Was wondering - I am fixing my front suspension. While I have everything apart I am going to restore/repaint the front control arms.

To remove old paint and some rust what is better: a) to particle blast it, or b) use chemical paint and rust removers?

Not concerned about cost, but about quality and ease of the process.

Thanks!!

 

i paint 4 a living and i try 2 never use stripers!! i like sand or soda blasting!! when you use stripers it dosnt allways strip it the first time and after you strip it you have a wash and wash and wash 2 make sure all the striper is off if you dont your paint will lift in time teh striper will slowly work its way up, i would go with blasting 100%

 

I vote blasting, too.
Heck you can even take the arms to a shop who will blast them AND powdercoat them. They would look sharp after that...
I would suggest you inspect the arms well after blasting for cracks before painting or coating.

 

OK thanks that makes sense!!! Did't think of that.

Perhaps u can answer this question then - Eastwood Paints sells something they call "Pre" it is supposed to be used after you buff off rust . It is NOT for paint removal. Do you think that stuff is good to use?

http://www.eastwood.com/eastwood-afterblast.html

http://www.eastwood.com/ew-pre-painting-prep-qt.html

 

Lady - blast and powder coat.....sounds like a good idea!! Were the cars originally powder coasted or was just paint sprayed on? Does anyone know?

 

I would also blast the control arms. The metal is so heavy you won't have to worry about heat warpage.

 

yea that will work great the paint/power coat will stick better, ive never used eastwoods i buy wax/greese remover from the paint store but it dosnt have acid in it and dosnt foam up eastwoods looks like it works better!!

 

I have had great success stripping (removing) paint and rust from control arms with a heavy duty almost industrial type of wire wheel angle grinder I got from Snap-On many years ago. I have even done the entire under-carriage of several cars and rear end housings, too. It leaves a perfect bare metal surface that is ready for priming or powder-coating. Powder-coating, if available is preferred because of it's durability---it was not on the cars when they were new. I HATE chemical strippers for MANY reasons and will only use them as a LAST RESORT. As for painting the parts myself-- after the wire wheel I use Hot-Rod black primer in a rattle can and black Bar-B- Que paint also in a rattle can---been doing it for years and people swear I have it done professionally. It's all in the prep, sanding, and allowing each coat to tack (not dry completely)---also, another tip is to get the rattle can REAL HOT---really makes the paint flow.

 

If you are on a budget, Dave's idea of using the high speed angle grinder with a wire wheel is a good idea. I used my neighbor's on a pair of door hinges and it took that paint off FAST! Only issue were in the nooks and crannies that control arms lack.
Also I consumes a whole 4.5" wirewheel. Be careful with it, as it will take flesh off as easily as paint... Wear safety glasses for sure!

I ~think~ the factory painted the parts with a hard enamel, but not for sure. I am not too sure powdercoat was common back then.

 

The semi-gloss black paint available at most auto parts stores is a close match to the factory color on brackets, control arms, etc.

 

The frame along with suspension and a lot of other parts were dip painted. The paint floats on the surface in a tank of water and when the parts are immersed and pulled out the paint adheres to them. The reason for all those drips on original parts.
I think they did use a quick drying enamel of some sort too?
You can do it with a bucket of water and paint, really works well to get good coverage on coil springs.

I sandblast control arms, best and easiest way to get the paint off IMO and the surface is ready for paint after cleaning. I use prep-sol followed by Eastwood underhood black, no primer. I've learned over the years that straight paint over a well prepared surface is more durable than primer/paint on suspension parts.

 

Hard to imagine paint sticking to water-wetted parts... Special paint maybe?

 

I thought the same thing Rob.

 

It works see link below. They were smart and very clever back in the day.




http://books.google.com/books?id=nbu...0parts&f=false

 

wow thats crazy!!!!!!!!!

 

Blue........really no primer.....that is unusual to say the least.

 

the factory never primed anything other than the exterior body panels. they didnt really care about anything other than coating the parts so they wouldnt rust while under warranty. beyond that wasnt their problem. many of the black dipped parts are painted with what ever black was left from painting other parts. the paint was dumped into the vat mixed together.

 

Amazing... I may try to get the guts to attempt this when i redo my front suspension this fall / winter! I might be able to do engine brackets like this also...

 

I blast frames suspension and undercarriage.
I use chemical stripper or DA on the body.
Unless you're doing a concourse car, Rustoleum semi-gloss black looks like factory and is very durable.
It's also a lot cheaper! I buy it by the gallon and thin it with acetone per the instructions, then just spray it on.
Although it's not necessary, especially if you are painting a clean blasted surface,
I usually prime with the Rustoleum Red primer before spraying the black.