Taking a car back to the bare metal is an essential part of a full vehicle restoration. It is the only way to make absolutely sure there are no hidden areas of corrosion or previous botched repairs.

We have the ability to blast anything from small components to complete bodyshells using a variety of media.

Crucially, we are restorers who have invested in a media blasting facility rather than commercial blasters, so have a complete understanding of the requirements when stripping a car bodyshell. It is usually ourselves who will be carrying out the subsequent metalwork and paintwork which gives us a perspective that most blasting operatives just don't have.

For smaller components we use a simple blast cabinet with either glass bead (for bringing aluminium castings back to their former glory) or chilled steel grit (for removing paint and corrosion from ferrous items prior to repainting or plating)

For larger components (axle casings, subframes etc) and bodyshells we blast in a large room using fine crushed glass media or plastic granules (depending on the application). Bodyshells will be mounted on a rotating spit beforehand so we can be sure to get in every nook and cranny!

To blast a typical bodyshell will be in the region of £500. Seamsealer or heavy bitumen underseals cannot be removed by blasting and will need removing with a wire wheel or similar device.

Following Blasting we can offer a full body Phosphate Etch-Prime for around £300

Bodyshell Media Blasting - The Process in Detail:

1. The car is delivered to us. The best (cheapest to the customer!!) state to receive the car in is a bare shell with all seam sealer, underseal, sound deadening etc removed. If the car is delivered as a 'rolling' shell (which is most common due to ease of loading/unloading from the delivery vehicle!) it is best to have all suspension/subframe bolts loosened, so we can remove them easily before blasting!
	2. We fabricate mounts to attach the 'shell onto our rotating spit. This is usually done via the bumper mounting points as long as we deem them to be sturdy enough!
3. The 'shell is then moved into our blasting area and mounted onto the spit.
	4. We blast the 'shell with fine crushed glass media. Exterior surfaces are usually done with glass that has already been through the blaster once, as this gives an even finer finish which is the perfect substrate for subsequent filling/priming. We can successfully strip large panels (roofs etc) without distortion by using repeated light passes with the blaster angled along the panel. If there is any doubt about distortion (very thin panels etc) we would leave any large, flat areas and sand the paint off afterwards.