View Full Version : Shot blasting / Sand blasting
ep1centre
22-02-2010, 13:33
First of all thanks to jon200 for the subframe and to BristolBlue (Steve) for the toe arms.
I need to have a subframe shot blasted and if not too expensive a few suspension arms too, i spent my lunch hour calling people and what a bunch of asses out there, you'd have thought that in the midle of a money crisis people would be more helpful, i rang about 10 companies of which a couple didn't have the facilities, about 3 others weren't interested in being helpfull with anything wouldnt even give a rough quote without seeing the part and tbh i wasnt gonna drive a rusty piece of metal down to their facilities for them to look at it, another 4 gave me ridiculous quotes and finnaly 1 was very helpfull flexible and not cheap but the cheapest!
They're called Griffs Reality Motorworks and they wanted 35 to do the subframe alone and then they were very quick to offer all sorts of other services to go with it like some sort of zinc primer and powder coating and all sorts so my questions are:
Have you ever heard of them?
Can anyone do it cheaper?
Does anyone know where i can have it done cheaper?
I'm only really interested in shot blasting the bits so i can paint them myself but if cheap enough i may be interested in that zinc primer and possibly powder coating as well!
cheers.
Luis.
IceBlade
22-02-2010, 19:56
you can buy zinc primer off the shelf bud, and you can buy shot blasting kits from places like machine mart so you could do as much as you like.... basically its a sand jet wash, if i was gonna shell out to get a load of stuff done like i assume you will, i would buy the kit and have a go my self, ive seen it done and its not hard:)
(you do need a small compressor for this stuff though, forgot about that)
ianlea73
22-02-2010, 20:12
First of all thanks to jon200 for the subframe and to BristolBlue (Steve) for the toe arms.
I need to have a subframe shot blasted and if not too expensive a few suspension arms too, i spent my lunch hour calling people and what a bunch of asses out there, you'd have thought that in the midle of a money crisis people would be more helpful, i rang about 10 companies of which a couple didn't have the facilities, about 3 others weren't interested in being helpfull with anything wouldnt even give a rough quote without seeing the part and tbh i wasnt gonna drive a rusty piece of metal down to their facilities for them to look at it, another 4 gave me ridiculous quotes and finnaly 1 was very helpfull flexible and not cheap but the cheapest!
They're called Griffs Reality Motorworks and they wanted 35 to do the subframe alone and then they were very quick to offer all sorts of other services to go with it like some sort of zinc primer and powder coating and all sorts so my questions are:
Have you ever heard of them?
Can anyone do it cheaper?
Does anyone know where i can have it done cheaper?
I'm only really interested in shot blasting the bits so i can paint them myself but if cheap enough i may be interested in that zinc primer and possibly powder coating as well!
cheers.
Luis.
If Griff's is the one near Cosham hospital then he's a VW & bike specialist & highly recommended by me as I hd my VW wheels done there.
http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l146/ianlea73/camper%20pics/Picture145.jpg
However I also know of a place in Swineford just outside Bitton that did mine,Shot blasted,& powder coated for 70 quid.Now I thought this was a bit steep but after watching him start,stop to turn it over,start again,then stop & flip it etc.I'd say it was well worth it!
http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l146/ianlea73/200sx/sx004.jpg
I've done a few of those subframes now. For shot blasting, zinc chromate acid etch primer, zinc rich epoxy primer, epoxy colour and full polyester lacquer you would be looking at around £80 for the subframe.
Should give you a ball park figure for getting it done properly. This coating should last forever:).
ep1centre
23-02-2010, 08:36
well so far the best quote i had was 35+vat to shot blast it and then he mentioned something about 50 quid to zinc primer it and then some more money to powder coat it and stuff...
it makes one hell of a mess but i already have a compressor so the idea of just buying a shot blasting kit and doing it myself is starting to apeal to me a hell of alot!
I did mine metalic anthricite:)
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g236/george130177/36.jpg
ep1, i'm just down the road in swindon myself so i'd be interested if there's a local company who you can recommend after all this, i'd potentially be interested in getting your old subframe (depending on condition) after you've swapped them so i can get that blasted & coated.
:thumbs:
ep1centre
23-02-2010, 15:32
ep1, i'm just down the road in swindon myself so i'd be interested if there's a local company who you can recommend after all this, i'd potentially be interested in getting your old subframe (depending on condition) after you've swapped them so i can get that blasted & coated.
:thumbs:
sounds good well like i said atm the moment its looking like to have it done properly by a company its gonna cost about 100 quid ish which is a bit expensive... all i wanted was a new bearing and this is what people talked me into doing really... oh well so like i said i'm gonna check out prices of sand blasting kits and i might give it a go myself.
As for the condition of my subframe last time i had the car on the ramps which was just before winter it was in mint condition so i cant beleive its gone terrible over winter, be warned i'm swapping it because i think there be something wrong with it, still when i remove it i'll mesure it up to make sure its straight and if it is i'll let you know!
Wheres gav hideing i was told he might be the man i need to chat to about this sort of thing?
what makes you think there's something wrong with your subframe, has it had a knock? :)
ep1centre
23-02-2010, 16:01
it has indeed, it was about a year and a half ago and when it came to mot time about 9 months ago i had a knackered wheel bearing, replaced it and now 9 months on its knackered again, now last time i checked they're dam great big things and dont just break so i reckon something somewhere on that rear end is bent so i'm just replaceing everything.... it could just be an unlucky buy on that bearing and everything be fine and this could just be a pointless waste of time but on the other hand....
hopefully it was just a poor quality / poorly fitted replacement, not sure if a dodgy subframe could kill wheel bearings quicker, not without some seriously weird tyre wear hinting at an issue or something perhaps? you running massive spacers? wheel balance issues in the past?
ep1centre
23-02-2010, 16:54
nah the bearing was a genuine nissan item which they robed me 152 quid for, fitment ... yeah maybe the guy did change it in like 2 mins when everyone else said it was gonna be a big job... at the time i just thought everyone else was trying to charge me through my eyes just because it was an unusually big bearing... nop not running spacers at all, only big wheels 18x9JJ with 255 tyres... but no it doesnt seem to have worn more than the other one on the other side!
and no balancing issues as such, the wheel is brand new as my other ones were knackered!
Tried Bristol Powder coaters in St.Phillips Marsh?
Also a place in Nailsea that does good work?
Most places wont quote something without seeing it - most will also want bushes pressed out and oil and grease removed so it does not shag up there blasting gear.
I looked into this myself and found £35 to be reasonable. Guy told me they charge £35 an hour and he couldnt see it taking an hour, so just said drop it off whenver and he would get it done for me and it wouldnt be more than £35 but could be less.
I know the company very well and are highly regarded.
My 2p.
Cheers Aj
However I also know of a place in Swineford just outside Bitton that did mine,Shot blasted,& powder coated for 70 quid.Now I thought this was a bit steep but after watching him start,stop to turn it over,start again,then stop & flip it etc.I'd say it was well worth it!
http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l146/ianlea73/200sx/sx004.jpg
That price seems pretty good to me :) especially to get that sort of finish :)
did you remove the bushes / do any prep work yourself?
ep1centre
23-02-2010, 23:37
Tried Bristol Powder coaters in St.Phillips Marsh?
Also a place in Nailsea that does good work?
Most places wont quote something without seeing it - most will also want bushes pressed out and oil and grease removed so it does not shag up there blasting gear.
Still its rather daft because it makes no practical sense what so ever to drive a piece of rusty metal up to their place just to be told a price, usually they'd quote something like an hourly price or by giving them a rough idea over the phone of what it looks like they should be able to give a rough ESTIMATE of how much it will be, but these people don't seem to understand what an estimate is, they seem to think that by saying 30 quid they're bound to that!
I looked into this myself and found £35 to be reasonable. Guy told me they charge £35 an hour and he couldnt see it taking an hour, so just said drop it off whenver and he would get it done for me and it wouldnt be more than £35 but could be less.
I know the company very well and are highly regarded.
My 2p.
So you've dealt with that particular company on my 1st post then? still thanks for the post, but i'm really starting to wish i'd just replaced the damn bearing now this is starting to look like its wayy over what i can afford and far too much fuss. so far i've spent 140 quid on parts plus 40 quid on subframe bushes plus 12 quid on a bucket of underseal, which is near enough 200 quid even before i bought any of the other bushes which are all knackered on the replacement arms i bought and they all need replacing or before i actually had anything stripped back to bare metal or anything...
shanekerry
24-02-2010, 09:22
lol you know it will be worth it in the end though.
just the costs of 200sx ownership, you know that repairing one fault on a 200 means discovering tons of other things along the way lol
IceBlade
24-02-2010, 09:42
this is true lol
ianlea73
25-02-2010, 13:32
That price seems pretty good to me :) especially to get that sort of finish :)
did you remove the bushes / do any prep work yourself?
Removed the bushes with a big lump hammer & took it straight over to him as if I'd removed it from the car.Obviously I stripped all the arms & stuff of first!:D
Removed the bushes with a big lump hammer
as in support the subframe and knock the (complete) bush through?
certainly beats the burning / cutting method, should imagine it's a bit quicker (and more satisfying too) how long did it take you and did you fit anything over the old bush to make sure you didn't clobber the subframe by accident? :)
ep1centre
25-02-2010, 14:46
as in support the subframe and knock the (complete) bush through?
certainly beats the burning / cutting method, should imagine it's a bit quicker (and more satisfying too) how long did it take you and did you fit anything over the old bush to make sure you didn't clobber the subframe by accident? :)
i second that :thumbs:
ianlea73
25-02-2010, 19:58
I sat the subframe on an old duvet cover in my garage & using a huge chisel & a very large flat punch I beat the shit out of the bush from both sides & then just knocked them through with a long punch.It took about an hour or so with a tea break.
Very satisfying to see a load of smashed & torn bushes sat on the floor in a pile knowing'I did that'!
he I fitted my solid bushes I used a proper alluminium bush mounting tool to make sure they went in straight.
http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l146/ianlea73/200sx/sx002-1.jpg
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