I am just starting the resto on my 70 ss 454 and am undecided about what to do with the body. It is 99% rust free but I would like to have it completely stripped. Has anyone done the acid dip, and do you know cost approximately? I have started checking into bead blasting but am not sure because it does not get in the seams. I am doing a ground up as close to original as possible but I will still drive this car, I don't want a trailer queen yet.

There is a company in Bellville (sp) Michigan that does a chemical strip and e-coat that is what I think you are looking for. I will get the name and number for them and post it here later on today. They did the Camaro for Mark Stiello that is being featured in Popular Hot Rodding (I think) called "The Mule." They are not cheap but you can't get any cleaner. Bead blasting is not a bad way to go and is more affordable. If your seams are still sealed and the car is "99% rust free", blasting may be the better choice. My .02 worth.

Mike

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"I am striving for perfection....I'm just not there yet! http://hotred66ss.homestead.com

Hey Zrail.....try http://www.ecoatking.com they are the ones I spoke of in my previous post.

I talked to Redi-Strip in Roselle, IL (NW of Chicago) 630-529-2442. They quoted $1800-$2200 to dip my 70 Chevelle body. I haven't done anything yet.

I remember seeing a company at Vettefest a couple years ago that did media blasting. Their claim to fame was that you didn't have to take off the trim (why you would want to leave it is beyond me) and that it was also safe for fiberglass and had a 66 or so vette on display that they had done. Don't remember the name though. Sound familiar to anyone?

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my 67 droptop (http://www.mdesignstudio.com/chad/other/mychevelle2.jpg)

We got a guy here that will soda blast an entire car for $800. He has a portable rig and does it on the spot. I wish he had been around when I was doing "Ole Paint".

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ACES member# 5093
Elcaminos are special!
I'd rather walk around with a Chevrolet hubcap in my hand than drive a Ford

Ole Paint (http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/olepaint1)

I would advise against chemical dipping unless you go to Carponents, Inc. ( www.ecoatking.com (http://www.ecoatking.com) ). The reason is this...if you chemically dip the body, you strip off everything...including the corrosion protection that is inside all of the body cavities...leaving bare metal. Unless you have the body e-coated, you are going to have a hard time covering all of those hard to reach areas inside of the body panels. Thus, it will rust from the inside out! Carponents is the only facility that I know of that e-coats old car bodies. I don't know how much they charge for a whole car, but they advertise around $800 for a truck cab...my '68 really wants this, but I have to get the cab from Washington to Michigan. The owner told me that he had one guy ship a whole car body to his facility in a GIGANTIC wooden crate that he made. Later the body was returned in the same crate and had no damage in shipping....HUUMMMM...I wonder what the truck freight was on that?


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Erik

'69 Chevelle Sport Coupe, EFI355, TH350
'68 Chevrolet C10 Stepside Project, 292, t-56
'77 Chevrolet K20 Silverado LWB, 400CI, TH400

I have worked with a company in the Twin Cities called Precision Rust Removal. They stripped several parts for me including a 56 chev 2dr. 1/4 panel. They have the capacity to do complete bodies. Their process does NOT use acid. The parts are media blasted first, and then dipped in a tank of a food based liquid. They utilize an electric charge during dip/soak process. Parts come out like brand new metal, pits are cleaned out. All you have to prep prior to prime is wash with wax and grease remover. I chose to solvent wash, sand with 80 grit, and solvent wash again, then etch prime. I highly recommend this company and the process. Karl

Here are some pics of my GTO body, before and after it was done by Carponents. The cost was a little over $2000, Thats for the shell, the trunk lid and one door. I would highly recommend getting the doors, trunk and hood done as well, since they have a lot of hidden areas that are hard to get clean by sanding or sand blasting.
http://groups.msn.com/ProjectGatTagO/body.msnw?albumlist=2

Andrew