[Guest]

I'm redoing a 65 coupe. There is some rust but alot of paint both inside and out.

I know about strippers leaching out of cracks years after you paint. I also know that there are some cracks and crevises that media blasting won't get into.

Are there other issues with having the car dipped? I'd like to hear from people that have done both.
Thanks

 

[67shelby]

If you dip, every bit of seam sealer will be removed from the car. Look at the picture on my web page to see my coupe after it was dipped.

 

[Axnjxn]

Unless you have reason to suspect there is rust in the joints, I don't see any advantage to dipping over blasting. Any left over paint isn't hurting anything.

Dipping is more thurough, but consequently also more invasive. Personally, unless it was a rusty Shelby, Boss, or other especially rare breed, I'd go with the blasting.

 

[Guest]

How tough was resealing all the seams? In retrospect, was it the right choice or do you wish you had blasted it instead?

 

[67shelby]

How tough? Every seam in the car. Things you don't really think about. For instance, the windshield wiper mounts, under the dash. The nuts that are used to hold the wipers on the cowl are seam sealed into the cowl. Luckily, I found most of them when we put it on the rotisserie, but I had to find some donors (harder than heck to get out) and JB weld them back into the cowl (I used masking tape to tape them to my finger go get them up in the holes).

I'd blast next time.

 

[paulwall]

If there were someplace near me to dip, I'd dip. It costs about the same as blasting, and get's all the rust, everywhere. Then, it is sealed with Ospho-like product. The seams should be re-sealed anyway, during restoration. 65-66 cars had the wiper post nuts captured to the metal, not seam sealed in.

With blasting, you run the risk of blowing out the media during painting.

 

[JohnS_65KGT]

I had mine dipped and I don't regret it. You can see pictures here www.aopclick.com/mustang_pics.htm
Dipping gets everything off. Rust has no place to hide from the bath.
The final dip in the zinc bath puts my mind at ease knowing that it will not rust on me for a very long time. As for the sealers, good riddence, its all hard and cracking anyway and the modern sealers are superior to the old stuff. Plus, you can now apply it more carefully. My body shop used a 2 part flowable sealer to get the cowl vents, inside the rockers and other inaccessable areas, and where Ford used a weldable sealer.
Last point. you can't blast inside the cowl or rockers, favorite spots for rust.
Dipping vs Blasting
Cost: About the same (dipping may be slightly higher but worth it)
Dipping: Your shell is back in a week clean, protected and ready to start restoring.
Blasting: I dont know how long but a lot of labor still has to go into it to clean all the media out of it and, if you desire, apply a zinc coating which still won't reach the inaccessable areas as well as dipping does.

 

[67mach]

There is a place in Houston, TX if you want the information send me let me know.

 

[Guest]

I'm not really as dumb or inexperienced as this question....

You mentioned a zinc bath. Did the dip shop have a bath they submerged the car in or was this a zinc mixture that was sprayed on at the body shop?

Also, I'm doing most, if not all, of the work myself. Is the sealer something that comes in a tube (for a caulking gun)? I was looking at your photos. Was all the brazing to correct cracks in the metal? If so, is there a reason I couldn't use a MIG welder?

 

[dickson]

John - I was and am still awed by the pics of your car after dipping....If not for some residual flaws, I'd think it was a brand new pristine "casting" of a vintage mustang. Pretty cool.....

 

[sparky65]

I have a question what about the little stuff that was taken off the car do they dip that two or is it an extra charge.

 

[Bud63]

John - did you have the doors and trunk lid dipped too or were they stripped another way? I'm almost ready to go to the stripper and am curious as to how you handled these.

BTW your car looks awsome!!

 

[JohnS_65KGT]

It was actually submerged at the dip shop.

I believe you could purchase the sealer and do it yourself but it might require a special gun since it is a 2 part substance it is in a 2 tube dispenser just like epoxy is except it is mixed in the tip. They attached a piece of rubber hose to the end and fed it into the inaccessable areas and just pumped it in until it overflowed out. If interested I can find out what its called for you.

All the brazing you see were collision repairs done sometime in the 70's (Bodyshops guess based on methods used). All that was removed mostly by replacing the sheet metal but any remaining brazing was removed and MIG welded instead.

John

 

[JohnS_65KGT]

All the sheet metal items were dipped, I believe, at the same time. You need to be careful what little stuff you send. Pot metal items should NOT be dipped. For example, all the lead that was on my car ended up as chunks of slag on the floorboard when it was done.
Cast iron and steel only!

Some of the really small stuff you could do yourself just by soaking them in paint thinner for a while to remove the paint then coating them them with Oxysolve to put on the Zinc coating.

John

 

[JohnS_65KGT]

All sheet metal parts were dipped.

John

 

[Guest]

Thanks. I'm going to investigate seam sealers here with a couple of bodyshop supply places. If I don't get any information, I'll let you know.

Where was the lead on the car (before it was dipped)? I thought they used lead around the base of the roof on some cars. Did you have big holes? Are there any books or diagrams you've seen that show all the seams that need to be sealed or is it just "look around and seal everything that looks like a seam"?

 

[JohnS_65KGT]

On my fastback the lead came out of the joints where the roof met the quarter panel (above the air extractors).
If you get a "Body Assembly Manual" it will show you all the factory weld and sealer information you need. NPD has them as do many other of the Mustang part suppliers.

John

 

[Guest]

Great. Thanks

 

[Guest]

I forgot to ask one question about having a car dipped. How did you prime and paint inside the cowl or did you remove it and reinstall it?