[jafo]

Hi,
I finally got my '68 vert P/S inner rocker out and there is a lot of surface rust to the inner part of the outer rocker. It seems like a really tight area to try and gring out all the rust. Can I sand blast the area? I know there are certain sheet metal parts that should not be sand or media blasted, is that just the body panels that shouldn't. LMK

Thanks~
Jon

 

[modifiedmustang]

Personally, I would blast it!

I blasted my car including panels regardless of what I have heard. They all say that blasting warps metal, takes of too much, blah blah blah, causing extra body work by requiring skimming etc.

Heck, I planned to skim/glaze it anyway to get that "near" show quality finish. I can't see taking the time to get everything else so perfect and not skimming/glazing it.

I used an industrial 300lb sandblaster with a 185cfm deisel compressor. 1800 pounds of sand later I had a bare metal car inside and out top and bottom in 4 hours (not including the time it took to shovel out the sand and clean up the garage) for less than $200. So far, I have been extremely happy with the results. I have given it a base coat of primer and have just begun body work, and I haven't regretted my decision to "Blast Away".

Back to your question. Those rocker panels are thicker gauge metal and should be able to handle the blasting. Besides, your blasting should be minimal since you are just removing surface rust. If you have stubborn spots, don't spend too much time on them at once. That way the metal wont "heat up" and warp. Treat the blasting just like you would paint. You don't want runs when you paint, so you paint in thin coats. Use the same concept and technique when blasting. I did and it worked fine for me.

Just my $.02....