To bead blast or not to?

[67 Sunroof]

[theKbStockpiler]

A surface only needs to be so rough and then it becomes a negative aspect.

If a coating like zinc based primer is not used directly on the metal , you will have just basically the color of the primer protecting it. The term 'sealing' the surface really does not hold water ,pun intended. Anything that is put directly on metal that does not react chemically is just esthetic and nice to look at. Moisture goes through paint and regular primer like a screen. It makes it's way between molecules or the like. In a non salt environment for example ,regular paint and primer (basic use is just to fill in minor scratches) will stop rust for 3-5 years maybe before rust starts to come through again. There is the saying that once a rust bucket always a rust bucket because hot dipped zinc or electro paint ; i think that modern manufactures use today, can not be applied practically to a used car.

So if you create a irregular surface and then cover it with something that has no rust inhibiting capacity , you were better off leaving the good old paint on if practical. If you look on the web for like Aston martin restorations , you can see where the old body work went bad again in the same place. These people are not driving cars like that in the salt.

I have a jeep with 26 rust belt winters that is on it's third floor and I have used every type of rattle can primer and or sealer just to see if one would work better than the other. ZeroRust ,RustyMetal primer , etching primer ,primer/sealer and high content Zinc primer. The only one that was better than just paint was Zinc. If the Zinc had the slightest imperfection the salt environment would attack that point and get's it's way under it like what is not supposed to happen with hot dipped zinc. All of this was done on clean metal or perfectly sand blasted metal. RustyMetal primer sometimes seams to help if put on top of the perfect amount of rust, can't be too heavy or too light.

Right now if I do a patch panel on it I use 93% zinc first ,then primer/sealer and finally Rustoleum Professional rattle can. Without the primer/sealer ,the zinc was lasting maybe 2 years tops in a salt environment before showing rust. Zinc primer is soft but it absorbs whatever is put on top. We will see if the primer/sealer helps like some people claim.

On my jeep the seam for the rear quarter panels needed a fair amount of filler because I did a fast job on it. Ten years later it is starting to bubble up. I'm positive that I got it down to bare metal and the salt made it's way through the paint , the primer and the filler.

If it does not have a chemical property to stop rust ,do not put it directly on bare metal.
_________________
My beetle is not competing with your beetle. I have the yellow beetle in my town. There is a red one, a green one ......
Use all safety devices including a mask.

[raygreenwood]

[wcfvw69]

Another option is to sand blast it yourself. Many equipment rental companies rent towable 100CFM air compressors, 100# sand pots and air fed hoods. You could probably blast it yourself for 1/2 the cost of having it done.

Yes, it makes a MAJOR mess. Yes, you have to have the right media to NOT warp the crap out of the panels. Do some research about medias or call a supplier and they can recommend one.

FYI- Even pro sand blasters warp panels. I had my 69 vert body sand blasted after all the welding was done. They had been around for YEARS. They warped the crap out of many panels. I was SSOO pissed off. They also did a very poor job of blowing all the sand out of the shell before giving it back to me.

It is shocking how expensive it is these days to get a car painted. I remember the Earl Scheib car repaint adds for the 70's. "I'll paint any car for $99.99!"
After doing all the body work, priming, sanding, sanding some more, priming again, sanding some more and then finally painting my 67 bug in my garage, I can see WHY it cost so much these days. I had over 100 hours easy doing all the work and the car had no rust and only minor dents.. I also had over $1500 in just material though I used only PPG products.
_________________
Contact me at [email protected]
Follow me on instagram @sparxwerksllc

Decades of VW and VW parts restoration experience.
The Samba member since 2004.

**Now rebuilding throttle bodies for VW's and Porsche's**
**Restored German Bosch distributors for sale or I can restore yours**
**Restored German Pierburg fuel pumps for sale or I can restore yours**
**Restored Porsche fuel pumps or I can restore yours**
**Restored Porsche distributors or I can restore yours**

[jpjohns]

[67 Sunroof]

Question:
Does the warping of the panels come from HEAT or PRESSURE while sandblasting?

The reason I ask is I believe it's the heat that warps the panels.
From my theory, the glass beads don't heat the surface up as much and the water actually keeps it cool....hence a better job IMO.

W O W very good points brought up. Going with the old "if it ain't broke don't fix it" or KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) theory are very good and still hold weight in today's society
I used the POR 15 on the chassis and that shi! Is hard as a brick. I used the degreaser, acid etcher, and finally the epoxy.
I was VERY impressed with how rock hard it got and the "self leveling" paint really freaking worked!!!!

[wcfvw69]

[57BLITZ]

[67 Sunroof]

It is tiny glass beads and water.
I was under the impression that with the glass beads and water it would not warp the metal as much because there is much less heat. Then someone told me it wasn't the heat but the pressure on the metal that warps it. Maybe even the combination of the two...?

[marklaken]

I've only taken cars down to bare metal when necessary - usually to resolve bondo, dents, or poorly previously painted panels. Everything else I do is mechanical sanding with a DA or palm sander down to original finish paint - Everything Skills said is true - it's a super sucky job, at least 40 hours of solid work and general dusty shittyness - I did the entire exterior and interior of a bus - that was probably closer to 100 hundred hours of shittyness. I've only done 4 vehicles over 10 years. I could never do that crap day in and day out.

I've also tried my hand at sand blasting in my garage 10 years ago- big rookie mistake - little 40lb sandblaster and a bag of media - despite hanging tarps and isolating my work area, I am still sweeping up the media from the nooks and crannies of my garage. I also did not think it was significantly quicker than sanding by DA.
_________________
Wish List:
1967 Wesfalia SO-42 Parts Needed: Kitchenette, Cot Poles

'65 rear left beetle fender

15" Bus Wheels in fair condition

Mark Laken
Fort Collins, CO

[jpjohns]

[67 Sunroof]

I agree with much of what you guys said as you have WAAY more experience than I will or will ever have. I'm going to take the gamble and have him do it anyway. I appreciate you looking out.
He is supposed to come pick it up on Wednesday. He will take it back to his shop and put it on his rotisserie. From there he will do the inside, door jams, doors, and everything else.
POR15 (Eastwood) has this acid etcher that has zinc in it that they sell. I've used it on other stuff and it really puts a funky rusty coating of zinc on the prepped metal. I wonder if I should wipe it all down with acetone then spray the shit out of everything with that, then hose it off and then spray the etching primer on it after that.
I'm going to look into it.
Again, I appreciate it and appreciate you looking out and trying to save me money.
Money, I have and time I do not at this point. We'll see.
This pic is for the '67 crew:

Haha, I'm a nomad. I'm doing the "euro '67" look. I always liked the older style headlights. I do agree that the apron doesn't seem to "flow" as well with the older style fenders. But the bumpers will probably hide a lot of that.

[Mike Fisher]

None of the Pros here seem to like/use the acid etch. They go straight with epoxy on clean bare metal etc and have good results. It's us novices, who try and make it more complicated than necessary.
_________________
https://imgur.com/user/FisherSquareback/posts
69 FI/AT square Daily Driver
66 sunroof,67,70,71,71,71AT,72,72AT,73 Parts
two 57 oval ragtops sold
'68 Karmann Ghia sold

Society is like stew. If you don't keep it stirred up you end up with a lot of scum on the top! - Russ_Wolfe/Edward Abbey

[67 Sunroof]

Okay, been reading up and the SPI epoxy primer looks to be pretty good. What do you all think about it?
The cost doesn't appear to be bad at all. My painter said the epoxy primer was gonna kill me cost-wise and he recommended I stick with the Nason 441-55 Activator-Reducer etching primer. He said he has had very good luck with the stuff but was very open and said if I wanted to spend the $$$ he would be glad to spray whatever I wanted!!
So, did I make a wise choice?

[skills@eurocarsplus]

the best advice I can give you is this

-you are stripping the body to bare steel

-you want to do a good job

-you want it to last

nason is very entry level stuff. that said, I would spend the money on a good product now.

I don't know what your goals are. if you plan to own this car for more than a few years, cry once and spend the money on good stuff.

you get what you pay for....and that is very true with paint. I was using DuPont's upper end stuff for years and found nason to be less than stellar. that is the shit used car dealers use imho....
_________________

[67 Sunroof]

Would you recommend the SPI a proxy primer to start then? Is it pretty good stuff?