Short story, yes! Long story is a shop in Louisiana that uses an oven to remove paint and filler and then a chemical dip to remove rust then a phosphate to slow rust.
Be prepared though. If your car is mainly bondo it may look terrible when it comes out. But it will be clean steel ready to paint or weld to.
http://www.htcmetals.com/home.html if you have Facebook look at these:
I think it’s actually a lot less abrasive than sand which can tend to leave a texture in the metal.
Steve;
I have had two cars ‘soda blasted’, my MGB GT and my 70 Jag 2+2. The process did not damage the metal. After each was blasted I removed all residual with air and water then treated the bare metal with a metal prep to prevent and or slow rust.
I then completed the rust repair, a bunch on the MGB and some on the Jag. Once the repairs were completed the cars were off to the painter.
soda blasting worked well for me, I have no experience with types of media blasting for car bodies.
Regards, Joel.
Media blasting, done correctly, doesn’t “pock” the metal as much as sandblasting, and is at a lesser risk of distorting panels by heat buildup.
Sand blasting is good for heavy metal components, i.e., frames, suspensions, axles: plastic media is generally better for thin metal components.
But sandblasting is a no no on wire wheels as the sand can get under the heads of the spoke nuts and grind away at the seat.
Unclear on next step. I am completely disassembling the front from the bulkhead forward. What are the steps to remove the lower A-arm? The book is rather vague in that in references part names but gives no illustration.
Are you trying to replace the bushings ?
Patrick
'66 fhc
Steve,
When I was doing a similar thing (i.e. just disassembling everything ahead of the firewall bulkhead) I just unbolted the front and rear mounts for the lower A-arm from the engine frames, and pulled the whole thing (including the torsion bar), mounts and all. The front bolts also hold the bonnet frame to the engine frames, but that’s OK - they’re coming out anyway. You can then disassemble the suspension arm on the bench in comparative comfort.
-David
Yes, but prior to that make sure you have the drain tube in place and any sound deadener you might want to install applied to the inside of the door skin.
That s what I ended up doing! Seemed like the only logical step. Jumping the gun by one year (optimistic) but is the installation going to be the reverse or is there a more correct method?
When I removed the two top A-arms, the drivers side had no shims and the passenger side had eight at the front connection. Is that typical? Or do you think it’s a sign of prior damage to the front end?
I’m pretty sure that is what I did in my case. Installed the A-arm complete with torsion bar. In my case, I think the Torsion Bar Reaction plate was already installed, together with the “rabbit ears” for the end of the torsion bar. I had pre-marked the correct orientation, so I slid the bar into the rabbit ear, and then tried to attach the A-arm mounts to the frames. As I recall, this last step required a bit of heaving, as the bar needs to bend a bit to align everything with the torsion bar unloaded. I think it is designed to be straight in the mid-laden position. Probably used a woodworking clamp or similar to align it for the mount bolts.
-David
A) may be an indication of badly damaged frames/ bulkhead, or…
B) very badly aligned, or…
C) both.
Carefully onspect the arms, side to side, and see if either sude is significantly distorted, compared to each other.
I spoke with Dan Mooney In Austin regarding a vendor to do a full body dip locally and he said they don’t do that and prefer blasting and hand stripping.
Q. Is there something inherently wrong with full dip. Does it remove vital glues used between panel areas? (looking at recommended Louisiana vendor)
Q.
A: Some people have reported that the paint stripper or acid remains in spot welded joins and interferes with paint, or even causes rust later on.
I had my S Type dipped. The place I used does multiple rinses, and was recommended by a few restorers here in Switzerland.
You do need to get absolutely all Al off the shell before dipping. This includes pop rivets. When I visited the shop to see what their process was like the guy showing me around mentioned that, then pointed to a large cage of steel cover plates and brackets… they’d all been pop riveted in, and ended up in the bottom of the bath.
Mine was electrolyticaly dipped - not acid. Had many parts done afterward. This process is somewhat like electroplating. Yes, some goo remains in seams. I cleaned each seam with phosphoric like ppg DX59 (?) or “rusticide”. Any similar product OK. Follow with DX520, epoxy prime, all is well. The “stuff in seams” claim depends on how much is taken apart, how good the dip is, how you clean it. You think grinding and blasting doesn’t leave stuff in seams? Of course I used a spit, so you can do stuff upside down on most seams. You can use epoxy seam sealer on the seams also on the flange of the seams.
Just have to say, 619 posts and I love this thread. @69Cat, keep on keeping on. It inspires me and my son to do the same. And to all the JL followers who have contributed, thanks. This is a wonderful community to be a part of. I have a 70 XJ6, and an 88 XJS. Down the road, I plan on adding a series 2 E, if I have any money left 
NEED ADVISE:
I am breaking the body down to bare metal
Q: What is the best order to disassemble the dash, Remove top dash
Remove wiring harness
Remove gauges
Remove everything randomly as a come across it
Remove windshield trim and windshield?
All opinions welcome. Those who’ve done this before particularly! 
(see how my smiley face emoji is oozing confidence!)
Cut the windshield out, first: that will help immensely with dashtop removal.
Just take a carpet knife, and slide it into the gap twixt the seal and the windshield face, slice it circumferentially, then expose the the glass edge.
Do NOT prise the glass out of the remaining rubber (if indeed the glass is still usable). Make a crate to store it.
Then dash top, instruments, then harness.
It helps to remove those little chrome finishers on the sides, and pop off the pillar trim pieces. Careful you don’t twist off those tiny screws holding the chrome bits. The dash to is only held by 4 nuts, two on the corners by those chrome trim pieces, and two in the center. Be careful you don’t snap off the little studs attached to the dash shell. It can be easier to unscrew the two center L brackets. from the car first rather than trying to pull the down studs through them. At that point the only thing holding the dash is the defroster hoses. Best to reach up from the bottom and yank them out of the plastic housings so they don’t crack trying to yank the dash off.
Everything else is pretty self explanatory. Make a ton of photos of all the wiring so you can reassemble without releasing all the smoke.
