White's Bodyworks provides automotive shot blasting from our workshop in West Sussex, helping remove rust, old paint and coatings from suitable vehicle parts before repair, restoration or refinishing.
We work on a wide range of automotive components, from chassis and subframes to motorcycle frames, brackets, suspension parts and restoration items. The blasting method and media are chosen to suit the material, condition and finish required.
If you are unsure whether blasting is suitable for a particular part, send us photographs and details and we can advise on the best approach.
Shot blasting is particularly useful for removing rust, old paint, scale and protective coatings from heavier automotive components.
Typical items include chassis sections, subframes, suspension components, brackets, motorcycle frames, steel wheels and restoration parts.
Removing the existing coatings exposes the true condition of the metal underneath, making it much easier to identify corrosion, damage or previous repairs before further work begins.
Where required, blasting can form the first stage of a wider repair involving welding and fabrication, corrosion protection or refinishing.
Classic vehicles often arrive with decades of paint, underseal, corrosion and previous repair work hiding the original metal beneath.
Blasting suitable components can provide a clean starting point and reveal areas that need welding, fabrication or replacement before the restoration moves forward.
It is particularly useful for structural and removable parts where hand preparation would be slow or where rust is present in awkward areas.
For larger projects, shot blasting can be integrated with our classic car restoration service, allowing the component to move from cleaning through to repair, protection and refinishing as part of the same job.
There is no single blasting method that suits every vehicle part.
Heavy steel components can tolerate a more aggressive approach than thin body panels, delicate castings or parts where preserving the original surface is important.
Depending on the job, different abrasive media and pressures may be used to achieve the right level of cleaning without causing unnecessary damage.
This is particularly important on older vehicles, where excessive blasting can distort thin sheet metal or remove more material than intended.
Our guide to what shot blasting is and how it works explains the different methods in more detail.
Shot blasting is usually a preparation stage rather than the end of the job.
Once the component has been cleaned, the metal can be inspected properly and the next step decided. Depending on its condition, this might involve welding, fabrication, corrosion protection, priming or painting.
Freshly blasted steel should not be left exposed unnecessarily, particularly in damp conditions, because surface corrosion can begin to form quickly.
Because White's also carries out bodywork, welding, fabrication and paint, suitable parts can move directly into the next stage of repair or restoration without being sent between several different workshops.
View more of our recent projects.
