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Back from the Media Blaster... :(

2815 Views 19 Replies 12 Participants Last post by  kjett, 
K
Well,

I've heard many horror stories about cars that "looked nice" being media blasted/acid dipped only to reveal the ugly truth. I'm doing a frame up restoration on my '66 SS this winter and just got the car back from being media blasted/primed outside/inside/underneath. While I'm no body man some of the repairs that will be needed look fairly significant, but I'm trying to remain optimistic. I knew about the areas at the front and rear of both doors. The paint was bubbling so I knew something was going on. I also suspected that there was some issues on the passenger rear quarter panel behind the tire (paint was beginning to bubble there too). The paint/body work was about 10 years old and it was done before I owned the car. Therefore I really didn't have any idea what to expect. There is a rust spot in the lower front window channel on the driver side and some on the rear window channel on the passenger side. There is also a few rust spots on the rear lower valance. What I think surprised me the most was the dents that were in the car (both doors and driver side quarter panel) that someone did a real good job of hiding. Here are some pics:

Driver side:

http://bellsouthpwp.net/k/_/k_jett/Images/Frame-up/blast1.jpg
http://bellsouthpwp.net/k/_/k_jett/Images/Frame-up/blast2.jpg
http://bellsouthpwp.net/k/_/k_jett/Images/Frame-up/blast3.jpg
http://bellsouthpwp.net/k/_/k_jett/Images/Frame-up/blast4.jpg
http://bellsouthpwp.net/k/_/k_jett/Images/Frame-up/blast6.jpg
http://bellsouthpwp.net/k/_/k_jett/Images/Frame-up/blast7.jpg
http://bellsouthpwp.net/k/_/k_jett/Images/Frame-up/blast8.jpg

Rear:

http://bellsouthpwp.net/k/_/k_jett/Images/Frame-up/blast10.jpg
http://bellsouthpwp.net/k/_/k_jett/Images/Frame-up/blast11.jpg

Passenger Side:

http://bellsouthpwp.net/k/_/k_jett/Images/Frame-up/blast12.jpg
http://bellsouthpwp.net/k/_/k_jett/Images/Frame-up/blast13.jpg
http://bellsouthpwp.net/k/_/k_jett/Images/Frame-up/blast14.jpg
http://bellsouthpwp.net/k/_/k_jett/Images/Frame-up/blast15.jpg
http://bellsouthpwp.net/k/_/k_jett/Images/Frame-up/blast16.jpg

Package Tray:

http://bellsouthpwp.net/k/_/k_jett/Images/Frame-up/blast19.jpg
http://bellsouthpwp.net/k/_/k_jett/Images/Frame-up/blast20.jpg

While I'm a little dissapointed to find all this out I AM glad that I paid to have the car blasted so I can see EXACTLY what is wrong and get it fixed correctly. The guys that did the media blasting said it was in better shape than the majority of the cars they work on, so that made me feel a little better. I'm taking the car tomorrow to meet with the paint and body man. I'm going to see what he recomends for proper repair/replacement. From what I can tell it will need:

- both rear lower 1/4 panels replaced? The quarter panels are original to the car. The numbers are still in the trunk lip on both sides.
- possibly new door skins (not sure here, maybe these can be fixed)?
- fabrication/repair to the window channels and rear valance?
- Not sure why there are so many holes where the driver side mirror mounts?

ALL the body work was completely removed from the car, so what you see is what needs fixing. Any and all comments are welcome. I'm in uncharted territory here. I'm lucky that my paint/body guy is excellent and likes older cars. In the end it will all be worthwhile. I plan to do whatever it takes to bring this SS back to/beyond all it's original glory :thumbsup:

Thanks for looking....
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J
Ken, I went thru all that back in 1996 when I had mine media blasted. It looks pretty daunting at first but its nothing a good body man and money can't fix.
Panels that were replaced included:
-both rear lower quarters
-deck panel behind rear window
-drivers side fender
-several holes in the door, quarter panel behind doors, and doors themselves were cut and a patch was welded in place.

The body work I had done turned out well, especially for the money I paid, but the paint job was done (same guy) in an open garage and there's alot of trash in the paint on the flat surfaces such as the roof and trunk. This coming spring/summer the car will be stripped/repainted by a pro with a paint booth.

Good luck and keep us posted on progress.
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D
I'm not a expert, but it sound's like you got a good body guy. That's not too bad in my opinion, you'll need to see what your body guy say's. If he's comfortable grafting in new lower's on the 1/4's, that's the way I'd go, I wasn't so lucky. It's definitly salvagable, with the right body guy. Patch panel's will be significantly cheaper for the part's, but it really depend's on the condition of the lip's and rear of the wheel well's. If the wheel well's are in good shape, you're a lucky man. Good luck with the project, the worst is almost over, it's all uphill from here!:p Dave.
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D
Ken, I would be dancing naked in the streets if my car looked that good. Your car looks great compared to anything I have seen around here in a long time.
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V
That rust is light compared to most Chevelles. I'd want your guy to cut out the rust areas and weld in portions of patch panels, in order to save the orig sheet metal as much as possible. Repro panels are, well, like all other repro parts. Ranging from OK to terrible.
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F
Ken, That happens when you do bead blasting. Little holes become big holes. But like the guys said, it does not look too bad. The good thing is that you know exactly where the work is needed. I went through the same thing. How were your floor plans and trunk pans??????
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R
What type of media was used? Soda? Walnut shell? Abrasive? I like how clean they got it. :thumbsup: I was under the impression that certain types of blasting would not remove body filler but whatever was used here seems to remove everything.

I'd probably be disappointed too, after thinking all these years that my car was fairly solid underneath that paint and bodywork, but you've got a good foundation there. The right body guy will make it look like a million bucks.

Rod
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K
Thanks for the feedback folks. I'm feeling better already :) I honestly didn't know what to expect, so it's good to hear that this isn't as bad as it looked to me.

Freddy,

The front floor pans need repairs. There are holes on both side (not terrible) and the previous owner bolted a patch panel over the holes. There is a hole about the size of your fist in the trunk directly above the right rear body support.
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K
Rmchevelle said:
What type of media was used? Soda? Walnut shell? Abrasive? I like how clean they got it. :thumbsup: I was under the impression that certain types of blasting would not remove body filler but whatever was used here seems to remove everything.

I'd probably be disappointed to after thinking all these years that my car was fairly solid underneath that paint and bodywork but you've got a good foundation there. The right body guy will make it look like a million bucks.

Rod
Click to expand...
Hi Rod,

The used two different media types. The used an abrasive media for the frame/underside. They used a plastic media for the body panels/exterior. I specifically requested that anytime they encounter body filler to blast it completely out :) I wanted to know exactly what was under there.
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C
No need to see disappointed. You have a pretty solid car. I don't seed the need for full panels on the doors or quarters. Patches should be just fine. The only full panels that I would even consider would be the doors. Doors are pretty easy to reskin, where a full quarter has a seem right at eye level that you will see everytime you get in your car. Even with new panels, you are going to have body work. Like von said, repop or even NOS panels are either not perfectly made, or are dinged up from storage.
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B
Not bad Kenny!! At least your back window is in good shape...
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S
You did the right thing no matter what the end result is. Trying to sand, chemical strip, grind rust away on one of these 30+ years cars is no fun, then grinding out the previous bondo jobs is another story. I would give anything to have a local sandblaster I could use. The time you saved having it blasted can now be put into the metal repair, which from what I can see is not as bad as you are seeing it. That car is in great shape and you will have it repaired in no time. Good luck on bringing back a priceless slice of history. Steve
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K
BillsCamino said:
Not bad Kenny!! At least your back window is in good shape...
Click to expand...
Bill, is that your '70?
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K
sarchevyman said:
You did the right thing no matter what the end result is. Trying to sand, chemical strip, grind rust away on one of these 30+ years cars is no fun, then grinding out the previous bondo jobs is another story. I would give anything to have a local sandblaster I could use. The time you saved having it blasted can now be put into the metal repair, which from what I can see is not as bad as you are seeing it. That car is in great shape and you will have it repaired in no time. Good luck on bringing back a priceless slice of history. Steve
Click to expand...
Thanks, man. It means a lot. I guess becuase I have no experience in this area I'm seeing the glass half full. You guys have managed to cheer me up. I'll talk to the body man tomorrow and go from there. He'll prolly have the car for 4-6 months. That will give me plenty of time to build the new engine, rebuild the tranny, and finish cleaning up and restoring all the trim, heater, gauges and other stuff. I can't wait until this is over :)
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kjett said:
Bill, is that your '70?
Click to expand...
Yes...vinyl top car, remember? Both corners needed patches.
Your car is in excellent shape...don't fret. ;)
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D
Not that bad, seen many that are worse.
On the doors I would just reskin them.
There will be far less labor in putting new skins on then trying to have what rust you have repaired. and you will also have a bettter finished product.
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S
I hope my car looks that good after media blasting!! I'm just going to tell the body shop that no matter what, just don't tell me, "it's alot worse than we thought." Even if it is, i don't want to hear it. And like you said, now you know exactly what the condition was and how to repair it the right way. You did the right thing. Keep on rolling
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K
BillsCamino said:
Yes...vinyl top car, remember? Both corners needed patches.
Your car is in excellent shape...don't fret. ;)
Click to expand...
Thanks, Bill. No turning back now....it's full steam ahead :thumbsup:
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K
droptop396 said:
Not that bad, seen many that are worse.
On the doors I would just reskin them.
There will be far less labor in putting new skins on then trying to have what rust you have repaired. and you will also have a bettter finished product.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the tip on the doorskins. Some of the others commented about replacing them too. I'll talk with the body man about that tomorrow.
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K
Skier_Bob said:
I hope my car looks that good after media blasting!! I'm just going to tell the body shop that no matter what, just don't tell me, "it's alot worse than we thought." Even if it is, i don't want to hear it. And like you said, now you know exactly what the condition was and how to repair it the right way. You did the right thing. Keep on rolling
Click to expand...
I hear you, Bob. I guess it's true that "ignorance is bliss." But now that I know the truth, I need to set myself (and my car) free :D Thanks for the words of encouragement. I hope you have success with your project too.
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