Chemical dipping company

[DaveJ]

Does any body have any experience of Surface Processing in Dudley? They offer a full-body chemical stripping and surface preparation facility. I couldn't see any Mk1s in their portfolio .

http://www.surfaceprocessing.co.uk/

Here's an extract from their website: "Our unique process is able to remove all paint, sealants, adhesives, noise reduction materials and underseals. In addition it effectively removes rust and breaks down filler without attacking the surface of the mild steel in any way. After the contaminants are removed the shell is then completely passivated and neutralised leaving the client with a clean mild steel shell. This provides the perfect start for any rebuild or restoration. Any welding can be done without the complications encountered with the adhesives and paint, and, any extensive corrosion damage or earlier repairs are clearly identifiable".

[mk1astramad]

this is the only company i could find mate, their work is fantastic and i was going to be getting mine stripped and dipped, but instead ive bought another car that i have no intentions for the time being of restoring as ive no spare time what so ever.

the price i got quoted was 1600 for the dip n strip but if you take it away for welding before having the dipping ie get it stripped first and take it away, then ur adding an extra 800 notes to the bill as it will need dipping a second time to neutralise the whole shell.

DEFFO THE WAY TO GO, and i WILL be going don this route, just not at the present time

[matt]

Dave I ahve not had any experiance myself of this company but my mate knows someone who has used them and siad there service is first class.

Also I ahve seen the copany be used on a few Discovery programs and the cars come out amazingly well.

Also I posted a thread on here somewhere about a guy in Ireland with a BMW who brought his car over just for them to dip, so I would say they defo know what they are doing.

When I can afford it the van will defo get this treatment.

[Dyl kadett]

Yep They have always got a stall at NEC classic car show. It does indeed look first class.

[tuffty]

Is a great process as long as your car's fairly solid, I've seen a post about a chap with a mk1 escort that unbeknown to him was made of mostly filler and old beer cans, he had a bit of a shock when it came back to him

[mk indy blade]

[Dobbo]

you need to be careful it needs to be a strong shell i dipped an austin healy after all the under seal and paint was removed there was nothing left of the car and had to be scraped

[Jon_Kadett]

if ive still got love for my estate next year i really want it dipped as its a minter so well worth the money. im in the middle of stripping the paint and underseal from my kadett c coupe. not a pleasent job.

[DaveJ]

Thanks for the replies. Sounds as though this is the way forwards. The cost doesn't sounds too bad when you consider how long it would take to do all that stripping manually.

As a mentioned by a couple of posters, there is the chance that there is so much rot that it becomes impossible/uneconomical to repair. My shell is pretty good apart from the sills, arches, rear panel and bulkhead . I guess if things are that bad then you want to know about it rather than having the problems hidden by underseal etc. Would be a real gutter though to have spent the cash only for the process to have generated a whole load of scrap metal (at least it won't be rusty scrap!).

Anyway, think I'll conact SPL and get an estimate for the job.

P.S. When should a shell be scrapped? Presumably any problems could be fixed given that enough cash is thrown at the problem.

[STE WHELAN]

im just comin to the end of my welding ive used nitro morz and a grinder with wire wheel to remove the paint this proses hasnt takn very long at all no body shell is beyond repair ill put some pics up soon to show the amount of work my body shell has had done

[DaveJ]

Received a quote from SPL. I've posted it below as I'm sure it will be of interest to others.....


Many thanks for your enquiry. Assuming all parts to be steel with no aluminium present our costs to process your Mk 1 Astra would be as follows:

To chemically clean the bodyshell, Boot lid, Bonnet, Doors

£745.00 + VAT

We can also offer a priming service as follows:

To zinc phosphate and electrophoretic coat (immersion primer) - recommended

£845.00 + VAT

We do have an option whereby you can have the shell stripped, take it away and do your repair work and then return the shell to us for e-coating. If you did take this option, on return of the shell, we would have to flash it through the final stages of our process again to remove any surface rust that may have appeared and there would be a further half price charge for the re-dip. Also whereas you could weld new metal onto your shell you could not use painted or primed parts as this would incur a full price complete re-dip of the shell.

We are now booking for April / May 2010. The turnaround at present is generally 21/28 days from receipt.

You can find further information in the downloadable pdf files under 'Editorial's' on our website www.surfaceprocessing.co.uk .

All prices are subject to VAT

All prices are quoted ex-works

We can provide telephone numbers of transport companies but it is generally cheaper to hire a van and/or trailer for the day. We do not get involved with transport ourselves.

Quotation will be valid for 30 days.

Customers must ensure that all non-ferrous items are removed from the shell prior to process.

Any sealed box sections / tubes must be free draining and adequately vented (this can be done simply with a 6mm drill) to aid the effectiveness of the process. If you are at all unsure we are happy to offer advice on this.

[Jon_Kadett]

thats quite cheap! if i knew this a few years ago id have done the kadett

[jamin]