July 26th, 2010 by bbergman

Have you ever struggled with what color to select during a car restoration project? Maybe you have something in mind, but not sure exactly what the paint code is? There are times you need to pick a color – and code – when you fix a scratch or dent as a result of a fender bender.

There is a website that helps you pick colors to fix those nicks, scratches and scrapes easily. AutomotiveTouchUp.com boasts services that let you choose paint pens, brush-in-cap bottles or aerosol cans to tackle small or large jobs.

More than 100,000 original factor colors are available at an affordable price for cars, trucks and SUVs, according to the website. So does that mean you can duplicate that favorite shiny silver and blue you spotted Saturday night in the restaurant parking lot on the hot 1960s convertible mustang?

We tried it. Using a 1964 ½ White Mustang Pace car as our model type, we found the code is YG for Pace Car White and available in various sizes from $9.95 for a touch-up bottle to $79.95 for a ready-to-spray quart size.

Using another vehicle – a blue 1998 Dodge Durango – we found the paint code, PB3 for “Intense Blue Pearl” - available as well. The neat thing about this website is that the recent years include paint chip colors on the screen so we could actually see the blue as well as the code and name. Not that it’s a big deal, but helpful.

Next time you’re out and about and inspired by a particular car and color for your next project, take note of the car make and model and visit this website to source out the code.

July 15th, 2010 by bbergman

What is your favorite car? Is it the 1960s, high performance Mustang your neighbor owned when you were 10 years old? Maybe you spent your afternoons daydreaming about the day you would own one just like it. Or was your first car a 1980s cherry red Chevy Camaro with a five-speed manual transmission? Maybe your favorite car was a 1960s junker converted into a modern day classic to be envied?

Muscle cars and classic hot rods hold our fascination through the generations - maybe your parents bought your first car for you and now you are eagerly waiting for the day you hand the keys over to your children (or not!).

Regardless of what your first car was or what your favorite hot rod is now, there is something about summer that makes it an ideal time for getting back to that car restoration project, reflecting on the nostalgia of your auto or just enjoying a local cruise-in with people who have similar interests in cars.

Muscle car enthusiasts have a fascination with the look and body of their hot rods as well as an appreciation for how it was constructed. Restoring muscle cars can be a long, expensive and frustrating process at times. That’s because many hot rod enthusiasts try to make the finished product look as authentic as the original and they do this by trying to locate old, original parts that are restored or easy to rehab.

If they can’t do that, many people will try to find parts that closely resemble what is supposed to be there. Of course, the hunt to find those missing pieces for your car restoration project can be fun and thrilling. Have you ever wondered what’s stored away in those barns off the country roads? Or what’s locked up and forgotten in the old storage shed behind the abandoned shop?

Email us and tell us your favorite car – what make, model and year is it? What color and why is it your favorite? Even if you don’t own it any longer, tell us about the set of wheels that makes your heart flutter – and why.

And for the record, one of our favorite cars is the mid-1960s two-door Ford Mustang Coupe. It has a body and power that garners attention and respect without demanding it.

July 8th, 2010 by bbergman

No one could fault you for thinking the car restoration business drove off into the sunset given the way the economy has played out in recent years.

But customizing, restoring and rebuilding hot rods shows no signs of slowing down; which is good news for industry players who are responsible for serving those car hobby enthusiasts. Despite the sales and market trends – call it what you want: stagnant, flat, down, belly-up, unpredictable (by far, our favorite definition), confusing, overwhelming, the list goes on – we still enjoy hanging out in the garage and tinkering with the old two-door 1957 cherry-red Classic Chevy hard-top.

In fact, the Great Recession has inspired us to spend our discretionary funds more (dare we say wisely?) differently.

Instead of taking elaborate, long and luxurious vacations that are costly, we’ve seen classic car owners choose to focus on projects and goals they have thought about for a long time over spending two week’s salary on a trip to the Redwoods.

And we’re with you - our idea of fun doesn’t include waxing the car or doing the dreaded oil change; the good news is there is a lot of work between stripping the car to bare metal for a clean surface to installing performance-enhancing components that gives your car some muscle.

If anything, the recent economic trends may have just slowed us down enough to give us perspective and a sense of nostalgia about our hot rods. And serve as a road map on where to go from here, of course. Admit it, there’s nothing difficult about choosing to restore your first car, a classic that’s sat in your garage for 12 years – over taking another camping trip with your neighbors to the same Florida park you’ve gone to every summer the past four years.

We talk to many people who either had classic cars when they were younger and now long for an opportunity to restore their auto or wished they had a muscle car “back then” and hope to use this time in their life as parents to share a hobby with their own children.

March 23rd, 2010 by bbergman

Like acid dipping and sand blasting – plastic media is a time-consuming process that leaves behind a huge mess. We get calls all the time from people asking us the difference between plastic media and sodablasting and the first thing that immediately comes to mind is residue.

Soda blasting doesn’t like behind an ugly, messy residue on the surface like plastic media does. And removing it is a headache as well. Plastic media doesn’t rinse away with water like baking soda does. It leaves behind tiny plastic diamond-shaped balls that have 90-degree angles that get caught in hard-to-reach areas.

The abrasive process requires that you prep your car the same way you would for sand or acid – you must remove everything you don’t want plastic to touch, otherwise paint will be removed from the surface. In fact, it could even damage the surface – for instance, you have to remove chrome, glass and rubber.

Some people even reuse plastic media – they scoop it up from the job and use it again on the next job. We’re certainly in favor of recycling – we’re green, after all – but reusing materials like that is a cost-cutting measure that makes you cut corners. That’s why we – and many others – like and appreciate soda blasting. It’s a true recyclable process that is green and eco-friendly – easy to wash away and safe for the environment.

Have you used acid, sand or plastic? What are your thoughts about each option? Do you favor one over the other? How does it compare to sodablasting?

March 22nd, 2010 by bbergman

Acid dipping is a process that is also known as chemical dipping. It can be a good option when it comes to stripping a vehicle down to bare metal, but there are certainly some downsides to the process to consider. You must disassemble the entire car before you dip it, otherwise you will remove more than just rust and dirt.

Acid dipping removes paint from areas of the car that are almost impossible – if at all – to reach. When you submerge your car into a tank of acid, anything you want to keep will be removed. One factor to consider is that all the paint the manufacturer added to the inaccessible areas will also be removed and it would be impossible to get new paint back in.

This also means that a lot of time goes into prepping a car to be acid dipped compared to soda blasting.

When you acid dip – which is a more expensive and costly process – the car is submerged in the tank with other pieces to be stripped at the same time. And chances are your items are going to rub and mix with the other items.

That’s almost as bad as deep-frying ice cream in oil that was used for French Fries. Okay – maybe it isn’t the same, but the thought of putting our hot rod in an acid bath with other toys still turns our tummy inside out.

February 15th, 2010 by bbergman

You have many options for stripping paint from a car, including sandblasting, which is a messy, abrasive process that warps metal, roughs up the car surface and scratches useable panels. You have to be careful to make sure you don’t get sand in certain areas of the car, especially where there is moisture that can lead to rust.

The prep time for a sandblasting job compared to sodablasting is significantly longer because you have to cover or remove every part you don’t want stripped. With soda, you can have direct contact on mirrors, rubber, glass and chrome without worrying about permanently changing or damaging the surface.

With sand, you have to disassemble every part and component of the car that you don’t want to blast because the sand will alter, damage and rough up the surface. The time you spend prepping, covering and removing parts to protect them could be spent on something else when you choose sodablasting.

While the actual cost of sandblasting might be cheaper, you need to think about what your time is worth and if you would be better off doing other tasks (and making money) while someone else blasts the car and strips it in one shot. Even paying someone to prep that car before sandblasting is generally not a feasible solution either because of the high cost of labor and over-head involved.

The after-blast mess is no walk in the park either. It’s a physical process that can take a lot of your time away from other projects or cost you in labor to have someone else do the task for you. Sand is a hard material that doesn’t wash away easily like soda (sodium bicarbonate) does.

Next: acid-dipping vs. sodablasting.

February 9th, 2010 by bbergman

You have many choices when it comes to stripping paint from a car. In fact, there are no shortages of how you can actually get the job done. That means there are many factors and a lot of facts you should consider before you make your decision.

You want to think about the basics of your project: what are you stripping paint from, what is your deadline and how much are you willing or able to spend?

Are you removing paint and other contaminants from an old classic car that you are restoring or a commuter that suffered damage in an accident or collision? If you are working on an auto restoration project, you probably want to consider more carefully how you remove old paints, body fillers and rust.

How quickly do you need the job done? If your car project has a quick turn-around, be prepared to pay more and have fewer choices.

Whether it is your hobby car or a reliable auto used for commute, cost is a primary factor in the decision-making process. Everyone is concerned about budgets and so naturally, the price of removing paint determines the entire outcome of the project.

This week, we will explore the different options you have (soda blasting, sand blasting, acid dipping and stripping by hand with a power sander), compare the different choices and look at why soda blasting is your best solution – for performance, cost and time.

December 17th, 2009 by rhondap

Soda blasting can strip any surface safely and efficiently, reduce the time it takes to do the job and cuts cost by at least a third – if not more. It is the ideal choice for auto restoration projects because it cleans the surface to bare metal without harming or damaging the body. Car enthusiasts love it because they don’t have to remove chrome, rubber or wiring when it comes time to prepare the car for a blast job.

Soda blasting is a welcome alternative embraced by car fanatics who worry about polluting the environment. Unlike sand, soda blasting doesn’t have a negative impact on the vehicle, environment or contractor.

• Sodablasting is a great option because:
• It doesn’t damage the surface, harm the metal or scratch the body;
• It is easy to wash away and leaves behind no smelly, ugly messes or residue;

Unlike sand, it is a water-soluble food-grade product. That means contractors can work around baking soda without causing long-term scar tissue or damage to their internal organs.

Of course, there’s always the ‘cool’ factor – and great conversation-starter - when you tell everyone you’re car was restored the eco-friendly, green way.

July 15th, 2008 by SB Editor

Anyone who’s ever been to an auto show knows the importance of a great paint job. An amazing paint job can turn heads even from a distance. But what about when you get a little closer? Even with the most dazzling colors and the most aesthetic designs, your ride can’t have that glassy, glossy, perfect show-car shine without the proper surface preparation BEFORE the paint is applied.

A “Classic” car is only classic because of it’s age, but with that age comes at least one older coat of paint, with possible chips, weathering and rust. If you’re about to spend your hard earned money and time repainting your vehicle, it’s important to make sure you do all the necessary surface preparation beforehand. Removing all old paint and rust rather than painting over it will make a night and day difference in the finished product. But what’s the best way to remove the relics of your cars former life?

When you think about removing paint, sandblasting often comes to mind first. Sandblasting has been around for decades and can have decent results, but there are downsides to the sandblasting method. Sand is a very harsh abrasive that can warp or stretch sheet metal, as well as damaging any rubber seals or chrome. Not to mention that the mess left over afterwards can cut into precious cruising time. Sandblasting works fine for thicker metal parts with rust, but why not save yourself some hassle and use the same blasting media for all areas of the car?

1936 Dodge before & After Photos

Soda blasting is a similar but better process for this application. Instead of sand, it uses baking soda, which is 100% natural and non toxic. Blasting with Baking Soda will not warp metal, and will not damage glass, chrome, or rubber.

For more information visit: www.SodaBlastCars.com