Shot blast or not?

[mrmoore90]

Hi all,

I’m thinking about restoring my 1957 major diesel and am undecided which way I should surface prep? Should I shot blast and take back to bare metal or not? What have you guys done before painting? Also how much stripping of parts before painting right down to engine gearbox and backend?

[mathias1]

I'm not a paint specialist, but I went to the bare metal using a wire brush on the grinder. The problem with blasting is that the sand gets everywhere. So you need to cover all holes. painting comes at the last stage of a restauration, you don't want oil leaks to ruin your new paint.