The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop media Blast oh no

I took my cab to get media blasted. 1of my last sentences to the guy was Please dont warp any thing. His words were I have been doing this for 40 years I wont warp it. the back below body line is warped bad to the point that I dont think the metal can be repaired. above the body line has about a 6 inch area and there may be more I was shocked .I didnt even look at the rest of the cab The back below body line had a lot of small dents but above was nice, now what am I gonna do.can I put a big peice of sheet metal across the back? But im thinking if I weld it in place it will warp more.For the smaller areas will a hammer and dolly work? Does the metal have to be shrunk down some how? if so how? Im really depressed about this.With the bodywork it needed before blasting I felt I could do what the cab needed but now I feel its above my skill level.

How about taking a video of the damage and posting a link...

Sandblasting incorrectly (I'm sure this is the first time in 40 years he's F'd up... ) will stretch the metal and will require some strategic shrinking to remove said damage. In many cases it happened as someone was cleaning off an inside brace and at the edge of the brace the media struck the outer skin (but not under the brace) This abrupt "cut line" of media blast vs. no media blast is normally where you'll see such damage.

Please ALWAYS post year and model of your truck. You may think we should remember from your other posts but that is not always the case. You certainly have a right to be frustrated and I hope you had a serious discussion with your media blasting person. What you have experienced is common and is repairable but requires some serious body working skills. Shrinking the metal is required to bring things back into place. Certain models the complete rear of the cab sheet metal can be bought new. Maybe check into your local Trade School to see if a student would take on the project in exchange for a couple of semesters of tuition. Good luck

Here is a media blast damage "experiment" I did some years back, there are a few posts but it should start at post 572...


https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/mp-c-shop-projects.182565/page-15#post-3771111


It shows using different methods for removing the damage..

So the other side of this coin, since your blaster said he wouldn’t warp anything but did, is he paying for the repairs to the sheet metal?

I don't want to be a Debbie Downer but I was watching Texas Metal restoration show and they received a hood from a 58 Chevy truck back from media blast and it was warped. They were not happy and threw it away. Said it can not be fixed?

One more flip of the coin. Maybe the damage was already there and the blasting revealed it?

No the damage was not there I have probably 750 to 1000 hrs in this project and I could see the inside of the cab as well as the outside the rear of the cab is warped so bad that you can see the inner structure from the outside

Sorry for your difficulty.
The chances are it is beyond your skill level. Learning how to fix it over the internet or this forum will not work. We can not assess this. Even with pics. So start looking for another cab. Do you have 1000 hours on the cab or the whole.........whatever it is......29 tons truck thing? Doors, glass, mechanisms and a lot of stuff is still OK. At least get your money back from the blaster to use on a new donor cab. Have you said anything to him? Don't let this bum you out. Find a cab. Your cab still needed lots of work anyway. You will have the warp truck for patch panels. You will be back to where you were in no time. You don't need to be screwing around trying to un-warp it.

It's harder to warp a cab than a car. Way less large flat areas. Lots of "stiffening contour". I guess 40 years is not enough yet.

Many times the person himself has 40 years but he gives it to a worker who does not.

Im forgot to mention that its a 41 coe. The best part about the cab was it had no rust it came from a state where things dont rust. Thanks everyone for trying to help

You might consider taking it to a body shop that specializes in restorations. They may be able to get you on the right track.

29 tons I was at the blast place a young helper was blasting on a 64 chevy,when he came to the hood the big dog took-over,he said I better take care of this flat work !!

Please post some pics. I’m working the back of my 40 right now. It a bear to get the stretch out, but it is possible.