Safe to sandblast?

[1975FJ40]

Is it safe to sandblast the fenders, doors, hood etc of an FJ40? I have read some articles saying never to sandblast the sheet metal of a vehicle. Its to harsh on the metal. I have about 5 to 6 layers of paint im trying to get through. Its being stubborn even with aircraft stripper.

 

[Leaping Deer]

Certain media would work better than others. For example walnut shells are supposed to work well for stripping paint. You could also do soda blasting. Sand could warp the sheet metal.

Did you try using a pressure washer along with the paint stripper?

 

[copasspupil]

Sandblasting a forty is not that bad. The major issues with any part or a vehicle is whether or not that it has any curves in the sheetmetal. If it is flat, they tend to use 80grit sandpaper and grind it off and not sandblast it. Soda blasting only takes paint off not rust. Walnut shells are at least not used in WA state since it does not make the metal as clean and sand does.

Mine was sandblasted and I had no problem with warping. Multiple layers of paint and it came out clean.

 

[webelk6]

Is it safe to sandblast the fenders, doors, hood etc of an FJ40? I have read some articles saying never to sandblast the sheet metal of a vehicle. Its to harsh on the metal. I have about 5 to 6 layers of paint im trying to get through. Its being stubborn even with aircraft stripper.

Plastic media would be best. Sand will warp the metal when using too much air. Trust me...
Scott

 

[eleblanc]

Just don't sand at 110 psi.. start at 70 and increase if needed. But it will really depend what you are removing, if there are tons of paint, then just don't stay at the same place too long.

 

[cruiser88]

I hate walnuts

Plastic pelets are awesome

 

[CruisenSurfin]

I sandblasted my entire FJ-40 using sand with out any problems. I used a 300# pot with a 175CFM compressor that I rented from an equipment rental store. The key is to not stay in one spot for long and do not place the nozzle to close to the metal. I stayed about 18-28 inches a way and never warped any of the metal. This was on a 69 but I have heard that the later 79+ models used thinner metal.

I removed all of the pieces from the frame and placed them in the yard. Since I was renting by the hour I wanted to do all of them as quickly as possible. It took about 5 hours to sandblast every piece of sheet metal and the frame. If you care for you yard you will not want to do my method because the yard had outline drawing of all of the pieces.

One other thing is if you do not want sand in it keep it a way from the sandblasting. Sand will be everywhere. My friend sandblasted his jeep interior with the same rig as what I used. He taped up his dash with plastic and tape but sand still infiltrated everything. He had to replace his steering wheel lock due to the fact that it was full of sand.

 

[Hugh Heifer]

All mine were blasted. Did an excellent job. Nothing warped which is often a concern.

 

[marks69cruiser]

I sand blasted everything but the tub... I am happy with the results. I would definitely do it again. Hell of alot easier than sanding!! Here is my results: https://forum.ih8mud.com/paint-body/388312-garage-paint-job-budget.html