I am just starting my complete nut and bolt restoration of my 1964 Giulia Spider Veloce and I was hoping to get some input on stripping media. I am getting ready to strip down the body and media blast the car. I was leaning towards a walnut media blast for this. Does anyone have an opinion or suggestion on what has worked best? Pic attached. Thanks.
Once completely disassembled, down to the shell, (which can be carried around by two people!) many send the shell out to be chemical dipped. This is good as it exposes all corrosion, but bad in that the chemical can be trapped in boxed in areas. It does allow a thorough analysis of corrosion damage, or poorly repaired sheet metal damage.
Another preferred method is "dry-ice blasting", good for removal of fillers or plastic coatings. It leaves no residue other than material removed.
"Soda-blasting" is another good one, soda residue dissolves in water.
Finally, many use chemical strippers, then hand labor to get down to solid metal. Very labor intensive.
Walnut, or fine glass media collects in hidden areas and can later become a moisture trap unless removed.
Remember that these cars were designed with a service life of 3 to 5 years, and "sealed passages" in the body structure were not sealed well.
There will be plenty of corrosion.
As you disassemble, photograph and catalog everything, including fasteners. Use tags on wire loom components. Document everything done and seen in a notebook.
Eventually you need to put it back together again correctly!
Thanks for that Gordon, very helpful information. I will have to inquire If there is anyone who does dry ice blasting in my area. It is not a method I have come across yet. Thanks.
Your 64 should have ALFA ROMEO and 1600 for the trunk lid. Script is available as is the 1600. I have seen lately some VELOCE script that has been unavailable for decades recently show up on sites in Italy. What it looks like compared to the original, I have no idea.
I use a body shop that blasts the car using Walnut shells. I have also know of a place that soda blasts the body. I think that the Walnut shells are a better media compared to the soda blast. I would not recommend chemical strippers because it tends to leave residues that can damage the body and painted surfaces unless you can neutralize the chemicals and dip the entire body in a primer tank.
Last week I had a chat with the owner of a local body shop who does a lot of work on early Porsches, and we spoke about the latest thinking on paint stripping. For the past couple of years he has been using a process which involves placing the bare shell inside a sealed chamber. This chamber is then purged of oxygen and the interior is heated with radiant lights. Apparently, this process causes any paint and underseal to shrivel and fall off naturally. The body is then removed from the oven and, once cooled, any residual paint etc can be removed with a stiff brush. It then undergoes a chemical dip, followed by a neutralising process and an e-coat. Because all the paint has been removed prior to the dipping process, the length of time spent in the acid bath is much shorter and therefore is less aggressive to the shell, thereby averting some potential problems. I saw one car which had recently undergone this treatment and could see no problem in potentially difficult areas, e.g. where two or even three sheets of metal were spot-welded or crimped (etc) together. I was also told that the surface heating does not alter the temper of the metal in any way as it is quite gentle.
But as others have said, there are other techniques, although they will struggle to remove corrosion from box sections. Dry ice is excellent for removing underbody sealants, plastic media is good for paint and light corrosion removal. Walnut is good for aluminium parts. I think the secret is finding someone who knows how to use the various media selectively, and at the right pressures, to avoid metal distortion and so on.
Great information. I am going to walk through a couple of shops this weekend and check the quality of work and will report back. I am still going through the process of documenting all parts and stripping down the rest of the car. Engine and transmission are out and parts are starting to be restored. Oil pump, water pump and frb 11 have already been incredibly restored by Gordon Raymond (will post some pics). Does anyone have an opinion on restoring the master brake cylinder vs. Buying a new one, and who does a good job? Thanks. Rob
New old Alfa stuff IS nice! NOT self-promoting, but it is the reason I've chosen to do this kind of work. The before and after gives the restorer a great feeling. It's often the reason that after BB members restore an Alfa, they then do another, and another....
Just my opinion from my own experience.
For the Master cylinder, I've got one from George (GTD on this forum) in New Hampshire, he relines the cylinder in stainless steel and is very reasonable about the price.
Great info. I will contact GTD on the cylinder. Pescara, that is one serious restoration! I will post more pics of restoration as parts come in. Thanks for the help!
Exciting Day Today! After several months, emails and attempts, i have finally received a date that i can mark in my calendar and pop the champagne to year after year! (see pic attacthed)
Enjoyed reading about the build and sell dates of your 64 Giulia Spider. Looks like our cars were sold on the same day:
"Dear Mister Smith,
With reference to your request we are informing you as follows.
According to our documentation files, the chassis number AR 379356 originally corresponds to an Alfa Romeo Giulia Spider (101.23), engine series AR 00112, manufactured on the 15th April 1964 and sold on the 16th July 1964 to Alfa Romeo Inc., Newark USA.
The body colour is white, with black interiors.
Yours, Sincerely,
Marco Fazio"
As it turns out, four members of the Oklahoma chapter of AROC, located here in Tulsa, have '64 Giulia Spiders; "It's a small "Alfa" world; after all".
Thanks for that Velocedoc. I did look at 3 other 1964 veloces very close to my chassis number and build date and they all indeed have the "ALFA ROMEO" badge along with veloce 1600 badge. I looked at some of the reproduction badges out there. They do look ok but up close I thought they are a little off. I will hold out to have my original badges redone and see what the outcome is at that point. It really seems like New reproduction parts are coming out all the time for these cars. Restorations must be on the uptick! ��
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