Frame Sandblasting at Home

[T-Type]

hi guys. well looking for some advise. i finally found an impala frame that came off a 61 and it's in pretty good shape. i'm going to be building a sealed shelter to house it in while it gets worked on and am looking at doing the sand blasting at home. the plan is to rent a blaster and go to work once the frame is all apart and bare.

what i'm wondering is what grit sand should i use for the frame? i know sandblasters can be rented....what about media blasters? i guess in the end the result i want is a bare frame with all the rust gone and weak spots in need of attention revealed.

what is the best route to take?

edit- please see further questions on second page. :thumbsup:

[deuce_454]

imho, have a pro do it... a frame is a big job and if you want it done perfectly i would clean it yoursel first, finish all the welding and so on.. and then have it blasted and powdercoated professionally..

it will add more to the final value that its done right.. and you can keep your work area clean from sand....

[MarkM66]

I had my whole frame blasted for $150.

By the time you rent one, get sand, have a good respirator, and full suit, sweat your azz off, waste a day, etc. etc. it's just not worth it.

Have it done.

[jy211]

YUP. What the guys said above. Cheaper and faster to have a pro company do it! :thumbsup:

[rwhite692]

I also would strongly recommend having the frame blasted by a local shop. I once did a 1960 Cadillac frame (big X-type frame) in my backyard in NY using a pressure pot sand blaster and man, that was no fun. It takes a lot longer than you think it will.

[kochevy67]

Send it out, the only thing I disagree with is the powder coating. It chips and your screwed. Paint it you canalways touch it up. I'm sure you will hear guys tell you powder doesn't chip, well let me tell you it does.

[T-Type]

thanks for the input guys. i didn't think the consensus for having it farmed out would be so strong. the time vs. cost ratio is very valid along with the mess sand would make.

so sending it out.....would it be better to just get it dipped vs. blasted? like i said before i'm hoping for a bare frame with all the areas that need attention revealed.....

[MarkM66]

thanks for the input guys. i didn't think the consensus for having it farmed out would be so strong. the time vs. cost ratio is very valid along with the mess sand would make.

so sending it out.....would it be better to just get it dipped vs. blasted? like i said before i'm hoping for a bare frame with all the areas that need attention revealed.....

Just have it sand blasted. It'll come back looking great.

[The WidowMaker]

blasted over dipped. im having mine blasted again in a couple of weeks. it was 300 the first time, but that included a whole bunch of other stuff.

Tim

[elitecustombody]

Send it out, the only thing I disagree with is the powder coating. It chips and your screwed. Paint it you canalways touch it up. I'm sure you will hear guys tell you powder doesn't chip, well let me tell you it does.

It only chips if the powdercoating was done halfass, maybe you need to find a powdercoater that doesn't cut corners ,who properly preps and use etching primer before applying color. I've had all sorts of parts done in powdercoat and NEVER had any chipping or peeling issues.

OP, I'm with everyone, don't waste your time and $$ trying to blast it yourself, have a pro do it

[MarkM66]

It only chips if the powdercoating was done halfass, maybe you need to find a powdercoater that doesn't cut corners ,who properly preps and use etching primer before applying color. I've had all sorts of parts done in powdercoat and NEVER had any chipping or peeling issues.

OP, I'm with everyone, don't waste your time and $$ trying to blast it yourself, have a pro do it

So if I wack your powder coated stuff with a hammer, it won't chip?

[elitecustombody]

So if I wack your powder coated stuff with a hammer, it won't chip?

not if it was done right, it will only make indention,worse case some of the coating may come off,but not any worse than paint

[T-Type]

i found a local "u blast" place....i haven't called about pricing yet but thinking might be the best of both worlds. get to be involved and get to use pro equipment and make a mess elsewhere. it'll come down to pricing i suppose.

i guess i might as well ask here vs. starting a new post. after blasting and prepping for paint......what is the proper product to use......

i'm assuming some sort of metal etching primer, then a regular primer and then paint? how about protecting the insides of the frame rails? it's a boxed frame...

i'd like to smooth out all the bumps as much as i can....would it be best to weld and then grind all the seams? use a filler and sand just like body?

lastly, if painting the frame itself......what about control arms and rear end or whatever else attaches to the frame itself....also assuming powder coat would be better for such parts......yay....nay?

thanks again for the help guys.

[deuce_454]

t-type.. i assume your car is a g-body

there is one thing that you absolutely have to do before you blast/coat it... and i dont care how many people tell you its not a must.. they have never ridden in one with a boxed frame and dont know the difference!

you MUST box your frame... i did it on my bu, and it made a world of difference, its infinitely stiffer, rides much better, handles a hundred times better and almost all os the squeaking of the "rattle and hum" g-bodys are gone for ever

and fi you have a t-type you need the boxed frame more than i did because the roof is much weaker than mine was..

and doing a frame notch to accomodate 325 wide tiresis a 4 hour job when the frame is off.. so not doing that as well would be stupid IMHO

so to drive in the point i will repeat

you MUST box the frame.. you must box the frame.. you must box the frame

[T-Type]

t-type.. i assume your car is a g-body

there is one thing that you absolutely have to do before you blast/coat it... and i dont care how many people tell you its not a must.. they have never ridden in one with a boxed frame and dont know the difference!

you MUST box your frame... i did it on my bu, and it made a world of difference, its infinitely stiffer, rides much better, handles a hundred times better and almost all os the squeaking of the "rattle and hum" g-bodys are gone for ever

and fi you have a t-type you need the boxed frame more than i did because the roof is much weaker than mine was..

and doing a frame notch to accomodate 325 wide tiresis a 4 hour job when the frame is off.. so not doing that as well would be stupid IMHO

so to drive in the point i will repeat

you MUST box the frame.. you must box the frame.. you must box the frame

actually my name came from an old project that never panned out. kinda jumped the gun and then figured out the car was too far gone to save. i may have to have it changed soon. save a lot of confusion.

i'm working on a B body now, early 60's impala. the frame is already boxed however the design itself isn't the greatest on those x frames. i was thinking of doing a seperate thread for strengthening the frame......but since we've already touched on it....

what would you do to strengthen an x frame? the car will mostly see street use but would be nice to know that if i want to take it on a track day i can.

[dhutton]

[QUOTE=T-Type;299826]

i guess i might as well ask here vs. starting a new post. after blasting and prepping for paint......what is the proper product to use......

i'm assuming some sort of metal etching primer, then a regular primer and then paint? how about protecting the insides of the frame rails? it's a boxed frame...

QUOTE]

I think a good quality epoxy primer is the way to go if you are not powdercoating it. It has to be painted quickly before it starts to rust again, within hours. It can be coated with chassis paint within the specified window. Summit sells a reasonably price epoxy primer and two part black chassis paint.

Don

[The WidowMaker]

call up barry at spi and get some of his epoxy. ive shot it numerous times and it is tough stuff. cheap too, since its around $150 for two sprayable gallons. you can use whatever you want over the top. his clear is really good as well, but he no longer makes bases.

[T-Type]

so if i get this straight i should shoot the frame with the epoxy primer after the sand blasting and then i'd have to shoot it with paint soon if not almost immediately after? problem is i was hoping on cleaning up the frame seams, welds etc as much as possible and then paint it to match the color of the car.

i guess i could just paint it with whatever cheap spray bomb i can find then go back, sand it do the touching up in the areas that need it and then prep it for the real base/clear. seems like a bit of a waste doing the extra steps.....is there another way or is that the way it has to be done?

[Northeast Rod Run]

so if i get this straight i should shoot the frame with the epoxy primer after the sand blasting and then i'd have to shoot it with paint soon if not almost immediately after? I drove my car for two seasons in just epoxy primer. after those two years (plus one year sitting) I had my car painted. It is now coming up on 12 years later and the paint is still near perfect, with no issues.

i think dhutton just meant it needed to be treated ASAP after blasting, not ASAP after priming

[The WidowMaker]

the spi epoxy needs to be coated within 7 days if you are going to top it. if youre outside of the window, barry recommends an 80 grit scuff and then you can top it.

there are a lot of guys running just epoxy. it doesnt hold up to uv very well (less than 5 years on the spi stuff), but uv doenst see your frame.

[syco_cop]

All I know is that I blasted my 69 c10 swb frame and it took for ever. In hind sight I'd pay a grand to have it done, yeah it sucked that bad.

[317millhand]

Im a do it yourself guy and bought a blast pot for tractor supply along with about 10 bags of play sand to do the inside of my chevelle and frame. I got it done beautifully, but the process does suck. Lots of sweaty work involved and cost probable would have been about the same to have it done.

[The WidowMaker]

i just took mine to the blaster yesterday. $250 to do the frame and some suspension pieces. i dropped it off at 9, played with the kids, picked it up at 2 and put it in epoxy. well worth the money.