Media Blasting
It’s important to consider that your paint job is only as good as the surface preparation of the metal being painted. Media blasting is a fast, affordable and safe way completely strip paint, bondo, grime and most importantly, rust from your car in order to provide a clean palette for coating.
Media blasting offers:
- COMPLETE rust removal
- Paint stripping
- Removal of body filler (i.e. Bondo)
- Removal of e-coat and powder coat deposits
- Grease and foreign matter removal
- No hazardous solvents or residue
- Fine particle garnet media (not heavy coal slag or silica based sand)
North Texas Customs has a streamlined media blasting process and the proper equipment to make stripping your car quick while keeping cost down. We are not an industrial blast house; as a complete resto/rod shop, we know how to treat your car’s panels. In fact, blasting a car first is the only way to warranty our paint jobs since we can be certain any underlying corrosion has been eliminated.
Here are just a few benefits of choosing us for your blast work:
- Professional equipment, used in combination with our full understanding of automotive metal behavior, results in damage-free blasting
- Auto twirlers allow us to get to every nook (small fee for hook up)
- Our complete paint shop can apply any coating you want post-blast, including epoxy, enamel and powder coating
- We’ve done hundreds of panel replacements from minor patch panels to major surgeries; this is the next logical step after blasting/coating
- Competitive labor rate of $145/hr for blasting, with most unibody cars starting around 6 hours* (for full-framed cars, add 1-2 additional hours depending on frame complexity and wheel base) – no material fee added to total
- Flexible scheduling and quick turnaround
- Assistance with body panel, mechanical, suspension, trim & interior disassembly (at teardown labor rate), keeping rebuild plans in mind
- Large scale capabilities to fit most any size project
We occasionally receive inquiries about soda blasting; we distance ourselves from soda due to the fact that it leaves a caustic residue that can cause problems in the paint down the road. While it may remove paint, primer and clean up light surface rust, soda WILL NOT REMOVE the heavy rust and plastic body filler present on most auto restoration projects, again leaving your car vulnerable to future paint problems. You don’t have to take our word for it: read the Southern Polyurethanes epoxy tech sheet where SPI warns explicitly against soda blasting under primer – remember, a problem in the first stage of your restoration can rear its ugly head later in terms of headache, time and money. Plastic, shells, and soda simply will not remove rust. Stick with media blasting and save yourself the worry.
Stop rust from progressing now and take the first step to getting your car back on the road. Call 972-442-9793 or email today to get scheduled in.
*may vary depending on vehicle size, coatings and layers of paint present
I am looking to have a 1969 dodge Charger Media or Soda blasted for restro project. The car has been stripped down but still has the front and rear glass in it. The front fenders have already been removed because they are beyond repair. I am looking for a quote that would include the removal of two pieces of glass. I will consider doing addtional work there as well but trying to get a handle on the needs once if have it clean. Thank you.
Eric
Eric, thanks for your interest in our shop. A car that size, depending on actual time required, would probably run about $2000 to mount on the rotisserie and dismount, media blast inside and out (we use garnet which removes rust, whereas soda will not), clean out grit, and prime all surfaces with PPG epoxy primer. Variables such as layers of paint present, heavy rust spots, undercoating, etc., can affect time needed; however the cost could be less if you don’t want epoxy or if there are any areas that you know need to be replaced, as we can stay off of those areas. The glass removal would probably be done by Deep Ellum Auto glass here at our shop, so they will provide pricing for that step. If you decide on a paint stripping option other than blasting, we still recommend contacting them as they will come to your location, are professional, and have good prices for these old cars. The car needs to have the suspension off prior to blasting and we prefer all panels off and torn down. If you need to deliver the car on its suspension, just make sure all the bolts are loose (but still safe for travel) so that it is easy to remove once here. Of course we can help with these tasks at labor rate if you wish.
Hello,
I have a 70 Plymouth RR that I am looking to get completely media blasted. I currently have the car stripped of parts and on a twirler. Do you come to homes at all? Transporting will be a challenge. What options do I have?
Hi Mark, thanks for your inquiry. We don’t have a mobile outfit as the dust load emitted with blasting old paint requires collection and documented disposal due to safety regulations. Depending on where you are located, we may be able to offer pickup and delivery for a fee based on distance. If you can give us a call at 972-442-9793 or email info@northtxcustoms.com with your address, we can see if that’s an option.
SIR–What/which blast media mix is best and/or most used to strip cars& motorcycles..and in what sizes[pounds] are they sold? Thanks Michael
Hi Michael, we use a very fine grit garnet to blast old metal as it removes rust without damaging the metal profile. However the setup, blasting pressure, safety equipment, and technique used in blasting is also important to achieving a good result. Materials other than metal, such as fiberglass, should be blasted with other media, such as plastic; likewise, situations in which the car or bike is not completely torn down would require other options. There are a variety of media types available and people who advocate those as “the best.” Our choice of garnet reflects its superior rust removal performance as well as our extensive experience with metal behavior, specifically in relation to vehicles. Different vendors supply various grits in various quantities.
North Texas Customs,
You have a very impressive website! I have a 1984 Chevrolet C-10 long bed single cab that I am tearing down at the moment. I wanted to know what all I have to disassemble to save myself money and you guys time on that end of the project. I am wanting to get the truck media blasted and primered as well as the frame cleaned and powder coated if that is possible. What do you recommend as this is my first complete restoration? Any information would be a great help and I am looking to also do a lot of the work myslef, call it a pride thing if you will. However, I can take things apart and put some customization into the project, but body work is not in my scope of practice. The work of the cars and trucks that I have seen on your website are impressive to say the least. Again I want to have the opportunity to touch every bit of the process as my truck is tore down and rebuilt and I couldn’t think of a better place than your shop for the body work and paint. Looking forward to working with you in the near future!
Sincerely,
Danny Nail
Danny, thanks for the kind words. The truck needs to be completely torn down with all sheet metal off of the frame. Everything needs to be down to its original component, i.e., no glass, chrome, gauges, latches, etc. The frame needs to be torn down and to save you the most amount of money, go ahead and remove the ball joints and bushings and we can take it from there. It would be beneficial for us to have a phone call or a face to face visit. Look forward to speaking with you!
i have 1934 Ford hood that was soda blasted several years ago,it has surface rust ,would like to get an est. on what it would cost to have it blasted.
Hi Tony, thanks for your inquiry. With only surface rust, it would probably take about 10 – 20 minutes at $145/hr plus primer cost if you would like us to spray it.
I have a ’69 corvette stingray. Do you have a lot of experience with the fiberglass body? I will have it down to the bare frame soon. What would be the cost to media blast the frame? Do you suggest an epoxy on the frame or powder-coated? What’s the difference in price? Also curious what your rate is on repairing some rust-through spots on the birdcage as well as a little bit of fiberglass repair? Thank you.
Mr. Wilson, thank you for your inquiry. We can definitely blast the frame. Cost is by the hour; it would be hard to say exactly how long it would take, it really just depends on how quickly the paint comes off, which shouldn’t be very long unless it was powder coated previously. Post-blast, powder coating would probably be a bit more pricey. We can apply an actual PPG paint with a chassis black finish. As for the body, we recommend Carr’s Corvettes and Customs. They do not do blasting but specialize in fiberglass work. If you have any other questions or would like to schedule the frame blasting, please give us a call at your convenience. Thanks again.
I have a set of 1934 model a ford wire wheels. Can you give me a rough idea of the cost to blast them? Thank you.
Mike, thanks for your inquiry. Based on the photo you emailed, assuming there is no heavy pitting and it is all just rust, ballpark would be around 15-20 minutes per wheel to blast.
I wondered if you can elaborate more on what you mean by caustic residue regarding soda blasting. I am a classic car fanatic and have several 67-72 pickup projects going at any one time. I found out about soda blasting several years ago through a tech article in street rod magazine. Some follow-up research showed that Dallas had a supplier and training center and to be honest i had planned to try to start a business in Houston doing this type of work. I had hoped it would allow me to integrate my love for cars and restorations into a career opportunity. Now with this information I’m stumped and unsure what to think.
Mike, thanks for your message. We are happy to hear you want to pursue your love of cars as a career and encourage you to fully research all opportunities. While there may be differing opinions on the subject, for our own quality control we choose not to perform soda blasting or paint over soda blasted metal; this is due to our hands-on experience as well as our own research. The residue left after soda blasting must be 100% completely removed in order for coatings to adhere. With the many curves, angles, metal lips, etc. present on a vehicle, there is a large chance you will miss a spot. This is not a failure you would want to discover after the amount of time, money, and effort that go into a high class paint job. In addition, while soda may get rid of surface rust, it will not completely eliminate the rust from the metal to ensure a clean slate the way that media blasting with garnet does. On fiberglass bodies or cosmetic-only restos, soda blasting can be useful, however it doesn’t make sense for the type of in-depth metal work we do. Best of luck and hope this is helpful to you.
I have a 1986 Pontiac Parisienne 4 door Brougham that I’d like to fully strip of all paint on the bottom section of the car – roof is okay – front to back. I’d like to remove all the old paint first, then have it painted real soon thereafter. What would you estimate I’d be out of pocket to have all the old paint removed? How long would you need to have the car at your facility, its a daily driver for me. Thanks
We appreciate your looking to our business for your project needs. In order for us to blast the vehicle, we would need to take the body off and tear down the car completely to the bare shell. All components would need to be out down to every hinge, nut and bolt, wire, dash, suspension parts, etc. As it is your daily driver, this may be further than you are looking to go, however if you are interested in proceeding please give us a call so we can discuss further details. Thanks!
Hello I have a 1971 Chevy SWB that I am currently doing a frame off resto on and would like to have the cab and doors and bedfloor media blasted. It is completly torn down what would something like this run me. The floor is just that the bedsides and header panel have been removed and are being replaced so it is just the floor and inner fenders. Thank you
Chad, we appreciate your inquiry. We sent you an email with some details and variables that can affect cost. If you would like to get scheduled in or if you have any further questions, please let us know!