Auto & Truck Restoration

Auto and truck restoration has become a booming industry. Whether you are a "DIY" enthusiast, paint and body technician or body shop owner, having effective portable blasting equipment is a necessity. Considering the prices being garnered for impeccably restored muscle cars, vintage sports cars and antique autos, becoming an old car restoration technician could be a very lucrative enterprise.

Pressure Blasting vs. Hand Sanding

Both blasting and hand sanding have their place and purpose in auto and truck restoration. But they are not interchangeable methods and for obvious reasons. The following list will illustrate the advantages of pressure blasting instead of hand sanding:

1. Time and labor savings
2. Removal of pits and rust spots
3. Cleaning of engine parts
4. Accessing hard to reach areas
5. Removal of road grime and gunk from the undercarriage

Pressure blasting is typically for large areas, hard to reach places and when hand sanding would require an excessive amount of work and time.

Classic Car Restoration Equipment and Application

Regardless of the reason for blasting, there is a basic equipment list needed to tackle any old car restoration project.

1. Portable Pressure Blast machine
2. Blasting media
3. Protective clothing, gloves, goggles, mask
4. Wire brush
5. Scraping tools

Obviously the most important component is the blasting system itself. The capacity and duration of blasting time will depend upon your own project. If you are doing a frame-off restoration which includes cleaning the frame and all component pieces, you will want a blasting system with a higher capacity like the Kramer Industries PPB Series Model KF300DM or KF300R. If your auto restoration project is the frame-on method or just general sand blasting to clean off the visible areas, then the Kramer PPB Model KF110DM will handle the job nicely.

The type of media to use will depend upon what particular car pieces you are blasting and what you are trying to accomplish. Walnut shell grit, plastic abrasives and glass beads each offer different finishing characteristics. All of these blasting media come in various grit sizes so be sure to use the proper size and type to get the desired results for your restoration project.

How to Use a Pressure Blaster

When using portable pressure blast equipment for auto restoration, you want to be careful and use an even, steady pattern when blasting the metal. If you stay in one spot for very long or set the air pressure too high, you could blast straight through the car part. Use nice, smooth, steady and even back and forth motions. Keep doing this until the substance is removed and the part is clean and clear.

With auto restoration, your finished project will only be as good as the time and effort you take to prep the vehicle. By blasting away the old dirt, debris and rust, you will make sure your restored car looks better than it did on the show room floor.