It's time for another/more non-Fox Body question(s).
I will be having my '66 coupe rust bucket sandblasted in the next couple of months. I have a couple of questions I need to get out of the way before I go ahead with it.
First, is it okay to to have them blast the body panels? I've read or heard that you don't want to sandblast large body panels (doors, roof, fenders, quarters, etc.) as the risk of warpage is really high. I intend to ask them this, but wanted to get your input as well.
Second, what kind of primer would you recommend we spray on it after blasting? It will likely be sitting in this primer for a long time (a year, or two, or three). I've seen you mention on many occasions that Sikkens is the best. What would enough to prime the entire car cost me? The car will eventually be painted in the original color of Sauterne Gold (Ford paint code Z). This is a very light metallic color, so I'm sure that the color of the primer will also be important here?
Third (and last), what other prep work might I be looking into in order to ensure I don't end up letting the car rust underneath the primer?
To give you some background, I have zero experience in paint and body work. However, my father-in-law is a paint and body guy. That being said, he doesn't really speak English well enough to talk about technical things like this. He knows what he's doing, but most of his work has been on salvage cars getting them roadworthy again. He'll be helping me to at least get it in primer. I want to make sure I don't end up spraying cheap, "good enough" products on the car that I may regret later.
First question. Do you remember the hood on my blue car? Do NOT blast the large open areas like the hood, roof, decklid. That said, sandblasting in the thick metal areas (like the jamb area) or where solid body lines are probably won't cause much warping. If you can have it blasted with a different media like ground walnut shells, baking soda, etc... you can really go to town and blast everything. This other media doesn't build heat on the panel like a silica base will.
If it will just be sand used, you can go along the bodylines of the doors, fenders and quarters, just don't allow the more open, flat surface to be blasted.
Second question.There are lots of primers you can use safely and with good results. One of the easiest to use would be sherwin williams' DTM (Direct To Metal) primer. This product takes the place of a separate acid etch primer and a filler. Plus it is somewhat reasonably priced.
Etch primer alone will not provide long term corrosion protection, you'll need to top it with a couple coats of a urethane primer too.
Of course there are epoxy primers that you can spray on bare metal. Do NOT spray an epoxy over an etch primer. The etch will cause the epoxy to break down. I'm personally not a huge fan of epoxies, though some of the most well known restoration shops in the country use it with no issues.
Third question. Post haste after having any panel blasted you'll want to get it coated with one of the above. Bare metal panels need to be babied immediately after they have been stripped. Don't waste time or wait a couple days to coat them. Use gloves on your hands when touching the panels, you don't want any oils from your skin on the metal. When I had to finish stripping my deck lid after having the edges blasted, I used gloves on my hands while sanding off of the remaining paint and hung it to primer with gloves on my hands.
Plan out the coating of the panels with the blasting. Blasted in the morning, coated that night. Pay attention to weather as well. If it will be raining during the period you can get it stripped, reschedule. Moisture is your enemy at this stage.
If you find out there's rot on any of the panels after blasting, go ahead and put the primer over that area too. You can cut the rot out and fix it later.