Can anyone give me an idea of cost to get my MG Midget tub blasted less the doors bonnet and boot. Trying to weigh up whether its worth getting the gear or getting it done professionally.
I think cost will vary so largely between different companies depending on whether they fancy doing the work, whether they are quiet, whether they've got facilities to easily move the shell without damaging it.
The only way to tell is to get out there and get quotes.
As for the cost of buying the kit that can vary depending how much you want to use it.
Just for this one job? Probably not worth buying, hiring may be a better bet.
The blast pots can be had quite cheap. It's the large compressor to give adequate air for reasonable working speed that really costs.
Getting a decent breathing air system can also add up but could also come in handy for spraying later on.
I've actually quite enjoyed blasting my truck and seeing clean metal appear after many years, but it's hard on the patience. Don't forget the mess you'll be left with on your drive if you do it yourself.
For a Midget shell I'd recommend Soda Blasting which is better for car panels. There are several specialists. Traditional grit blasting can distort panels which are easily damaged on a Midget. You can also buy the tubs and guns suitable for DIY but you'd still need a hefty compressor to do it.
Dipping at Surface Processing (SPL) is a great way to go but if cost is an issue you might not like the £2k it'll cost including the electrocote. They say it's better to repair the main bits then dip and coat rather than dip, go yikes where's the metal gone, repair, re-dip (last bits) then e-coat.
Or you could go the whole hog and do what my Dad with his Midget shell which was throw it away and buy a heritage shell. Whilst not an easy option by any means if you have extensive and complicated welding to do it's the only real option and often works out cheaper than paying someone else to weld and hope they do a good job. Midgets have some very difficult bits to weld and their box section nature means they rust everywhere.
I popped down to a local blaster who quoted me £300 for the tub and front vallance, no doors boot or bonnet. He said not to bother taking off the under-seal as the blasting would do the job. He uses soda and glass depending on the job, which he said justified the price. He'd pick up the tub from my home and deliver back zinc primed included in the price.
A local classic car garage uses them so hes used to doing delicate stuff.
My Midget was delivered back from the blasters yesterday. Just thought I'd paste up a couple of shots. As ever its uncovered more work, including the other sill, luckily only the outer. The company was excellent and did exactly what they said including giving me a call between blaster and zinc primer so I could go over and take a look. All in all I'm very pleased and its great to work on a nice clean tub AND he gave me a 150 ltr Clark compressor tank complete with blow off valve and shut off valve.
If anyone needs a blaster in the Andover, Hampshire area I'm be happy to share his details.