Body prep

[tahoe healey]

I've been talking with body shops a lot. Some prep with chemical and some use media blasting. On the second option Roger and others have said the walnut blast causes heat and warping. I've been told about plastic beads and other media that are used because they are faster and cheaper than chemical. What should I look out for?
Thanks
TH

 

[roscoe]

If you are going to farm this out, the most important thing is to have someone who knows what they are doing, regardless of which media they use. Probably the mildest abrasive around these days is baking soda blasting. While not very aggressive, if set up properly it can do a very good job. I did all my body work myself, and used a combination of sand (yes, it can be used if done carefully), glass and plastic. The glass and plastic were contained in a cabinet, but all the NON aluminum panels were done with sand at a very oblique angle, almost a tangent. For the aluminum panels the baking soda would be best. Baking soda is very soft and will not warp the panels. Something like sand will cause warping not only from any heating, but will pit the surface very easily and cause the surface being blasted to expand relative to the side not being blasted. Chemical or baking soda for aluminum. Don't forget to treat the exposed metal after blasting unless it is to be primed right away.

 

[AUSMHLY]

TH,

Unless there's another Roger you reference, I'm not the one that says walnut blast causes heat and warping.

I will say, DO NOT have your car blasted as a unit. The dust will get into everything!

Bring the shop the panels. Leave the car in your garage.
A reputable shop that blasts, will know to use the right product on what they will be blasting.

I've been told the best way is to use the chemical route.

Good luck.
This Roger.

 

[Cutlass]

I've used both the chemical and the media route. Both have advantages. With chemicals, the danger is insufficient neutralization of the chemicals prior to painting, and trapping corrosive liguids in enclosed areas, such as in multi-part doors. Fenders and shrouds are not as prone to such problems. But beware with aluminum shrouds. Not all shops can strip aluminum safely. Make sure they know the composition beforehand, and are practiced at the art.

The chemical stripping shop I used also shot a sealer on right away to prevent corrosion. Seems to have worked fine.

I agree with Roger that the panels and shroud should be stripped off the car. No other way really makes sense.

 

[Legal Bill]

I vote for media blasting, followed by a good surface prep cleaning solution and immediate painting with a rust proof primer

 

[AUSMHLY]

Th,

I just took a dent out of Maserati at one of the higher end body shops that use my services.
They have seen my Healey. I asked them about how they would paint your Healey.
He prefers to sand it. Starts with aggressive sandpaper and ends up with 2000 grit. Then primes, bondo or filler as needed. Then sands again and primes again. Sands then paints. Ball park $10,000.

Have you considered doing any of the paint removal yourself? Bringing them a car stripped should help them a lot and keep the cost down. Find a shop that does good work, and ask them if you could help in that way. It would make their job much easier and faster.

You seem like a hands on guy that could tackle it.

Cheers,
Roger

 

[anthony7777]

I vote for media blasting, followed by a good surface prep cleaning solution and immediate painting with a rust proof primer

legal bill, do they use the same primer on the aluminum panels?,...

 

[Legal Bill]

Hmmm. Good question. I think they did on my car, but I never asked. I know Leo emphasized that the primer was rustproof. He said that in the old days, primer would not protect the panel from rust as it was pourous to allow the finish paint to adhere to it. Unfortunately, it also allowed water to penetrate.

 

[Rob Glasgow]

TH, Are you planning on removing the fenders prior to painting? I would recommend removing them because there can be debris and rust behind the fenders that will cause problems in the future. The only way to correct is to see what back there and fix it. I didn’t do it when I painted my BT7 years ago and now the rust repair will be more involved. Live and learn.

 

[AUSMHLY]

Hey guys,

This topic could go on forever, if you know what I mean.
The saying, you get what you pay for is mostly always true.
Just as taking short cuts most likely will come back at you.

A newer car that just needs a paint job does not need to be taken apart to find out what has happened to it in it's travels.

An older car like our Healey's, unless you're the original owner or know the original owner, you're taking a big chance by taking short cuts or gambling that what's under the current paint is okay.

I did nuts and bolt and found so many things when the skin was blasted clean. Large holes that were filled with bondo. Aluminum patches that were done poorly. Rust areas. All the panels should be removed to look at the edges, as Rob Glasgow pointed out. Not addressing these area, will let you know you took a short cut and didn't take the time to remove the panel to have a look see. Plus, all the edges should have the new paint rap around them. Not just painting to the stainless steel bead. Flexing of the car will surely start the paint cracks there sometime down the road.

Do the job right and you'll have peace of mind and be happy.
Take the panels off, strip them however you feel is the best way and repair the cracks, rust, holes, dents. The painter will know to paint all the panels while off the car so that both sides get painted and the edges. The for the final painting, the panels go back on the car, get alined and the finish coats go on, so that the paint particles flow evenly from one panel to the next.

 

[Richard Dickinson]

I had my BT7 chemically stripped and e-coated. Since they could not strip the aluminum panels I used paint stripper on them. My only regret is that I didn't do some of the repairs to the body panels i.e. the dog legs and outriggers before stripping so that they could have been e-coated.

 

[TimK]

My car had all the steel panels removed but the shroud remained in place. The paint was removed by sanding. The steel panels which had some rust in the doglegs, rocker panels and rear part of front fenders were repaired with patch panels and new sheetmetal brazed in place. Then filler was used to smooth everything out. A lacquer paint was used for the color and resprayed with Imron clearcoat. It still looks like new 27 years later.

 

[tahoe healey]

I believe the panels will com off by me or the shop depending on who I use. Ive heard the grill is a bitch ??? I'm taking off all the bright stuff. Any pointers? It doesn't look too heard especially with the rad removed.

 

[AUSMHLY]

I believe the panels will com off by me or the shop depending on who I use. Ive heard the grill is a bitch ??? I'm taking off all the bright stuff. Any pointers? It doesn't look too heard especially with the rad removed.

Good for you TH, taking part, hands on in this process!
Pointers? Get a 3 ring binder. Take photos of the part on the car, then off. Write a short note below each photo if there was something you might think you should remember.

The grill removal is no harder than most parts.
Remove the tires.
Remove the splash guards.
Remove the air deflector assembly. (note what parts go through the front bolts.)
Remove the 3 top bolts that hold the surround.
Remove the 3 bottom bolts that hold the surround.
The grill will side out one of the sides.
The surround will come straight out forward.

It's all pretty straight forward once you start doing it.
The radiator does not need to come out.

Congrats on taking your next project on!
Cheers,
Roger

 

[davidb]

Well so much for discretion - I'm going to get in my two cents as well, with some very basic stuff, even though it's already been said by people with more expertise than me. I sandblasted my BT7 about 20 years ago (my driveway looked like a beach) after stripping off all the body panels, and I would concur with a few good points that have already been made. I wouldn't sandblast the body panels as they do warp (with sand at least). In fact if you blast after dark, you can actually see sparks from the heat being generated. Frame parts are less of a problem. But having gone thru the process, I believe, as AUSMHLY has noted, that good old fashioned strip sanding is probably the safest, and you can do it yourself. As he also points out, your blasting medium gets everywhere (altho I haven't used soda as yet), and can ruin your paint job if any residual grit gets blown around during that process.

Definitely if possible take all the panels off, or at least the fenders. It'll give you a chance to check the flanges on your shrouds, which are subject to electrolytic corrosion(although probably not as big an an issue if your car is a California native).

One last thing, and please excuse the sermon. Don't take any shortcuts. Take your time - if something needs doing don't be tempted, as I did, to "leave it til another time", which is natural, because you just want to get the darn thing back on the road. Besides, these cars have now become bona fide investments, and demand and prices are clearly on the rise.

Regards
Dave

 

[AUSMHLY]

In fact if you blast after dark, you can actually see sparks from the heat being generated.

One last thing, and please excuse the sermon. Don't take any shortcuts. Take your time - if something needs doing don't be tempted, as I did, to "leave it til another time", which is natural, because you just want to get the darn thing back on the road. Besides, these cars have now become bona fide investments, and demand and prices are clearly on the rise.

Regards
Dave

Dave,
Loved reading your entertaining your neighbors by blasting your parts at night. Who needs daylight to see what areas you've blasted. The sparks will shed enough light to show me what I've done. That way, in the morning I can say....OMG...What have I done!

No sermon. Just like the saying their are no dumb questions. Don't take shortcuts. Well said.

Cheers,
Roger

 

[Cottontop]

.
I had my frame/chassis blasted ($300).

I painted the chassis using an epoxy primer and gloss black Deltron single-stage.

I then used chemical stripper (Aircraft Stripper) on the shroud and fenders.

I used the same buildable primer on all of the panels and painted with
2 coats of Deltron color base and 3 coats of Deltron clear coat. (paint & supplies = $1,200)

It has never been color sanded or waxed. Here it is, 10 years later.

I did all of the work (except blasting) myself in my driveway.

Tim

 

[Patrick67BJ8]

.
I had my frame/chassis blasted ($300).

I painted the chassis using an epoxy primer and gloss black Deltron single-stage.

I then used chemical stripper (Aircraft Stripper) on the shroud and fenders.

I used the same buildable primer on all of the panels and painted with
2 coats of Deltron color base and 3 coats of Deltron clear coat. (paint & supplies = $1,200)

It has never been color sanded or waxed. Here it is, 10 years later.

I did all of the work (except blasting) myself in my driveway.

Tim

Hey Tim,
What color were neighbors cars when you finished painting yours? LOL
Patrick

 

[Cutlass]

There is a lot of good, but non-Healy specific, info here: www.autobody101.com/forums.

Body and paint work, especially on these cars, is difficult stuff. Home painting can be quite dangerous, and sometimes illegal, also. I know that quality jobs can emerge from home set-ups, but I think those are the exceptions. The paint and body work will be what everyone sees, so don't scrimp here.

 

[Bob_Spidell]

I then used chemical stripper (Aircraft Stripper) on the shroud and fenders.

Tim,

Which aircraft stripper did you use?

Thanks,
Bob