Welcome to the bolt.
I would not recommend the sandblasting if the panels are basically flat as there is a very good chance they would warp leaving you with more troubles than you now have.
I would suggest getting some discs like these
http://www.abrasives4sale.com/strip-clean.htm which can be used on an angle grinder to remove your surface rust and old paint.
Once that process is complete I would treat the panels with a rust converter such as Rust-Mort or similar.
Follow that by a coat of epoxy primer on which you can either paint or perform additional body work depending on your desired results.
Enjoy your project and send in some pictures. We like seeing other people's challenges/efforts.
