Faq
- I heard paint wont stick after dipping
- I heard stuff keeps coming out of the seams
- How do you neutralize the acid?
- How do you clean the seams
- Will the acid damage the metal?
- How long do I have before it starts rusting
- How do I prep a part for painting?
- Do I need to take everything apart?
- What about wood framed parts?
- What about aluminum?
-
I heard paint wont stick after dipping
We have no problems with this at all. Just follow the very simple steps needed and paint adhesion is perfectly fine. Where does this idea come from? From hearing this at car shows it sounds like a person saying this didn't follow the correct steps and tried using primer directly on bare metal. Of course if you do that you're going to have problems. Bare metal requires epoxy primer to seal it and become the adhesion coat for primer and paint. Zero rust paint is designed for bare metal. Normal primer is not designed for adhesion to bare metal.
-
I heard stuff keeps coming out of the seams
The most common thing I hear also. Problem is nobody can actually tell me about this. Here is all I hear "somebody, someplace, sometime ago, somewhere, had something dipped, and they had something coming out of the seams forever" Well I can't even begin to guess what "someone, someplace, sometime ago" might have done or not done. Our process is specifically designed to remove paint & rust giving you a product that is 100% clean and ready for bodywork and paint. We take our job very serious and do our very best to make sure very part is 100% fully cleaned and ready for the next step. I can't say what any other person or company may have done in the past. What I can say is we have a process and flow that is designed chemically to treat your parts and leave them ready for the painting process. We are enthusiasts just like you and know what you want and need out of our cleaning process. We will challenge anyone to find a better and more cost effective method of removing paint and rust from classic car and truck parts.
-
How do you neutralize the acid?
This question is the second most common question both at car shows and emails. Again, misunderstanding is at the root of this question. The acid is our friend in the process. It is the neutralizer. You have need to follow the flow of our process and understand a little basic chemistry. Step one is the heated base solution that removes the paint and grease. Step two we use high pressure fresh water to removal everything possible. Step three is the acid tank which neutralized the base solution and treats the rust at the same time. Step four is another high pressure cleaning followed by low pressure fresh water rinse. Final step is the rust inhibitor. Okay, note which chemical removed the paint: base chemical. Everyone knows you neutralize batter acid with baking soda (a base). We do just the opposite. Neutralize the base chemical with an acid. Leaving your metal parts ready for paint.
-
How do you clean the seams
We use very high pressure fresh water to clean the seams. Our guys are very diligent about following all the seams with the pressure washer to ensure they are fully cleaned. The flow of our acid dipping / metal cleaning process requires that each pieces goes through two separate cleaning treatments with high pressure fresh water. Parts are pressure washed after each chemical tank. Be the time each part has been cleaned twice with high pressure water it's sure to have the seams fully cleaned.
-
Will the acid damage the metal?
The acid we use will not damage your sheetmetal parts. We use phosphoric acid that's been used for decades to treat rusted surfaces for paint. Another misconception from the internet or somewhere. Let me state it again: the acid WILL NOT damage your sheetmetal panels, parts, bodies, or cabs. There are a few types of metals that the acid will damage: cast parts, spring metals, & pot metal. We can still clean cast parts and spring parts like seat springs. However, most of the cleaning on these types of metal items is done in the hot tank. Cast parts and spring material parts get only a very light acid treatment to ensure no damage is done to them.
-
How long do I have before it starts rusting
Great question. The last step in our process is the application of an rust inhibitor product to guard against items rerusting. It's a very effective product that can keep your metal dipped items looking the very same for years. Having said that parts must be kept dry and in a dry environment to them from rusting again. What I tell people is that as long as you keep your parts in our average garage or shop they will look the same a year later. Don't keep your dipped parts in your barn or under an open car port and think they won't rust.
-
How do I prep a part for painting?
Prep or paint is very easy. Here are the steps our guys in the body shop take: 1) scotchbrite the surface to scuff it a little 2) wipe clean with a wax & grease remover until fully clean 3) final wipe 4) epoxy prime Those are the exact steps we use and recommend. We have some videos on YouTube showing these steps.
-
Do I need to take everything apart?
Yes!! Everything that is intended to come apart needs to be apart. If parts are left together we can't clean behind them. We want to be able to clean each and everything the very best we can. Knowing solution will get behind or between parts is why we want to see them apart so we can fully clean each surface and ensure solution isn't trapped somewhere.
-
What about wood framed parts?
All wood needs to be removed from parts before dipping. Wood sitting in a heated tank of liquid for two days will become fully saturated and ruined. Additionally, we are very careful to avoid contamination of our second tank, the acid tank. For this reason we can't have saturated wood pieces going through both tanks.
-
What about aluminum?
We do not clean aluminum. Any aluminum part going into our tank will be distroyed. Including VIN tags. These need to be removed prior to our cleaning process.
-
- Q: I have a 1948 CJ2A that I’m restoring. A friend of mine said I could or should have it acid or metal dipped and it would be even better than sand/silca/soda blasting. What are the pros and cons? How much does metal dipping it cost? Any other info I should know?
- A: Acid dipping a car body is the best choice. When the body is dipped every surface is getting cleaned because it is completely submerged. When you sand or soda blast it will only clean what you can point the gun at. Another advantage of acid dipping is there is no chance for warping large body panels. When sand blasting there can be heat generated causing the item to warp. Another advantage our acid dipping process is the protective coating that is applied to prevent flash rusting. When a part is sand blasted it must be prepped and painted right away.
-
- Q: I called about getting the cab of my 51 Chevy truck done, and was quickly corrected about it not being acid dipping, but "chemical dipped"
- A: There are a few different ways that this process can be done. Our process does use acid in the final stages. The use of acid in the dipping procedure provides two crucial elements in the restoration process. First, it is a vital part of removing rust. Secondly, it neutralizes the paint removal process which is extremely important. This means all the chemicals that are used in the paint removal process are neutralized. Without completely neutralizing the paint removal chemicals there is a high risk of potential issues with any new paint applied to the metal of the automobile. We are not exactly sure how the other metal or acid dipping processes neutralize the paint removal process effectively or if they do at all.
-
- Q: I have always heard doing the a metal dipping of a whole car is not good. That dip gets in the seams and doesn’t come out unless the whole thing is baked to cook it out. In other words the dip seeps out and removes your new paint its better and probably cheaper to have it sand blasted.
- A: This is our most commonly asked question. First off, when the car is acid (metal) dipped with our process, all paint removal chemicals will be neutralized. If there is seepage onto the paint surface this is generally because the prep and paint work was not done correctly. Sometimes areas where the factory seam sealed or just sealed are missed when refinishing. The seepage you would see in this case is generally rust generated by water gathering and creating rust which can run out of a seam. This can lead to other discussions on restoration techniques, sealing hidden areas, etc.. On the other hand when comparing sandblasting to acid dipping some other key advantages we see are simply the cleaning of the hidden areas. Let’s say were washing a Chevelle. When we remove it from the first tank for washing it is amazing how much mud, sand and just garbage that get washed out. Areas like rocker panels, lower cowls, trunk drop off’s, etc.. If these areas are not cleaned they will simply act like a sponge and continue to gather moisture and rust from the inside out. Sand blasting will not clean these areas it will only add to the problem.
-
- Q: They use non acid dipping that does as good a job as the acid dipping. The good thing is you don't have to worry about non neutralized acid seeping out of a crack later and ruining a paint job.
- A: We use Phosphoric acid in our dipping process. This is acid is used for rust removal and neutralization of the paint removal chemicals. Phosphoric acid is also used in primers for purpose of etching ensure paint adhesion (acid etch primer) and a product called Ospho with is designed to kill rust.
-
- Q: Yeah I would be inclined to head for soda blasting or similar..apparently doesn’t warp your panels and don’t have to worry about corrosion as much.
- A: Blasting of any type will only clean what you can point the gun at. It will not clean hidden areas of metal where mud and other debris will gather moisture and cause rust.
-
- Q: Do I have to remove every bolt or what? Can I keep my disc’s and spindles on?
- A: Yes, break down as much as possible. This will allow everything to be cleaned the absolute best during the acid / metal dipping process.
-
- Q: From what I've been told you have to remove everything that’s not metal. That means aluminum also. It is very costly
- A: The metal dipping process is not friendly to aluminum and pot metals. Be sure and inspect your parts for rivets, tags, bushings etc.. for these materials. General rule is that a magnet should stick to it if you’re questioning the material.
-
- Q: I’m in Southern California do you know of any metal dipping operations in my area?
- A: You have no idea how many calls and emails I get from people far away asking me this question. Sorry we are not familiar with any other dipping operation on the West Coast that we can recommend. We have people bring their cars, car parts, and other items from as far away as the Bay Area, Sacramento, all over Northern California, Idaho, Washington State, Reno, Nevada, even Salt Lake City Utah. Oregon is a beautiful place so plan your trip up here and make a vacation out of it. Our location is just one hours drive to the Oregon Coast or an hour and a half to Portland, Oregon.