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Sandblasting your SFA?

Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2018 8:28 pm
by Baasvark
So I'm looking at doing up the old truck.

Got a quote for a respray - R45k!

Not being too handy myself (not for lack of trying) I thought of stripping everything and having the body + panels sandblasted. Quick and fairly cheap - in our area.

Now the person I spoke to said they have done it before but one must be careful of warping...

Anyone have any thoughts on this?

Which brings me to my next question....

Can one powder cote your vehicle?

Their oven is just big enough to fit the cab. There are surprisingly many colours available and you can choose between the rough and smooth finish.

Cost wise I would expect to have all done at around R20k....

Is this a good idea?

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Re: Sandblasting your SFA?

Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2018 10:05 pm
by Mud Dog
Ive had too many bad experiences with powder coating to even consider it for a simple thing like burglar guards, let alone any vehicle parts. That said there are those who swear by it.

One of the big problems is that any rust forming underneath the coating is less evident than under paint and therefore spreads further before detection. Once detected you cannot effectively repair just that spot / area, but have to strip all the old coating and start again - that would pose a nightmare in vehicle bodywork. Powder coating is thicker than paint and probably doesn't chip that easily, but when it does, it's a problem. A chip is however not necessary for rust to start. It can start with bad preparation of the metal, a deep scratch or a pin prick puncture of the skin.

Personally I give it a very wide berth. Paintwork can be repaired in the affected area and a lot more easily.

That's all just my opinion based on my personal experiences and observations over the last 30 plus years. :winkx:

Re: Sandblasting your SFA?

Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2018 10:13 pm
by Baasvark
Thanks for the input. Good to hear other points of view!

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Re: Sandblasting your SFA?

Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2018 7:36 am
by Tim86
Sandblasting is lekker as it makes the job so much more easier and gets everything off. That being said, the warping is due to excessive heat from friction of the particles on the surface if a localized spot is blasted for too long so make sure that whoever does the job is experienced. There are also various particle mediums (such as crushed peach pips) that can be used to different effect - I would imagine glass beads might produce less heat etc. I would do a lot more research (google) to give myself peace of mind before giving my precious lux to some ou to blast away at.

A big problem with powder coating is getting it off.
Before getting to grips with a spraygun I sent my rims in for a nice lil coat as it was also relatively cheap at the time. They made an absolute hash of it and I forced them to remove the coating and do it again. The poor guy had no skin left on his hands after three days of sitting removing coating with some toxic aircraft stripper. Coating is like covering your truck in epoxy - imagine getting that off!

I would go for a decent paint job.

Re: Sandblasting your SFA?

Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2018 8:45 am
by Mars
The guys do soda blasting in order to prevent the panels from warping but this is much more expensive. The sandblasting can really stuff up a large panel. When looking from the side it gets a wavy appearance if it is done incorrectly.

Re: Sandblasting your SFA?

Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2018 10:01 am
by Baasvark
Thanks guys. Appreciate the input!

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