Shop Talk with Chris Garcia 66 Caprice : Don't Sand Blast!! 

Thank you for your commitment to helping us become skilled in our approach to restoring our little bits of history. There are so many rip-off masters out there that will take your money and do a quick and sloppy job, that doing it yourself is for some of us, the answer. Decades ago, I found teaching myself how to build a house; wire it, plumb it and frame it was a good investment with the money in good tool and paying dividends in the decades to follow, with your skills always improving when you put in the time and studied. I am glad now, that after getting a decent '55 Chevy Sedan and doing a body off frame and drive gear replacement, but waiting and dreading the bodywork to follow, not knowing what the proper combination of primers and fillers to correctly apply...wow! in a day, I have a plan and I may have to be a little off the regular highway, roller applying epoxy primer over the metal and smoothing it since I can't spray in my garage, but everything you help us with from the correct products , correct grits, and more will save your viewers decades and yielding a great rod. As I said before, I will do your class, just need to see which one works. Thanks! Steve

That's one big reason I subscribe to this channel: no arrogance. There IS a difference between cocky and confident. I've worked with arrogance before. These are the guys who claim they never get a paint run. Those words no sooner leave their lips then there it is. Then they're asking me how to fix it. I'm more humble because it does take tripping and falling before you can walk. I've done face plants. Part of the learning process. If you haven't had problems or mistakes in this business you haven't been doing it long enough.

Travis, I’m a fan! This is a fantastic conversation with tons of information. Like to see Chris’s progress down the road as well. Love how he wants to honor his family.

So glad SylvesterCustoms is here... my 1968 Impala fastback is become closer to me.Love your one on one!... on this personal building of anyone's car!... ty so much!!!

Wow another great video. Very well explained . Very impressive and informative. I have nothing but Respect for you guys. And Chris thank you for sharing and helping me to plug forward and refusing to give up. I’ve been struggling a little on my metal finishing projects and have to go over them repeatedly. Another thing you mentioned ,( was it paint jail??) I work in a shop where they take on more work while other work goes on the back burner and they have me jumping from one carto another without any car actually being finished I don’t understand it or like it but that’s what’s happening

excellent video!! to media blast, or not to media blast, that is the question, this has been the age old topic of endless debate for many years, been told by a handful of blasting companies, that it's all about a certain technique, air pressure, distance, which media you're using, ect. ect. (the list goes on) so you won't warp the panels or cause oil canning, cuz if you're unskilled, damage can occur, and basically wreck the car, whether it's heat, or "shot peening" (usually caused when the pressure's set way too high) at that point, it's damaged, and the result is the lengthy tone it takes to fix all that... On the other hand, I've seen ppl destroy cars by using those stripping discs, cuz they worked too long on an area, heated the panel, and that's it, even unskilled welding can ruin your whole day on panel repair I've recently had a vw bug body blasted, and it turned out pretty good, no oil canning, got all the rust, and they didn't blast the roof or the center of the doors, for they said it will wreck the parts.

Great info!!' Thanks for saving us the headaches 🙏🏼💪🏽💪🏽🤘🏽

Thanks so much for these videos. Working my first car and learning so much a 1970 mustang that well had a hard life . Learning with the tips and real life make it seem more like friends talking than those tv shows and magazines . learning more and watching more . keep it coming.

If you have your car sandblasted and it winds up with warped panels your sandblaster does not what they are doing. That hood should never have been sandblasted because the panels are too flat any panel that does not have some crown or a body line to give it some strength to resist warping should not be blasted. Sandblasting is not about point and shoot there are a lot of variables that need to be considered like grit size air pressure distance from the panel and angle as well as what you are trying to remove. A good sandblaster will also have a working knowledge of metal finishing as well to determine what should be sandblasted and what shuold be hand stripped. I would not use a sandblaster that sandblasts bridges and structural steel any more than I would use a house painter to paint my car just my 2 cents.

I have a 57 Chevy 150 that was a pretty decent car that I got convinced to have dustless blasted about 10 years ago. Completely ruined the car. Like you said , the wet sand gets compacted everywhere and will never all come out. I should of known better. I will dry sandblast jambs and gutters on cars I do myself in a very controlled way to help limit sand getting everywhere. Its a lot of work , but some places you just cant strip any other way. Great video Travis. Very relatable.

Thanks guys. That was very inspirational. My 37 olds trunk lid has been my procrastinating point. It has a thick structure inside and it once had a license plate sunk into the middle of it. The filler is a little thick there and it cracked. I've been dreading fixing the metal. But now I know it's time to sack up and get it done! Thanks.

you're a really solid dude we appreciate the raw honesty we rock with you 100%

So true, my best left field thoughts on how to approach something in a different way come to me during my sleep.

I've been doing body work since 1983 and sand blasting is perfectly safe. BUT not for the sheet metal. It is fine for engine compartment, trunk, underside. There will be zero warp, zero damage, as long as you use common sense. I've done it over and over with no problems. It is fast and effective. If you're worried then use Starblast abrasive by Dupont. I agree about the water blasting, a bad bad idea.

Very informative video. Ive often wondered about blasting but didn't realize the damage that occurs when metal is blasted. I even asked on your last vid about the dustless blasting and now know better. Sorry that Chris had his car blasted and now has more work instead of less. I have 2 cars that need to be stripped and now I'm thinking of other ways to get it done. Thanks for all the info it is appreciated.

Great discussion! Thanks for putting the words of warning out there…

Yup, I think you hit on several topics that would have been nice to know years ago. First of all I never sand blasted anything until recently and yes it does pit the metal and causes more work than if I would have just sanded it. Also, used Kleen Strip metal prep after the sandblasting only because the bracket I needed to remove was still fairly rusty underneath. I did not know about using this method on sandblasted metal, now I have to sand it down anyway. Luckily for me, the pieces are just a radiator support and inner fender skirt. Also, I can understand about the sand collecting in the panels and holding in moisture causing rust, my truck was from El Paso Tx ((desert area) and the sand did exactly that. Finally, just fixing the rusted portion is key to fixing some of these panels. I did not realize how much replacing a full door skin would cause more problems with getting the proper door gaps around the door. I should have just replaced the bottom section only. So, I guess it's live and learn. Thanks for all the great content! I will be continuing to watch your channel

You guys did a great job on this informative video! Just great! Thank you for the free education.

Great help; terrific info to help us DIYs !! Keep it coming.

Great information ! Hope this guy gets the car restored to the level he’s shooting for.

I've been blasting cars for 3 years. If done right, you will never have an issue. It's about experience. The right grit and pressure and time in place.

Thanks for the video! Pure quality 👌

great information in this video this channel should take off thank you for all your videos i have enjoyed them all

There is so much info here... its epic

That's so cool that you want to do a tribute to your family!! That's gonna be a beautiful ride when you get it finished. Had a 66 also really miss it. Thanks for sharing be safe have fun enjoy

Great Video Travis, its so true all you said about blasting, I learnt myself the hard ways as youve described here, and once I discovered chemical dipping I was sold on it. yes it can be expensive but its time saved in not having to A: correct distortions , and B: its clean and gets rid of rust from all the areas the blasting cannot react IE cavities etc, and there is no Media stuck in annoying places. Love the videos, congrats on the channel growth

Just bought master set linear blocks with your code, thanks a lot !

Great content! Love seeing you two boys together on camera. I need to fly out and visit soon. Keep bringing the good stuff my dudes. And great editing Mikey! 💪💪

Great channel love the content...just throwing in my 2 cents.... I've had 3 cars blasted ...all by reputable shops and never had any warping issues that I could see... but....what I did was chemically strip and losen the paint first...I was told by the blasters that is came right off... so idk maybe that helped? Idk but I think there are good blasters out there!! Also the reason for warpage is NOT heat related ..it's the shot peening affect from the material hitting the metal..

I come from an industrial blast/paint background - was considering walnut, pecan or surgar sand blasting my malibu and throwing talc heavy 2 part surface tolerant epoxy to sand and smooth it out ... great video, making me think a new strategy

I had my 66 convertible media blasted and epoxy powered coated. No oil canning whatsoever. Every panel is solid.

Throwing all Sandblasters under the bus is more of a blanket statement that is a matter of opinion. I too have blasted many cars. I admit to having had a bad experience with a hood at the beginning of my career (fatigue being a factor). That said, I learned from the mistake and understand my "craft" after years of doing this type of work. What you have presented in this particular sandblasting event is a justified upset client. Obviously an inexperienced blaster was hired. One that fell for the sales pitch of making big $$$ without effort....thanks to marketing schemes out of the State of Texas. Yep, better believe it a car can be trashed very quickly in the hands of someone that does not have a heart for details. In your videos, I Love your heart of detail, experience and explanation of your work. It that shows you know your "craft" with great wisdom and passion. ( I'll gladly watch them all) Question. Has anyone ever had an off day where you made a mistake? Maybe it was welding, using a grinder or DA in one spot too long etc.... Anyway I understand that your experience leaves you without trust in the sandblasting process. I also understand you aren't coming to the middle of the U.S. to use my service. Not even certain why I wanted to voice my opinion. There are several great points made by previous replies. Most likely those guys also sandblast as a craft. There is more to the craft than point and shoot. Sandblasters can be more complex and well rounded than what you see on the surface. My 2cents. Thanks for all your effort in producing the great videos. God bless.

Had truck blasted .omg destroyed outer panels .learned the hard way .blasting door jams floors ok. My shop I mechanicaly strip with wire wheels . Does not warp or heat panels . Or scar metal .last 5 vehicles this way i then DA primer residue off .. ready for metal work .. as always great information in your videos

I've got a lot of experience when it comes to sandblasting of equipment and vehicles and I'm very familiar with panel warping. You definitely need to keep a good distance and make fast sweeping motions and never stop in one place. Think of sandblasting as painting if you hold the paint gun too close or don't keep moving you will get a run, same thing with sandblasting except you will get warpage on any flat surface such as a hood door or fenders. Always keep moving sometimes circular motions work well.

I have a Dustless Blasting unit that uses water and does not warp the metal. Its not a perfect system but does a great job on rust.

Great video. I am struggling with the decision of hiring someone to do the bodywork or do it myself. Your videos have given me the confidence to do the bodywork on my 1937 Nash coupe myself. Thanks and looking foreword to watching the rest of your videos.

Interesting concept/tip @ 18:45 to 19:30. Would like to see a video demonstrating/explaining this a little further.

Maaaan... how many guys thst have started on a car, disassembled it like a meth head, and it's been in the garage for five years with boxes on top of it and no progress. This is definitely a video that is needed. I learned alot of this the hard way.

Apart from the risk of damaging the panels you also will never really get all the material removed from the car not matter how hard you try. I have have two cars blasted, one with garnet and the other soda and I was finding material in the car for a long time after. I'am currently doing a car now and have used paint stripper and strip disks to remove the paint in my engine bay.

Finaly somebody else understands it's not the heat it's the metal displacement. Years ago I was involved in a process of plastic media blasting that did not displace metal. Did nothing for rust, but great for paint and fillers. Rust is cut out and spot blasted anyway. Just left clean metal. Was a high volume low pressure process.

Just sand it down best way if you want a complete job !

A terrible revelation for my '68 Camaro project. It was sandblasted 3 decades ago when I thought that was the best thing to fight the rust. Now I am mechanically removing most of the paint and bondo on the body...

I sandblasted my Holden coupe using dry garnet by a professional blaster in a booth , the job came out perfect and after he finished with air he blow all the sand out of all the nook and crannies then wash it with a chemical then sprayed a clear primer over it . So about the blast on his car must have been done by a dodgy blaster .

Subscribed yesterday! Great information! I have a 67 Bronco that has a rattle can bed liner all over and I don't know how to get it off. I was told to have it walnut blasted but I don't know. I think I'm gonna have to take my time and chemical strip small areas. Any ideas? Thanks for sharing your experience and talent!

Great video , thank you , I would love to see a video on separating the inner structure from the hood , I've been thinking about doing that for a while now on a 61 bubble top hood that I have , I need to repair some rust and a few dings but the structure is in the way. Thanks again I just found your channel but I'll be following

Ok, understand the risks with all forms of blasting. What do you think about wire brushing (in angle grinder) for initial paint & rust removal? I'm working on 1950's tractor, the sheet metal is 16ga & some 14ga.

Good information.... could you address dry ice blasting sometime in the future ? Very curious about this fairly new technology.

I'm in the buy a new trunk crowd. I understand the sentiment on keeping it as original as possible, but you have to think about your sanity!

i stripped a number of cars with a polisher equipped with a sanding pad and 40grit disc. then i would use a .d.a. with 80grit to take the scratch finer. liquid stripper on parts that i could remove from the car and MUCH, MUCH more fun!.

I knew that "blasting" could be destructive, but I guess I really had no idea. My 36 Chevy coupe is still in its primer after being blasted in about 1976. (that is how I purchased it) Is it possible that it may have been done conservatively since it was a relatively rust free Montana car?

Is chemical dipping an option for getting at all the hidden rust? I know that's always been the debate, sandblasting vs dipping.

The trick is you set the alarm in the middle of the night and you will remember your dream there is the other half of your brain your subconscious mind working and having better ideas then your normal mind. I hope I’m not freaking anyone out. You usually forget your dreams that’s why you set the alarm for hours after you go to sleep.

Ya have to go dry ice blasting expressly for Italian cars

So 20 yrs ago my dad glass bead blasted my chevelle and shot an industrial epoxy on it at his work. I know he was careful when blasting. The car has been sitting in primer for that long and I've noticed that the primer would flake off in small spots down to bare metal on body panels. I was thinking that the paint was to hard for body panels and became brittle. I know it was blown off good. I know that baking soda leaves a residue that needs to be washed off after, but im not aware if glass bead leaves a residue. Ive thought about stripping the industrial epoxy back off. Since my car has been blasted where should i go from here? Looking back i wish we would have used soda instead but here we are

I was told you should sand blast stuff like the frame and heavy gauge metal's and that powder blasting was a better option for body panel's is this correct. ?

Any suggestions for refinishing my 92’ Ram Charger? I’m about to start sanding like crazy. Was thinking about blasting but after watching Sylvester’s vids, I’m changing my approach

Travis, would love to see a video of stripping with an sct tool. I started stripping a 63 Impala today and after 4 hours with stripping drum, I’m almost done with roof lol. It certainly doesn’t transfer much heat if you go easy but it sure is time consuming. Maybe there’s a better drum I’m not hip to. Awesome content as usual keep it up man!!

Here's another good explanation on this from another restorer. Plastic media blasting is really the best. It doesn't etch the metal. It does not remove rust though. Better than chemical also. Some panels (hoods, tops) have a factory adhesive between the inner frame and the outside panel. Chemical dips remove this. I know a guy that didn't discover this on his hood until the final block sand and they couldn't block it flat. It kept bowing under pressure. The outer skin had no support. He had to replace the hood. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-x3q8eRTydEo.html

On minute 5:17 he said he mechanically remove it using what???? I can't understand Travis either. Thank you!!

So is soda blasting okay or would you avoid that as well? Thanks.

How about that dry ice blasting? I know it's kinda pricey but for high end builds idk maybe some customers might do it.

question couldn't Chris use dry ice to help shrink the metal back in places that he is unable to get to?

Do you reckon the frame can be blasted because the metal is thicker?

Soooo, the rotisserie was designed primarily for emptying out the sand from blasting? 🤔 I always thought it was to help "brokedown body/paint guys" (as myself 😁) in actual bodyworking of the car (aiding in adjustable height of the panels etc.) Lol....And yeah, sandblasting doorjambs,all the crooks and crevices is fine 👍 NOT acual EXTERIOR panels most generally, and...You'll be fine 😎👌

so is there a video on the best practices for stripping paint

Okay so you mentioned sandblasting or media blasting as all it not to do it what do you recommend or anyone else watching this or reading this what do you guys recommend instead of sandblasting or Media Blasting to get all the paint off ? I understand mechanically grinding all the pain materials down to the bare metal but not get down in the cracks and crevices of panels so again I asked what would you recommend

Where and when are your and Kens classes?

Soda blasting or remove by sand paper is best less destructive and less chance for any Warpage.

And just remember guys....dont be intimidated ITS ONLY PAINT 🤣🤣

I live in the northeast sandblasting a whole car or taking the whole thing to bare metal at home would be a mistake.

What do you recommend for a class?

I had a rust free hood and trunk ruined because I paid to have only the under side blasted....

You could always buy a re-pop hood 🤷‍♂️ Goodmark, Dynacorn, OER?

Soda blasting

How many man hours do you think it would take a full time pro to get this car finished and on the road? On a scale of 1 to 100 how straight can this car get with a full time pro doing the body work?

Walnuts and glass or soda blast

Well 1st it isn't sand, it is a media of some type. The blasting probably didn't cause his problems, it probably already had issues from other factors. Blasting may cause an issue on a large panel like a top or lid, but no t in the sides and quarters. It may cause a little heat with the blasting process but any issues it does cause is because of peening and work hardening.

Its better to use stripper like "coopers strip club" then follow up with an eastwood sct to finish the metal cleanup.

It takes a true gearhead to part out his whole car for down payment on his house yet still keep the actual car.👍

I really feel for this guy, watching this video really bummed me out. I'm hoping he can realize his dream and get his ride back in order.

I blasted using aluminum oxide with no issues.

What about plastic media blasting , it doesn’t open all the paws in the metal like sand does .

Bad ass! #goducks

If a person can find a original body part and the cost and time has to out-way the part you need to rework that needs replaced and you still have by replacing it with the original part a original part .The time and money and the overall job of trying to rework a part that’s been actually destroyed unless it’s impossible to find or the cost’s our greater than fixing the existing part it makes it unfeasible to fix the part otherwise

100K SUBS FOR YOU!!❤🤍💙AUSTRALIA!!

Sucks that blasters would even do a car they should know better dipping is worth the cash every time great video great subject.

Shoot. Sorry. I guess you guys are talking about sandblasting the entire body (body panels, hood doors, fenders, quarters and roof) if so, man sorry! I'm sure ever panel is toast. We only have door jambs, engine compartment, trunk jambs blasted. Only panel we would sandblast is the floor pans and frame if it had one. We always hand strip the body panels. Be it chemical or mechanical. Best of luck.

DAMN DUDE, EDIT... A 45 min video that could be 15-20 mins

What about soda blasting?

Look up COOPER'S STRIPPER from NEW ZEALAND - they ship to the USA. A 'million' times better than so-called aircraft strippers. Walnut blasting doe not damage the metal, neither will plastic media. Grit type media will - HA - ask me how I know- HA. But honestly, have a look at the COOPER's - well worth a try. CHEERS from AUSTRALIA

You don't have to go to mechanical stripping you can do dustless sandblasting and not run into the risks of sandblasting. Sandblasting makes heat and heat warps metal. Same thing with the size of the aggregate that you use. If you use fine grit sand and dustless sandblasting it will not warp. It will take longer than sandblasting or dustless with a larger media but it's quicker than mechanical and leaves you a perfect finish. I hate when there are videos that don't explain the whole process before they demonize it. Not every solution is for every job. I would never recommend sandblasting but I would recommend dustless sandblasting provided that you understand how it works. Prep is the key just like it is with anything else and will affect your finished product as far as clean up.

Whoever you had blasting it didn't know what they were doing if you had warped or wavy panels. As far as never sandblasting a car, that is bullshit. If your blaster knows what he is doing, he will profile the metal without causing damage so that your base coat has a proper "anchor" to adhere to.

Why not just let him fix it?

Replace the trunk lid. Half the skin isn't original anyway, and that weld seam is going to be a problem.

If your media blaster is using sand, wet blasting the interior of a vehicle and warping panels he is most likely inexperienced and ignorant. When done correctly, media blasting is the ideal surface preparation for paint adhesion. When a vehicle is blasted correctly, you should be able to apply your DTM primer immediately after blasting with nothing more to do than to brush and blow off the surface. Today recycled, crushed glass is the primary Media for Blasting vehicles. It creates a 1 to 3 mil profile for the best adhesion possible. I would take the Pepsi challenge any day of the week.

There is nothing wrong with sandblasting if you pay attention and know what you are doing. To blast large areas is not hard. Turn the air pressure down, on a pressure pot turn it down to the point where the plunger seals the pot. Stand back. Don't put the nozzle close to the substrate/surface. Pay attention to what you are doing. STAY BACK. I have used Dupont Starblast and silica sand with no issues.

SODA BLASTING IS THE BETTER WAY TO GO , SODA BLASTING WILL NOT REMOVE RUST , REGULATING THE PRESSURE AT THE LINE , DISTANCE , CAN MINIMIZE WARPAGE !!!!

I know what you are talking about. Stop take a break from what you are working on. I was an electrician at Ford Motor Co. When a machine would break down, you need to get it running as soon as you can. After 4 or 5 hours work and able to find the problem. Just taking a 20min break, walking back “ bing “ there is the answer

Sand blasting the car wasn't the problem, If you don't know what you're doing then you will make a lot of mistakes. Using air pressure, the Media that you use, The distance you are away from the job while blasting makes a difference..... Doing it DIY you will RUIN the out come of the job !!!! Use a Professional..

Ur statement about Sand blasting is partly inaccurate! Unless u have done it u don’t have the expertise to make the claims u have. I have done it along w plastic media blasting which does no damage to even glass! I used a extremely fine sand used to make glass for rust like powder Sugar almost. Course Sand will do a lot of damage! There is a tremendous amount of heat from blasting w sand so distance is key. Watch a sand blaster at the nozzle at night its like a blow torch! Extremely fine sand is key and does not put or shot peen the metal. I can guarantee no warpage and no pitting. U can prime right over it and never know it was done!! After I finished either I blew the car out jntill I couldn’t get any more residual media. Never had one aingle complaint and plastic hold no moisture nor does it remove the phosphate coating originally on the metal. The only method that doesn’t ! I could literally drive the car in the rain wo any rust. Which I did for shows and often transported in the rain.