I'm working on the inside cab of my 64 right now, and the major thing I need to do is prep for paint. As you all know, this would be a real bear to do by hand with a few sheets of 220 grit! (Which is how I did it the first time). I was thinking of sandblasting, but have no idea on how/what/where/when etc, etc, etc. Can you all lend me some advice on the matter? I have a compressor, what do I need to buy? How-to's are needed! Regards, Arizona64
Hi Arizona, You would most likely need to remove the cab and other body parts needing striping and transport them to a shop specializing in "media" blasting. Sand blasting, unless performed by a meistro will leave the finish pitted and not produce the results you are looking for, clean metal for finish painting. For paint prep on sheet metal, shops use other blasting media, like ground walnut shells and glass beads. Unless there is rust found after the media blast, sand will not be involved. The media blast will not remove rust. After it has been blasted, the cab and body parts will need to be completey cleaned to remove and media/sand residue before painting with a etching primer to seal all surfaces. The better shops will do all this, leaving you with a cab that has been striped AND sealed to prevent surface oxidation rust, which will begin days after the striping process. DV
Hey Arizona, I couldn't agree with DV more. I took my front valance and inner fenders in to be media blasted and it made life easier, not only did I get a great clean surface to start with but it also uncovered some poor previous repairs that just sanding might not have revealed. I'd rather spend a Saturday working OT to pay for the blasting than spend a whole week trying to hand sand a cab. Ask a couple of body shops who they would recommend, that's how I found the place I use. They used very fine blasting media and only use the really abrasive stuff when they found spots of serious rust.
Sounds like too much trouble. I guess I'll do a little at a time with the sandpaper. It's really not that difficult. Thanks for the info. I'll think twice about sandblasting. Would it be safe to s-blast the frame? Regards, Arizona64
Aircraft paint stripper works pretty good, just dont breath it in or get it on yourself. Believe me, it hurts!!
> >Would it be safe to s-blast the frame? > Yes, the frame can be sand blasted, but again, I would only consider SAND as the abrasive media if it was heavy rust that you are trying to clean up. If the frame is relativly rust free, use a less abrasive media. FYI: I said to remove the cab only because the clean-up is the really hard part of the whole process. The blasting media will work it's way into the smallest nooks. If you are willing to get in there with sandpaper, then a good commerical paint stripper could also be a good alternative. There are water soluable strippers that will not harm the environment. Lay it on in small work-able sections, scrape off the old paint and goop, hose off with water. Repeat as necessary. You can do this in the driveway and not have to worry about the EPA coming by, guns drawn, to haul you away. Dennis
Media blasting sounds expensive, and I'm on a strict budget right now. I think I'm gonna try the stripper. Thanks for all the good advice, guys. Regards, Arizona64
I bought some stripper from ACE Hardware (it's in kind of a plain white spray can) that works pretty good. Probably a LOT less expen$ive than aircraft stripper. It just makes the paint crinkle up and you can remove it with a putty knife.
I haven't tried the spray on stuff yet. I got a 1 gallon can of aircraft stripper for $20. Steel wool works great. I usually apply the stripper, use the scraper, then get the rest off with the steel wool. '66 C10 Fleetside LWB 350/350
RE: Sodablasting Soda blasting is much better than Sand/media. After blasting just wash it away, and soda prevents rust. We just did this to a 71 K10 and it is awesome. Not good at all on rust.
