We own a soda blaster at work and I tried it out on a replacement hatch. Anyhow it removed paint great and some surface rust but it would not remove rust down to bare metal and left a texture undesirable for paint. my 2 cents.

It doesn't remove rust. You supplement with coarser medium stuff for that. Not sure how it would leave a texture undesirable for paint though... I just used a surface treatment and then a primer surfacer-sealer. Could you elaborate?

Wow! That's really the way to do it.

Get some primer on that baby quick. Or Just clear coat it and pretend it's a Delorean... *grin*

It is my understanding that soda blasting leaves a residue that resists flash rust from forming for a period of time. I suppose in humid/salty climates that would be shorter than arid areas.

Something to do with the PH of the baking soda.

When ready to prime, just rinse, dry and treat the steel with something like Ospho or Metal Ready.

John

It is my understanding that soda blasting leaves a residue that resists flash rust from forming for a period of time. I suppose in humid/salty climates that would be shorter than arid areas.John

Yes, sodium bicarbonate will inhibit rust, for awhile, but there's a saying I like: "rust never sleeps".. The poster's location is Austin TX where it's fairly humid. Won't last as long as in say, Phoenix...

BTW, baking soda can be used to clean rust from some materials. I use a paste of baking soda to clean rust stains from my sails.

Looking good Lee!!! Can't wait to see the final product!!

You sure know how to make us northeast guys that are battling with the rust monster drool all over our keyboards! She seems to be in great condition for an old gal. I wish I started out with one half as nice.

I was expecting much more rust for a shell that has >300K miles on it. Having seen posts on these boards for so long, I couldn't imagine a Z which was driven hard being in this good of shape. 34 years of its life were in Houston/Austin and 5 years in San Jose so I guess its "location location location"...

Lesson is, good shells do exist! I didn't know mine was one of them!