Blasting or dipping

[tlrelli]

Hi all just bought a mk2 rs2000 to restore has had quite a bit of welding which has been done alright but not realy perfect so im thinking of striping the shell and starting again now i want to go back to bare metal as i want all the rust gone as im a welder by trade its only time for me so im not sure if to get it blasted or chemical dipped not sure of the pros and cons also price of this so any help would be cool cheers

[frenchy]

ive reed that dipping is better mate its a bit more pricey but woth it

[johnny_h]

Dipping is better.

[Supercharged Nat]

dipping is better, as it gets into ALL the nooks crannies and panel seams. blasting wont. dipping also takes the rust off down to the microscopic level, blasting doesnt always manage that.

 

i cant help with where or how much though? last i heard there was only one place, it cost a lot, there was a big waiting list and they damaged some peoples shells/ panels..

[escort new boy]

dipping get all in the seems and you will struggle to get it out

[johnny_h]

My escort was dipped and sprayed in weld thru etch primer for £850. One of the wings came back dented tho. They aint that careful.

[PIG]

dipping all day long,i think its about 1,800 pound now tho fella

[prefectopop]

Just remember if you get your car dipped it removes EVERYTHING. Make sure you rustproof and seal seam everything again underneath and inside the car or else you'll have a very nasty case of rusting from the inside out.

 

Other than that try looking into media blasting - it's a lot less aggressive than conventional grit blasting (they can actually remove paint layer byt layer - it that acurate). There's a place in west sussex I know of.... The name totally escapes me tho, I will have to wait for another moment of mental clarity...

[slidelong]

hi mate, ive just had mine dipped and e-coated and its great it looks like a new shell so if your want to do a pucker job on your car i would recommend it but you may find more rust than you think!!

[Paul F]

Had mine blasted - in my case it was fairly positive as I got a very good price (£250 which included him picking it up, blasting it, primering it, and returning it), none of my panels got dented or stressed from the blasting either. The only negative is that this was almost 2 years ago, and I'm still getting bits of sand falling out of various nooks and crannies occasionally...

[tlrelli]

hi mate, ive just had mine dipped and e-coated and its great it looks like a new shell so if your want to do a pucker job on your car i would recommend it but you may find more rust than you think!!

 

Dont mind how much rust i find as thats why i want shell striped so i can make a pucker shell

[prefectopop]

It's come to me - Cleaning Consultants, Billingshurst, W Sussex

 

Did a good job of my 100E door

[Supercharged Nat]

hi mate, ive just had mine dipped and e-coated and its great it looks like a new shell so if your want to do a pucker job on your car i would recommend it but you may find more rust than you think!!

 

if you dont mind, what did you have done and how much did it cost?- can you tell us what they actually do- etch prime etc?

[J_mk1]

i was gonna get mine dipped and e-coated for 1750 btu decided against it the end, becuase my shell is really good and the guy that is going to paint it advised me that it would be a waste of money. That was for me though.

 

Would be better in different situations though

[slidelong]

hi mate, ive just had mine dipped and e-coated and its great it looks like a new shell so if your want to do a pucker job on your car i would recommend it but you may find more rust than you think!!

 

if you dont mind, what did you have done and how much did it cost?- can you tell us what they actually do- etch prime etc?

 

i took this off the dipping site it,s the process they use

 

Paint and rust removal through nondestructive multi-stage immersion - a brief technical outline

The process described is operated solely within the UK by Surface Processing Limited and has been specifically developed to provide a consistent method for the removal of paint, underseal, lacquer, corrosion, scale, grease and other organic contaminants and coatings from a wide range of substrate materials. The processes are designed to produce a stable finish on all materials and are very different to electrolytic systems widely used for plating and other coating systems. This process provides a far superior finish to that of other stripping methods and does not in anyway attack the substrate surface.

 

The systems stages detailed below are for mild steel components and bodyshells:

 

Stage 1.

All heavy organic coatings including underseal, filler, mastic sealants, anti-vibration materials, adhesives, etc. are broken down and de-natured using an advanced dehydration process.

 

Stage2.

The remaining organic compounds ie. paint, grease, oil and carbon, together with the remnants from Stage 1 are removed via immersion in a strong alkaline hydrocarbon solution for several hours and then rinsed. This leaves the mild steel free of any organic contaminants.

 

Stage 3.

Corrosion is now removed via immersion in a dilute solution of inhibited hydrochloric acid. Inhibitors prevent the acid from attacking the mild steel and will only allow it to break down the corrosion. This is followed by immersion in an alkaline rinse before going immediately to the next stage.

 

Stage 4.

An advanced agitated alkaline neutralisation and passivation immersion process designed to give maximum penetration leaves the component or shell in a bright, preserved condition. This is then followed with a high pressure manual wash containing a neutralising preservative which drives preservative into the folds, seams and recesses of the component or shell and will cause the water to evaporate quickly leaving a dry, bright and stable mild steel

 

The mild steel finish provides adequate short term protection and can remain stable and rust free for several days depending heavily upon transport and storage conditions. It must be kept dry. It can be readily coated without further preparation once dried. However, it is recommended that the Electrophoretic Primer protection option (see below) is taken to aid good long term corrosion protection.

 

Electrophoretic Primer (e-coat)

The shell is passed through a multi stage zinc phosphate and immersion paint process and then cured at a temperature of around 180ºC. The finished coating is only around 30 microns thick. This coating is universally used on all modern vehicle shells, bracketry and panels. The process is designed to offer 1000 hours salt spray resistance and is widely regarded as the best available anti-corrosion paint system for mild steel and because it is an immersion coating it provides excellent penetration into seams and box section.

 

after all that reading it cost £1590 + vat it also cost me £150 in diesel to get it there and then collect is so all in about £2000 but i,am glad i done it because its a great base to start from now

 

[Supercharged Nat]

wow thanks for that! one more question, who are they and where can they be found?

 

thanks.

[slidelong]

here you go mate www.surfaceprocessing.co.uk

[mossy]

They quoted me £1700 to have my mk2 dipped and primered.....Plus the travel costs.

Plus the 7month wait! ......... But that was last summer.

[Supercharged Nat]

cheers for that

[LADY WIT]

Phoned them the other day, said they are booked up till about xmas but they have a waiting list incase people cancel. Def. going down this route, dont want to spend shed loads on new spray job just for it to start rusting again in 2 years. They told me about £1500 for dipping and e-coating my 105e

[Retromotorsport]

There has been a few scare stories about SPL and that they dont take care, but i've also heard that one bloke who said his car was dented had some hammer and dolly marks in the dent .. ie when he sent it there, it was leveled with filler, they stripped it and ..ohh look they have dented it .. yeah 20 years ago before the company was up and running

 

It is by far the best process, as every part is rust free, blasting cannot get between the seams , and its the seams that rot first.

 

The cost of dipping is re-couped if you sell the car, as a dipped (with bills to prove) commands a higher price ... it also means after you have payed 5k for a paint job you dont have rust bleeding from the seams 3-5 years down the road