Project FD RX7 Restomod: Part 5 – Dry Ice Blasting Restoration

It was pretty cool (no pun in tended) to see the vapor trail from blasting the inlet of the FD RX-7’s lower intake manifold.  The vaporized dry ice acted as a great flow visualization of how the air travels through the manifold.

I AM DETAILING & DRY ICE AUTO

According to Cold Jet, the leading manufacturer of dry ice blasting machines, Jakob from I Am Detailing / Dry Ice Auto in Costa Mesa, CA has more time on his machine than anyone else in the world.   Jakob has been in the business for over 14 years and is an air-cooled Porsche restoration and preservation expert.  His experience and results have earned him the reputation for being one of the best in the business and people from all over the country send in their prized possessions to be restored by Jakub.

While Porsches make up 80% of his business, there has been a raise in customers with rare JDM cars, nostalgic, classic cars, exotics, and even daily drivers are becoming aware of this process and want their cars restored to better than new condition.

Since there are no preexisting formulas for success, Jakob was a pioneer in this automotive field and is self-taught.  He created his own processes and techniques through trial and error by blasting everything he owned from shoes to wood, walls, hand rails, and everything in sight around the shop to fully understand how different combinations of pressure, dry ice ratio, nozzles, and speed changed the effectiveness of the cleaning.  Different applications require different combinations to yield the best results.  Cleaning stainless steel will have a different combination than cleaning leather, wood, or a painting.

Dry ice blasting is not easy, nor is it a plug-and-play profitable business.  It takes a lot of practice and experience to be successful.  Jakob has seen many people try starting in the industry and fail; and has helped many businesses along the way from his experience and knowledge of the importance of a quality air compressor and drier which are crucial for consistency and effectiveness of the cleaning, especially when dialing in the settings.  Another overlooked aspect of the business is the high maintenance and upkeep costs of the machine, air compressor and electricity; so sciencing out these important areas are key to being profitable.

Jakub and I Am Detailing’s philosophy is to restore and preserve what is on the car as it came from the factory.  He has an extremely high attention to detail, and frequently reapplies a protective underbody wax and protective undercoatings similar to what the factory did in the 80s-90s on German cars.  His extensive Porsche background and knowledge allows him to quickly and effectively clean the undercarriage of 911s by knowing what is painted vs coated, and when and how to adjust the speed and power of the machine to get the best results without causing any damage.

Dry ice blasting is incredible and extremely efficient at cleaning everything from the engine bay, to the undercarriage, wheels, suspension, door jambs, vents, plastic, rubber trim, fabric tops, fabric seats, and getting wax out of tight trim areas.