Hey everyone,

Finally got around to start working on my 88 camaro. Planning to take everything out of the engine compartment and then do the body work before putting the new engine and everything else back in.

And boy, does this car have enough rust. I want to use chemical strippers where I can and then media blast the areas which have heavy rust.

I just saw this ad for a media blaster and wanted to know what you guys think. I've shopped at Harbor Freight Tools before and some things they sell are decent while others are a complete waist of money and shelf space. I am curious what experience people had buying this type of equipment from them, or if this is even a decent piece in the first place. I never used a blaster before.

Also they advertise a blasting cabinet which has original price $300, but they often sell it for $200. Do you guys think, that is somethign worth investing into?

 

I have the HF media blast cabinet #39170 which is very similar to the #47603 $399 cabinet you are considering. Mine just has a single door vs. two on the other cabinet. You'll need to run a shop vac in conjunction with it to remove the dust out of the air as you are blasing. Don't believe the air consumption figure on the #47603. The 47603 uses the same nozzles as my 39170 did. I originally was using a SEARS 60 gallon 7 hp compressor Model 918419 which is rated at 10.2 scfm @90 psi, 12.4 scfm @ 40 psi. The compressor couldn't keep up with the air requirement of the cabinet. I'd have to stop blating after roughly 7-8 minutes and let the compressor catch up. If you're only blasting a few items maybe you won't mind that. If you are using it for production, then you'll need to invest in a compressor with more air output. My only complaint with the cabinet was that the fluorescent lamp inside died within a few hours. I solved that problem by installing a 3-lamp halogen light fixture that is normally used under kitchen cabinets. Also the cabinet tends to leak a bit of abrasive dust from the seams. Nothng a little duct tape couldn't solve. I'm considering swapping out the hand-operated nozzle for a foot operated one. I can feel it in my hands after using the cabinet for many hours of continual use. I can't comment on the pressure pot, since I haven't used one, other than to say you'll have blast media EVERYWHERE. Also take it slow on body panels so you don't generate too much heat and warp them. You may want to use plastic media to solve that problem.

Lon

 

i bought a small cabinet from them to do intakes and valve covers etc in and i love it should of bought it long time ago