Streets Of Denver: Spotlight on 2 local business catering to Classic car, motorcyle and all kind of automotive afficionados

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Spotlight on 2 local business catering to Classic car, motorcyle and all kind of automotive afficionados - Blast-Tech

This post spotlights Blast-Tech of Englewood,Colorado

We would like to call attention to two local business in this post. Both are in Englewood, Colorado on Kalamath Street, across the street from one another. I recently had the opportunity to meet these fine folks and would like to share my experience.

First, let me introduce Blast-Tech, Automotive paint and rust removal specialists.

I am currently restoring an antique piece of gym/boxing equipment. It is a speed bag platform made by Narragansett Machine Company. It is old, I think it is about 80 years old. It was finished at the factory by a method called Japanning. Japanning was used by Henry Ford (“any color, as long as it is black .”). Ford, Singer Sewing machines, and many other hard-wearing industrial items and equipment used Japanning, because it last for 80 years- or more. It does not come off ! My platform was in tough shape, I have included the before and after pictures. Gary and his crew at Blast-Tech made these parts like they had just been taking out of the cast iron molds at the factory. See the before and after pics.

As I dropped off my parts and visited with them, they showed me around their shop- motorcycle frames, old exhaust manifolds, entire Porsche bodies, a 1963 Ford Galaxy, frames, fenders , front ends, wheels, leaf springs- all in a day’s work for Blast-Tech.

Many of our readers and followers of this blog are doing a project like this now or have done them before and you will agree - there is nothing like sand blasting to get the job done. When you do as many as Blast-Tech does, have a jig that holds a whole car frame and body so that you can rotate it and get at 360 degrees, ensuring complete rust removal for the customer.

I was very impressed by the people, the work being done and the service that they provided. We suggest you look them up when you tackle your next project.

Here are some pics from their shop with current customer projects-

Van with welded on patch panels being blasted and readied for body work.

New panels welded in place

When you do so many full car rust and paint removals, you have jigs to turn the whole car around 360 degrees- and put it on wheels to move easily about the shop.

Someone's motorcycle frame and fender after blasting.

Exhaust mainfolds ready to clean and blast.

Blast-Tech does the entire car in many cases. Gary Nardi the owner mentioned that he has done a few cars more than once- from one owner and then the next. Many failed projects are brought back to life after a thorough cleaning and sandblasting.