[Pantera]

I personally am a big fan of plastic bead blasting. when done right they can take the car down to the original primer and stop there. I have had vettes done this way and then used a "DA" sander to do the rest. There was little or no dust in the car and I was able to see where stress cracks in the body were and repair it.

A talented operator can take the paint off layer by layer if that is the way you wanted it done.

The plus side of this process is that the plastic beads deform and do not shatter and they can be picked up and actually reused by the operator. You can then do a high pressure blow out of body crevaces and you still have a easy job to clean up before painting.

I think that chemical diping sould be a Last choice and only if the car has a great deal of rust-out showing. I am affraid that 10 years down the road the dipped cars will start to rust out again. They lose the rust inhibitor in the nooks and crannys that the factory dip process puts on them. But this is where you have to decide what you want your car to look like and do you want to have to do it all over 10 or 15 years down the road.

Of course that beggs up a even bigger question and I guess it is all a matter of "if" you plan on just fixing it up just to sell, or to keep it for yourself and your family for many years to come.

The rust in body cavitys is a real problem and I would think that you could use mirrors to locate problems and then do them by hand. If you have a nice LA car with little rust showing, why not spot blast the rust that shows and be sure it is sealed well and see how it holds up.

Someday down the road the undipped cars could be bringing a premium. Also they are making all kinds of progress in every facet of restoration and who knows what will be discovered in the future?

Guys we all need to remember one thing. These cars that we love so well are going to outlive us. We are just collectors & caretakers of a piece of history. I for one want to enjoy my modest collection for the few years that I have left. When my health gets bad I will sell them to someone that will take care of them and let them be shown. I sincery hope that they are still around 200 years from now. I have no children to leave mine to but if you are lucky to have someone that will love them as much as you, then they will be responsable for your cars when you are gone.