acid dipping

[dugie]

i was thinking of getting a 1800 body shell dipped and primed by spL and would like to know if anyone has had any dealings with them or can offer any advise about having it done i have seen the pictures that karl malberg took at the n.e.c of one that had been done and it looks to do a better job than sand blasting. dugie

[B20F]

The problem with acid dipping is the rinsing. It's difficult to remove ALL of the acid residu from the internals. If there's any residu left it rots from the inside out.

Whatever way you strip the shell there are disadvantages. Sand blasting (no one actually uses sand, properly called media blasting) can severely damage the shell. If the pressure isn't right it will stress relieve the panels and ripple them beyond repair. A few years ago I bought a PV 544 that had been blasted and on the way home simply dropped the shell off at the scrapyard it was that bad.

Acid dipping can be indiscriminate, and as has been pointed out the seams rotting out afterwards can be a real issue.

Personally the most I would have blasted BY SOMEONE SPECIALISED IN CARS would be the floors and the underside. For exterior panels the roof etc I'd grit my teeth and strip by hand.

Originally Posted by dugie

i was thinking of getting a 1800 body shell dipped and primed by spL and would like to know if anyone has had any dealings with them or can offer any advise about having it done i have seen the pictures that karl malberg took at the n.e.c of one that had been done and it looks to do a better job than sand blasting. dugie

[dugie]

whilst dipping does look like a quick method it was the after effects of dipping that i was worried about and your advise is proberly the best route to take thanks dugie.