[e015475]

I think I'd follow Mr. 48's recommendation and find a local shop that does restoration or custom work and ask who they use for their metal prep work, but I'd be careful with powdercoat shops because they may not be as experienced in automotive panels-

Here's a few that I've tried and the pros and cons-

-There's a place here in Phoenix that has a vat of a mild acid solution and another of a neutralizer big enough to put a whole uni-body car in . The parts come out fairly nice but there is still a fair amount of surface prep work before you paint to get the residual chemical off and I worried about getting all the chemical in the folds and seams out.

-Plastic media blast - this works pretty well if you are removing paint, but it isn't so good with rust. This would be my preferred method for a respray with little or no rust and you just wanted to get the paint off without a chemical stripper.

-Soda blast - good for removing paint but rust - not so much. There are several of these guys around town that will come to your house to do it in your driveway. They claim that the soda is environmentally friendly, but you'd better have a little distance between you and your neighbor or take it to the blaster's yard. There's always a concern for neutralizing the soda in the surface of the metal after the blasting and a lot of painters don't like to take the chance.

-Ground glass blasting - this turned out to be the best solution. About $800 to do a AD truck body/fenders/hood inside and out less the bed side panels and tailgate. The business here that does this specializes in automotive work and the ground glass doesn't seem to generate any panel distortion either. I just blew them of and primed them - lots of bite to the surface and clean as a whistle. He'd prime them for you, but I just mail-ordered some of Southern Poly's epoxy primer and sprayed it in my driveway with a $15 Harbor Freight gun

For odd jobs, I bought a HF sand blaster that looks like a converted propane tank - it works pretty well but is a little fussy. I also bought an old bead blast cabinet on CL for $100 and refurbed it - I use the heck out of it.

Usual disclaimers - YMMV and this is just my 2 cents