Fj40 Harptop Preparation

[Doug Moore]

I recently bought a hardtop for my ‘74 FJ40, that’s in decent shape, and my plan is to completely have it restored. I’ll be outsourcing most of that, but in the meantime I’ve taken it apart and I’m considering a winter project. I was kicking around the idea of removing the glass and using one of those pressure washer sandblasting kits to remove all the paint and rust from the metal. My thinking was, again, to have a project, and to also maybe save a bit on the cost of prep work.

My questions are if this sounds like a good idea and any suggestions on the right way to do this. And any suggestions on if I’m nuts for doing this!

Thanks in advance,
Doug

 

[Wasatch Jay]

Hmmm...

A few years ago I bought a regular sand blasting setup to blast some parts for a snowcat. It did a pretty decent job, but it was miserable work. Miserable! After that experience I decided to have my sand blasting done professionally, by people who have the right equipment and the experience.

Backup about 20 years and I was working on another vehicular project and there was a company called Redi-Strip close by. They had huge paint stripping tanks that they could put an entire car body in. I went that route. Well that Redi-Strip paint stripping solution gets in between body seams and doesn't come out. The result was the body rusted where individual panels were joined with spot welds.

The point to this long-winded explanation is that the idea of spraying very high pressure wet sand at body panels and seams strikes me as a bad idea. Too much pressure and you can warp panels. Now what have you "saved"?

There are some things in life that you can do yourself and save money. But there are other areas that it's worth paying someone else to do. In my opinion, sand blasting is in the latter category. Good luck!

 

[steffan]

I would agree - these bodies tend to rust so easily, especially in a humid Tennessee environment, I would avoid the water route. I sand/ medial blasted a lot of my stuff but with my homeowner's air compressor etc, it was a very slow, tedious process. If it's in the budget, I Would highly recommend finding a shop to media blast it

 

[jayp2]

I recently bought a hardtop for my ‘74 FJ40, that’s in decent shape, and my plan is to completely have it restored. I’ll be outsourcing most of that, but in the meantime I’ve taken it apart and I’m considering a winter project. I was kicking around the idea of removing the glass and using one of those pressure washer sandblasting kits to remove all the paint and rust from the metal. My thinking was, again, to have a project, and to also maybe save a bit on the cost of prep work.

My questions are if this sounds like a good idea and any suggestions on the right way to do this. And any suggestions on if I’m nuts for doing this!

Thanks in advance,
Doug

there are some newer methods that may work for you

Dry ice blasting

Blasting with walnut/non black beauty like media....ie biodegradable/less mess

I've got an operation near me that is mobile and will come to me

 

[Firemedic831]

Sand blasting will
Warp the panels of the hard top . You need to glass bead them.

 

[wchevron]

I watched a video on youtube of a guy using one of the pressure washer sandblasters. It worked well on his frame but the clean-up was horrible. I was thinking of getting a small sandblaster from Harbor Freight and try to do the frame/underbody this winter. Looking at some youtube reviews it looked like it might do the trick.

https://www.harborfreight.com/50-lb-portable-abrasive-blaster-kit-59483.html?campaignid=425661429&adsetid=1166583734008139&product=59483&store=3144&msclkid=503ba358b62c1f86efcac476360945d7

 

[pb4ugo]

You gotta prepare for clean up. I blasted some of the more robust body panels and parts at a friend's shop. He's got a huge 2 stage compressor , hood, gloves, gun, etc. He lays out a big sq plastic tarp to catch a bunch of abrasive. I sifted the reclaimed abrasive thru a stainer and put it back into the pot when i was done. It was a chore. It was hot and it is timie consuming but the results were great. It would've taken forever trying to get into the nooks and crannies by doing it any other way.

Back in the 80's, I prepped and swapped a tub on my 72 40. I wanted to blast the frame. A rental place recommended using their most powerful pressure washer instead. It was something like 5000psi. Twin cylinder electric start, when you pulled the trigger it set you back. 0 degree nozzle bored holes in wood. I used a tight fan nozzle and blew most of the rust and paint off the frame. The next day I hit the frame with a cup wire brush on a grinder to hit the light flash rust, then painted it.

 

[coinoperated40]

Sometimes the original paint/primer may be better if left alone. If not in bad shape, feather it and replace the bad areas.
Pictures may help

 

[fireflyr]

I used a random orbit sander and some of these discs from Homey Depot after removing most of the dark green respray with paint stripper. That wasn’t much fun. I switched over to the RO and it took about 3 hours to remove the rest of the original paint. Pretty simple process.

 

[rlong]

I just bought some of those discs at HD for various projects; looking forward to trying them. In reality there is no “easy button”. : )

 

[fireflyr]

I just bought some of those discs at HD for various projects; looking forward to trying them. In reality there is no “easy button”. : )

Believe me, that disc was phenomenal. I used my compressor to blow them out as I went and it only took 3 discs. Good luck

 

[wimberosa]

Well...definitely take it apart. Remove the glass. Look closely for body filler and rust areas that need remediation (new metal).
Spend time on getting bolts out that manage to twist off. Decide exactly how you want paint stripped. If you are sending it off
to one shop (and won't get it back) till done you may want to get some "interior frame rail" paint coating and slowly coat the inside through
any holes available in the panels. Look closely at the fiberglass roof. It may be cracked and allowing water in. I would strip
the roof by light sanding and then remediate any weak fiberglass areas....getting the thing perfectly smooth for just an eventual
epoxy coat by a pro.

 

[Doug Moore]

Everyone,

A very sincere thank you to everyone for taking the time to weigh in on my project. I think I've decided let the experts handle the media blasting. I'm gonna find someone local that can come to me for the job. There will definitely be some metal work needed, I guess I'll see how much once I get it all stripped.

Again, thanks so much for the helpful input.

Doug