MikeC.86Roc

iTrader: (10)

I plan to buy a sandblaster soon and begin blasting my car. I have worked with sandblasters and blasting cabinets plenty already, but never anything on this big of a scale.

First I would like any recomendations on good sandblasters to purchase. I am considering one for about $60 from Harbor freight right now. It is a pressure feed type, not a hopper. I will soon have a huge 2 stage 60 gal compressor, so feeding it should be a breeze.

Second, any thoughts on doing the job in general? I am totally aware of what I am about to get into and it's not a problem, but should I even think of doing this in the driveway?

I figure I will roll the car out side and then drop the K-member and remove all the front and rear suspension completely. That's all thats left on my car now, otherwise it is totally gutted. Then I will blast the engine bay, doorjambs and interior too. Of course the windshield and decklid are off. The quarter panels and doors I will omit cuz I am afraid of damaging them (warpage etc). All of this will be done just prior to painting of course, I know it will rust real fast after that part is done. Any ideas or tips would be appreciated. Thanks.

Anybody have experience with this job?

LT1guy

iTrader: (1)

For one, I'd be hesitant to use a sandblaster unless you have really bad rust...you'll be getting sand out of every crevice of your car for a long time, trust me! If its mostly just dirt/old undercoating etc that you're worried about, a pressure washer will get most of it. You'll still have to sand any sheetmetal after blasting, so its not saving much labor if you're just trying to remove paint. Liquid strippers work well for this.

A sandblaster is great for suspension parts, k-members, etc, but keep in mind that you'll still have to scrape most of the gunk off. Sand won't effectively remove caked on grease. Whatever you do, don't use it on exterior sheetmetal; you'll likely warp it from the heat generated by blasting, esp on a newer car like a 3rd gen.

The blaster I use has a pressurized drum that you pour the sand into, and it works pretty well. Siphon feed types are usually troublesome. If you do sandblast, get sandblasting sand if you can. In a pinch you can use playsand from Lowes or Home Depot, buit make sure its dry (it'll stop up the blaster otherwise) and strain it with a homemade wooden frame with metal screen stapled to it. You'll get lots of little rocks out of it that won't pass through the blaster. Also, try to do it in an area that contains the sand well, preferably on concrete so you can reclaim and sift the sand to reuse it. It takes a LOT of sand to do this, more than you would think. Also, make sure there is nothing around that the and could mess up...it will get everywhere, so make sure all cars, nice tools, etc are far away.