Cutting and Sanding Process & Supplies

[ITMike5.0]

I'm new to ANY kind of body work so I'm just looking for some tips and tricks so I don't make too many mistakes and come out with a good end result.  Over the past several months to a year I've slowly been accumulating more tools and supplies that I will need.  This is the first restoration for me and I really had to start from scratch.  I've got an 80 gallon 2 stage compressor and have purchased many air tools that I will be able to use.  For my project I will be replacing quarter skins, possibly one full quarter, fender aprons, cowl I'm sure : , and also cutting out & welding in other smaller sections.  One example of that is trying to save my original hood.  It has a lot of rust and I was able to pick up another original hood to use for donor pieces. Luckily..and oddly enough the two hoods have different problem areas.  I would have expected all hoods to rust in the same places.  So luckily I will be able to cut good pieces off the donor hood to be used for the original.  Or maybe it will be the other way around if mine is more rusted on the inside than the donor.  Either way my hope is to come out of this with one nice original Ford hood.  Below I'm going to list some of the tools I have and then the questions I have.  Hopefully you all can provide me with more guidance, some tips/tricks, and any other information that you feel would be helpful for such a project.  

Tools I have:

Klutch MP220SiDV welder w/spot-weld timer

Welding mask, gloves, blanket, pliers, magnets, vise grips, vise grip sheet metal tool, duckbill pliers

Blair spot-weld cutter set

Seam buster chisels 

2 500lb portable work stands

Body hammer and dollies set

1/4" Central Pneumatic air angle die grinder

3" Central Pneumatic high speed air cut off tool

4 1/2" Ryobi angle grinder (electric)

Grinding Shield

6" Craftsman DA air sander

IR edge series air hammer

IR 429 air reciprocating saw

Air punch flange tool Central Pneumatic

1/2" Craftsman air impact wrench

3/4" Craftsman air impact wrench

3/8 ratchet (both air powered and also a cordless)

3/8 butterfly impact wrench

Blasting Cabinet

Obviously a bunch of hand tools

One rolling tool cabinet with a workbench top & another 6ft workbench

One 5" old Wilton(made in USA) bench mount vise & smaller 3" Columbia vise

Questions I have is regarding the cutting and sanding: 

- Is there a brand that everyone seems to go with for reciprocating saw blades?  

- What is the "go to" brand/type for grinding down spot welds?  

- what is the best sanding disc to use for prepping panels, getting off the paint rust prior to doing any cutting or welding?

Any other sanding, grinding or cutting information that you feel would be useful for a beginner would be great!  :

Are there any other tools that you did not see mentioned above that would be vital for this type of work?

Are there any threads on here or good videos that go through the process of sanding/prepping panels, griding spot welds, or other finish work?

Best primers?  Use weld through primer?  I could keep going all day... at this point I'm full of questions.   :chin:

 

[keiths71]

One very important thing is having clean dry air before you prime or paint, mount a water / oil separator about 25' from your compressor so the air has a chance to cool. Moisture in your first coat (or any coat) which you may not see will ruin your hard work and money spent on materials. I would go to all of the body and paint suppliers in your area to find the one that is the most helpful and informative . Building a relationship with your supplier will pay dividends in the long run. Looks like you have a long run. Lol

 

[ITMike5.0]

One very important thing is having clean dry air before you prime or paint, mount a water / oil separator about 25' from your compressor so the air has  a chance to cool. Moisture in your first coat (or any coat) which you may not see will ruin your hard work and money spent on materials. I would go to all of the body and paint suppliers in your area to find the one that is the most helpful and informative . Building a relationship with your supplier will pay dividends in the long run. Looks like you have a long run. Lol

Thanks, I will keep that in mind.  I'm not sure if I will do any painting or not.  Maybe some of the smaller parts but not sure I'll tackle the whole car.  Also probably some primer here and there.  But who knows...I just might surprise myself.

 

[Hemikiller]

Not only is clean dry air a must for painting, it's a must to keep your tools from being destroyed by rust. Air compressors generate a lot of moisture and it ends up in the tools pretty quickly unless you have a water separator/dryer. Go drain your compressor and see how much water comes out.

 

[ITMike5.0]

Any thoughts on my tool list and my questions regarding cutting/sanding and supplies? Answer my questions like I am your apprentice because I am as green as grass!

 

[Don C]

It looks like you have put a lot of thought and research into your tool purchases. There is no perfect set of tools, and it looks like you will have a good start. Never get too focused on one item or methodology, things WILL come up that weren't planned on or for. Different methods and supplies work for different people. Just like asking which reciprocating saw blades are the best. For just general every day use blades from Harbor Freight might be just fine. If you're cutting a lot of harder metals, you may need a better quality, like Milwaukee. One thing you'll find out, high price doesn't always mean better.

Continue to do your research and select tools and methods that seem to be a good fit for you, there are as many opinions out there as there are people.

When you're not making a living with your tools you don't need the same quality as a professional mechanic.

There have been a lot of good threads on our forum about paints and preparation.

When you make your decision about how you are going to proceed, don't write it in stone, you'll have to make adjustments and changes as you go.

 

[Hemikiller]

I found an air hammer with a panel ripper extremely useful. I still have my original Snap On unit I bought back in the mid-90's. Cut up a lot of scrap cars in my day, never broke one. Just make sure you wear ear protection!

https://store.snapon.com/Sheet-Metal-Rippers-Ripper-Sheet-Metal-5-8-Wide-5--P643110.aspx

Never liked air ratchets or butterfly impacts. Always preferred a gun style impact for 3/8" . Too many squished fingers with the ratchets.

As far as abrasives go - do NOT buy cheap abrasives. You'll go through 10x the cheap stuff as quality. Find an auto body supply store near you and get the stuff the body shops use. All sand paper & discs should be stearate (anti-clog) coated.

 

[Fabrice]

Good tooling is 1/2 the work. Tho some expensive ones are not always the ones you end up using most, here my 2 cents on the less expensive details. For instance a saw is nice, got one, but I find myself using high density very thin discs more often, I like their sharp cut more than the saw. Grinders/90deg rotating hand machines, having a good one is a must and I swear by Bosh for these, but having two is way better! When doing body work, you often need a different disc or brush wheel, and trust me, its never the one you need that is on the machine Ear protection is also welcome. I use now medicine/chemical pair of glasses for the dust work, unlike most I used in the past, not only they are crystal clear, they are resistant to explosions, they do not get foggy from your own breath, that alone is priceless as you will keep them on all the time and they cost 3 dollars at the university student shop. I got in the past a welding helmet you needed to hold. always dark. Now have this self darkening one, huge diff. Details like a good magnet to hold your patches in place strongly, or a sharp nice pliers that cuts your weld wire without bending it and fits nicely in your hand with thick gloves on. Ah yes gloves, I like all leather ones that go up on your arm, no swet and they absord heat much better than classic all purposes working gloves while welding. The little piece of aluminium or copper that you can place behind the hole so your melting bath doesn't fall is handy too. I will not mention a good hammer, dolly which are often underestimated for a nice surface...

 

[RCH71]

I am a shoppaholic when it comes to tools! my best advise: Dont buy until you need it! and when you need it...buy quality tools! this will save you from buying tools that you will never use. Having the right tool and a quality tool makes any work a lot easier and enjoyable!

As Don said, there are many ways to do a job. You will know what you need as you advance in your project.

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