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How to bid automotive media blasting jobs?

9K views 24 replies 11 participants last post by  gatorblaster 
#1 ·
hi i have been an industrial sandblaster painter for 15+ yrs....have used several different media's....black beauty,silica,starblast,walnut shell, etc..........i have no problem bidding structural jobs and tanks......i have blasted a few of my own truck projects with star blast with good results.......no warping or other issues.......my question is really related to when it comes to doing cars and trucks what is the going rate for blasting vehicles.....i of course want to maximize profit and not leave any money on the table....what is this service worth to the serious customer bottom and topline.......i know their are blasters on here as i have read some of their posts. any input or info would be appreciated from the professionals or people that have had it done........what did you pay and what all did it cover??? exterior only...interior or both???? how much????? thanks
 
#2 ·
you need to find media blasters in your area and go from there. Talk to restoration shops and other places that would have this work done and ask them what it cost to have a car done. find out who they use and then call them and get a quote. You will have to determine how much material it will take to blast a car(varies on how many layers of paint, type, body filler, ect...) , fuel for your blaster if gas/diesel powered, or electricity having compressor on all the time. You will find out prices vary dramatically between areas. You will have to base YOUR price on YOUR area. Other wise you might find out the hard way that 1)you don't have any work because you are too high or 2) you have TOO much work because you are too cheap. Either way, you will go broke in the long run. With that said, one place here in KC is @1000-1200 for a complete car inside and out on rotisserie. Another shop charges $70 an hour for how ever long it takes. Dont plan on getting rich blasting cars bodies. You warp ONE panel and you will have a mess to deal with from the customer!!!(AND any future customers)
 
#4 ·
theres a guy around here that does it(mobile) i seen hes done gravity boxes, heavy equipment, and a did a few of my friends cars.. he is doing mine in 2 weeks.. the bottom of the car,engine bay, inside of the car and i think he just uses sand. i think he charges 75 a hour but not sure.. it was around 200-250 for a car like i said above.. there used to be a media blaster shop but they closed so i dont know what they charged.
 
#5 ·
thanks.....i am also mobile...i am just trying to expand my services.....i know you have to be careful with cars because warping someones project would definitely not be a good thing.....i know it's not a get rich thing....just enjoy doing it more than steel structure and tanks...i'm in central fla.....so if you know of any shops down here.....let me know......thanks for all the input from everyone
 
#8 ·
1,200.00 around here...inside and out ..owner disassembles...
One thing ...when you run into a panel thats stuffed with bondo(and you will),leave the bondo showing or you'll get blamed for the damage...
BTW, I'm in augusta now but I came from central fla (ocala) I might be able to hook you up with a few shops there ....PM me if you want..
 
#9 ·
I'm in New Jersey and my prices are similar to blastoffny.com

We use a Farrow System which uses Volcanic Glass media with low pressure in a vapor mist to eliminate dust.

Our prices are anywhere from $1200 to $1800 for a complete car both inside, outside as well as underneath.

And yes if you run into bondo.... stop and let the owner know... also take digital pictures before, during and after.
 
#10 ·
I think a mobile service would be a great idea,I've had my own body shop for over 20 yrs and I've been toying around with the idea of starting a mobile service for paint stripping ,patch panels and 1/4s (just metal work).I already go around to other shops that dont have the time or talent for special work so doing it for private customers isnt that big a step... I think its a big deal for someone to trust a body shop with their pride and joy (not to mention very expensive).Its also THE most important and hardest part of a resto (especially for a newbie),so this might help them get started and put some fire under them.....This might just take off from the feedback I've recieved so far...
 
#12 ·
here is some pics of my recent blast job.. he was mobile and came out to the farm. he used sand and didnt hurt a thing, he stayed away from 1/4s and did all that you can see.only took a little over a hour. i used aircraft stripper to get all the factory undercoating off. he would have been there alot longer if i had not done it in the first place..

only cost $160 and that was with a $20+ tip. he charges $90 a hour. i thought he charged 75 a hour. he figured about 175 but that was before he came out and it went really fast. me stripping the cars undercoating really helped keep the cost low













 
#14 ·
The mobile deal is the way to go, there is a guy I used on and off for last 20 years, he is a preacher but has a sand blasting system.

He does have a policy that if he comes to your place, its a minimum of $850 to make it worth while, I think that is fair.

A lot of times, when I'm ready he is booked up for two weeks and I end up blasting myself, that is the only drawback to him is he is busy.

Another friend who owns a restoration shop in the GA mountains, just opened a sandblasting and soda blasting shop next to his body shop.

It was a $45,000 investment and when asked I said you are nuts, well he smart enough not to take my advice and the guy has been booked solid since second week and has hired two extra guys. He is getting about $1000 for 69 camaro type car in and out.

Great business, for sure.
 
#17 ·
i put in my blasting shop for my own use for the most part. i don't do trailers or junk . one thing for sure is i'm not suiting up for 3 or 4 hundred dollars. dance with that 1 1/4 hose for a few hours and you will understand. fuel is high and so is media. it takes about 3 hours to clean the car and the blast booth when done. i don't use sand as it promotes rust. i researched this for a year before investing. at first i was going to do soda. didn't take long to pass on that. star blast is by far one of the best medias but it is dark in color and kills the light in the booth. olivine is good but a little more aggressive . acrylic is expensive but a must for glass . corn cob works good . i have my rig dialed down to 30 lbs and i can still warp metal in a heartbeat. anything that leaves an anchor pattern can warp . be sure it is someone who does cars , if they warp your sheet metal your toast as you will never prove they did it. :(
 
#18 ·
Thats what scares the crap outta me ,someone warping a car and then I have the responsibility of fixing it for free....now if I was to warp one thats my fault and a different matter all together....
does anyone know if soda will warp a car. it dosn't do much for getting rid of rust either ...does it???? the only thing I've ever blasted was frames and small stuff in my cabinet...
 
#19 ·
grinding doesn't warp because you are cutting rust or paint off. when you blast you must stay 45 degrees of the surface to cut the rust off. if you get 90 degrees you are peening ( stretching it ) the metal and actually driving the rust into the metal. but dont use sand. forget the silica hazard , it promotes rust .
 
#20 ·
shine said:
grinding doesn't warp because you are cutting rust or paint off. when you blast you must stay 45 degrees of the surface to cut the rust off. if you get 90 degrees you are peening ( stretching it ) the metal and actually driving the rust into the metal. but dont use sand. forget the silica hazard , it promotes rust .
soda removes no rust . it is also acidic and we know what that causes.
 
#21 ·
Heart burn....acid reflux....irritable bowel syndrome.....?????? I thought soda was a base (the opposite of acid) and it neutralizes acid .....So using soda is a no-no even if you wash with soapy water before priming??? I remember maybe 10yrs ago when everyone thought soda was gods gift to us bodymen ,I'm glad I didnt jump on that wagon....I'm gonna go find me some of that star blast for my cabinet and pressure blaster I gotta another frame to do...I'm making a rotisserie first though I'm tired of flipping those frames over...I guess I'm getting older....I dare say smarter....
 
#23 ·
with starblast you need dry air to avoid clogginng issues.here in florida the humidity as you know is teribble[it is a pretty fine media}...also cut your grit valve way back ,you don't set it like you would silica....in this case less is better it will still do the same amount of work for you using less material my.02 ...we also reuse it when we are doing interior tank jobs.....so if you can reclaim it...but smaller jobs probably not worth all the effort
 
#24 ·
It's all about location! They guy I use charges per hour and his bread and butter is industrial but does cars for guys like me and also some high end shops in the area.

First gen. Firebird Frame+control arms-sway bar+cross member and shot peen front coil springs for $150.00

Blasted full A-body Frame and suspenion(control arms, trailing links, springs) (I stripped the undercoating and heavy gunk)for $220.00

1968 Firebird floors top and bottom, full trunk, all the inside and all the edges (car not on a rotisserie) for 275.00
 
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