The Dodge Challenger Message Board

Since I'm going to totally redue the 73 challenger that I just bought, is acid dipping the route to be chosen over media blasting?

You have a place local that offers an acid dipping service for paint removal????

I have never heard of that. Sure the used to acid dip cars to make them lighter. They also made them weaker.

I would stick to media blasting myself. Sounds a lot safer to me.

I've heard that many have acid dipped their cars in USA to get it to bare metal. Another way is high pressure water cleaning to get rid of paint, rust etc. Seen couple cars locally that have been cleaned to metal with water.

I'm not sure that you could get past health and safety with the acid bath over here.

I don't like the sound of it. The bell sounds for dinner break and when they get back you have a tin foil Challenger!

Joking aside it would be a very clean way of doing it. Water too. Methods using any sort of media always end up leaving large amounts in all the out of reach corners ready to leap out just as you apply wet paint.

I think they neutralise it and apply some protective coating after acid bath. Some folks are worried that in some corner there could still be acid left even after neutralising and it might slowly eat thru healthy metal.

Anyway this is just something I read year or two ago so it might not be exactly accurate. As far as I know acid dipping isn't option here either.

When heard about using water it sounded bit scary too. I thought it would rust real soon after paint (and rust) removal. However after I saw Mustang that was cleaned to bare metal with water I had to belive it really does work. That car had been in storage for 3-4 years without any paint and there was only couple small spots of surface rust on roof. Place where it's stored isn't exactly dry place either as it's in basement with some water dripping from ceiling.

Yes, there is a metal treatment place about 30 miles away in Ill. that will do it (Acid bath) for $450.00 plus $50.00 for each additional piece; doors, hoods, lids ect. He's got 16 cars in front of me so he won't be able to get to me until July, which is fine because we have to get every last bolt out before hand and I'm low on cash until I sell my 73 Mach 1 The acid dipping process only takes the car down to the bare metal and does not eat into it (plus the shell is washed and coated), but I'll have to reseal anything thats not welded. Theres just going to be spots that I can't get to with the blasting and that kinda worries me Thanks for the input

Acid dipping is pretty common and I considered it myself but realize that it will take everything down to bare metal. This means all the metal in areas you can't see or get to. So while it will completely strip the car, be preparred to have exposed metal (read rust) in areas you can get to to prime. I'd say media blasting is the way to go.

Thats a good point and why I'm hesitant

What kind of protection does coating they do after wash provide? And how they apply it, eg. it doesn't get to all nooks?

Dipping entire body in zinc would protect car for rest of your life. Not sure how it would work for large fairly thin surfaces like fenders, doors and quarter panels. Would they keep their shape even when dipped to hot zinc.

Electric galvanizing should do it as well, but it's not even close as thick and getting even layer everywhere might pose some problems due shape of car bodies. New cars have fully galvanized body so it's not something that wouldn't have been done previously.

Very hard to dip a car body into molten zinc or whatever. It normally does not work because not getting the whole car in at the same time istorts it and also there is a risk of holes being blown through the metal by trapped moisture turning to instant steam.

I do know of a Fiat 500 that was dipped like that. The small size helped and if it had not of worked then no great loss eh?

All very interesting points gentlemen. Yes it gets in all the nooks, unless you sand it off, it won't rust. This has prompted me and my wife Jane to check into this futher. I had a chance to tour Dale Triefenbach's (ACP Metal Cleaning) shop today. Humble it was: Just two tanks filled with a substance and fenders, hoods, and other asorted parts lying around everywhere. This nice old man intrduced himself, and amazingly, he is the business 25 years working in a cole mine and now working around an acidic solution without any protection except for boots Kinda felt sorry for the old chap. But guess what his fork lift had hoisted halfway into one of the tanks. He told me not to bring my car in with the suspention, bumper, ect. still on like this @%#* guy. Thought you all might like to see this. Hope the pic. turns out.

I've seen them stripping cars this way on American Hotrod. They dipped a 56 Chevy and it came out like new metal! They then steam clean the whole thing to remove the solution, spray it with a rust prohibitor and then leave it in the sun all day to dry. Thats why we don't see it over here in England!

Right, were still going to do as much research with this board, local, ect. as we can before we take the plung, might start with just my ralley hood or something small. Also I'm going to try to talk with as many of his customers as I can to get thier feedback

i know a place around me that does dipping in a costic vat. i've heard of that but not w/ acid. i too am thinking of doing it, but haven't decided fully.

Just as I thought. Looking at the photo and seeing your description the health and safety and enviormental control people would have a fit if that was going on over here.

http://www.granitics.fi/Personal/Cobra/ ... u2003.html

Follow that link to see photos where someone dips his Cobra replica frame in zinc. First it's dipped in acid, then neutralised and dried in oven. Finally submerged in zinc for couple minutes.

Of course it's totally different thing to dip only frame than complete unibody. However they do seem to have acid dip places here in Finland. Since they're treating steel pipes at the same time I guess that's what process is usually used.

Right, I don't think good old Dale would get away with that in the St. Louis City Limits. I guess OSHA and other regulatory committees are some how letting him operate like that, at least for now. But I dropped off my hood today for him to do when he can get to it. Heres a before, and I'll post the after when I get it back

Well, went to pick up the hood...very solid and all rust is gone. I just have to go over it with dirt and wax remover and I'm ready to prime Keith

Just droped body off to Dale at ATP Metal Treatment...kinda nervous I will post the pics when I get it back in about 2 to 3 weeks

I recently picked up the shell, still waiting on the doors. Not to much bondo, which I was thankful for, but do have to replace both rear lower quarters with patch panels behind back wheel well. Thanks for the help Dave on panel separation Keith

Not much to report as I put another restoration in front this FYI, the dip lasted about this long, as surface rust is starting to set in; I'll wipe it down with Rust Mort and hit with some etch. Probably would have lasted longer in an enclosed, dry area. At least I got everything not seen primed after acid. Something else to consider, if you’re going for rust and paint removal, is Soda. Apparently it does not heat up the metal like sand and is a lot cleaner. Available at this link:

http://www.toolsusa.com/asp/search.asp? ... COMBO&UID=

Good Luck on it Kek360! Hope it didnt do any long term corrosion damage. Have you thought about E-Coating? It's pricey but gives a good solid base to start repairs and the surface will never rust again. I passed on it for my body but I didnt have hardley any rust damage. Collision damage is another story! Thanks for the media tip. their prices include shipping which isnt too bad. I need some heavy cutting media for my wheels. Probably go with aluminum oxide.

Thanks Eddie, I'll take all the luck I can get, as the body shop wanted way to much cash. Aluminum oxide is a also a good choice. Another, after the blast trick, is to get one of those bug sprayer tanks (the kind you pump up) for the hard to get to areas. I also used a six foot flexible spray hose that attached to the front of my paint gun; worked well inside the rails

Sounds good man. I am glad to see you are still at it! keep us posted!