Ryan Perrella

I am looking to do a restoration on an 87 911 and want to get the car down to bare metal. I have heard the benefits of having the car Acid dipped but have been unable to find a place that does or get a quote to have it done. I found one place on a website that charges $1.75 per pound to do it. What does a bar shell weigh without the fenders? I would imagine about 500LBS? am i right?

I am looking for a place to have this done in Southern CA. But havent had any luck finding one although I imagine there are more in So Cal than anyother place in the world honestly. Any ideas?

I was also interested in having the interior and floor of the car and all areas that will not see a final finish, powder coated. This should be done immediately after being stripped and I like the idea of powder coating as oposed to paind as its a more durable finish and will get into allot tougher places to reach than would spray painting the interior.

Any ideas on cost for these things?

Ryan

pjc

Ryan,

Why so keen on acid dipping? Seems a bit harsh. Your car is zinc coated and surely the acid could cause problems.

PJC

BHMSC

I would agree with pjc that acid dipping is a pretty extreme approach. In the early 80's, a my racing partner and I had a unit body acid dipped for an SCCA race car. The result was just what we wanted - literally a “body in white” - perfect for seam welding, etc. I don’t think it can be done in Maryland anymore, probably due to environmental regulations. You may find that you can’t get it done in California either. Remember that, if you can get it done, acid dipping will remove everything but the metal - all paint, undercoating, sealants, etc. Unit bodies have blind spaces. Acid will remove paint in these areas but you won’t be able to repaint them for rustproofing purposes. Los Angeles is filled with shops that build street rods and restore cars. I would visit some of them and see how they deal with the problem of removing paint, bondo, etc.

art

According to a Jim Newton tech quiz a few years ago at the zone 1 tech tactics, a bare early 911 shell weighs 275 lbs.

ked

Acid dipping is a method of last resort. The structure & galvanized surface treatment of the 911 are not particularly appropriate for acid-dipping (instead of rust coming out in 10 years, how'd you like remaining acid eating its way out?).

Before solving your rust problem be as absolutely sure as possible of precisely what your rust problem is...

On the other hand, if you are trying to create a very lightweight competiton chassis...

Paul Conquest

Instead of acid dipping, how about soda blasting. The soda media used for blasting is essentially baking soda produced in the same sized grain as silica blasting sand. Unlike sand, however, the soda "explodes" on impact taking the paint off in the process. Soda doesn't have a hard surface or edge like silica sand or glass bead, so the blasting process is less harsh and won't result in the same degree of heat or surface distortion. And its environmentally friendly ... washes away with tap water.

Tim K

Soda blasting wears the paint away, and if there are numerous coats and bondo to be removed, it can be very time consuming. If this is the case, get a quote in writing. I've had quotes between $700- 1400 Canadian ($400-1000 U.S.?) for a complete shell (inside and out). If rust isn't an issue, for the potential hassles (and expense?) of acid dipping, Soda blasting seems like an attractive alternative. Some other types of "media" blasting are crushed walnut shells, plastic beads, even dry ice.

Tim

Ryan Perrella

The basis for this would be to remove EVERYTHING and paint fresh. I had not heard of soda blasting but that maybe something i try and look into.

I am not looking to do rust repair, i simply want to start with a bare shell and paint on just the steel instead on top of paint. I want to remove the undercoating and reduce the weight of the car as well.

What about having the interior of the car powder painted? Does that sound like the best way to go as far as interior paint goes? I am looking for a durable finish that wont scratch easily in a car that could be carpetless at some point, and have a very well wearing floor of the car as well as trunk. But I do not want to powder coat any of the exterior as the finish will no doubt never match and I would just paint that with whatever color i decide.