem Koen, the company I use have done my charger and all loose parts. They deliver top work but to do the underside you have to lift the car
and a convertible without doors and floor don't have much stability.

Per

you could weld numerous braces in to get the blasting done and then cut them out later 

[six-tee-nine]

Yes You will probably have to weld bars in the door openings and from "B pillar" to "B pillar".....
Then you can leave it on the rotisserie and safely do the underbody work.

On a sidenote : yes unibodys flex quite alot thats why you align your doors the best with your engine in the car but I personally dont believe all the ghost stories aboud bending your body when on a rotisserie or weld subframe connectors only when the car is on its wheels.....

Weld in some 1/2" pipewhen still on it's wheels then put it on the rotisserie start cutting and have it blasted without worries. Make sure you can safely transport the car while on the rotisserie