6 replies to this topic

[rowanxx]

Who's actually completed a full bare metal restoration?

I have a few questions to ask you...

[Tupers]

Go on.....

[rowanxx]

Was it worth it?

And how did you go about getting it back to bare metal... Several hours spent with the sander and I've barely done a small section of the roof. Very disheartening and wondering whether I should just take back the rust looking bits.

[sonikk4]

Without bead or sand blasting then its down to chemicals ie paint stripper or mechanically like you are doing or use a twisted wire cup on a grinder.

[Tupers]

I've done three full restorations where the shells were blasted to bare metal and two paint jobs where the exterior of the bodies were taken down to bare metal with wire wheels.  It's certainly worth going to bare metal as it tends to uncover any nasties that may be hiding under how ever many layers of paint are the the car. 

 

When it comes to a restoration I would always go with either blasting or acid dipping to remove every vestige of rot from the car. It is expensive but it does a tremendous job of showing up thin spots in the metal. 

 

It takes a long time to completely strip a shell with a wire wheel and it can take quite a strain on your arms but on the up side it wont cost you nearly as much as blasting. I use a 150MM wire wheel if I have to strip large amounts of paint but you've got to be very focused while using it as it really bites if it catches and loose piece of clothing. I think I could probably take the exterior of a Mini don to bare metal in a day and a half with one of these if I really went for it but it wouldn't be fun. 

 

[Tom Sanderson]

Was it worth it?

And how did you go about getting it back to bare metal... Several hours spent with the sander and I've barely done a small section of the roof. Very disheartening and wondering whether I should just take back the rust looking bits.

 

Normally when you take a mini down to bare metal its only the roof panel you need to take the paint off, as every other panel will need replacing! 

[newenglandmini]

I took my MIni to a local blast shop using a small trailer.  Easy to do, since the body shell can be picked up by two people.  I had the car completely stripped, inside, outside and underneath.  I also had the doors, boot lid, bonnet and assorted sheet metal parts done.  This is the best way to ensure that all rust is removed and that all corroded areas are identified.  When I got the car home I painted the bottom with several coats of enamel, and spray painted the balance of the stripped sheet metal with primer/filler.  It is important to do this promptly, as any delay will allow rust to form very quickly.

 

This approach saves an enormous amount of labor and mess, and is much more effective than stripping with a power tool.  My cost for this work was about USD 350.

 

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