Dry Ice Blasting car cleaning - next level chassis detailing // 4k

How Dry Ice Blasting is used to clean cars - the ultimate undercarriage detail? In this episode Jonny Smith uses his JDM Tokyo Taxi Nissan as the test vehicle for some dry ice blasting, and tries to find out how it works, when you'd consider using it, and what such a process costs.
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Dry ice blasting is essentially firing small beads of solid carbon dioxide at immensely high pressure at a surface. It explodes and atomises on contact, so can gently clean many sensitive surfaces without abrasion, moisture or chemicals. This has become a relatively new phenomenon for car detailing, especially underneath where chassis' are inaccessible, and unprotected for much of the car's life.
Thanks to The Lost Socket (www.thelostsocket.com) for hosting us for the film. Please note the prices quoted in this video may vary.
The Lost Socket is on Instagram as @thelostsocket
The Blast Smith is on Instagram as @theblastsmith
or you can email Tom via [e-mail]
To get early access to videos and read Jonny's weekly blogs why not join us on Patreon? / thelatebrakeshow
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Filmed and edited by: Phil Vaughan Pritchard www.philvfilms.com/
Thumbnail by: Matt Tarrant www.matttarantdesign.com
Dry Ice Blasting to clean cars - game changing car detailing?
Dry Ice Blasting car cleaning - next level chassis detailing
****************
Jonny Smith
Creative content maker, car presenter & car pervert for hire since '98
Website: www.carpervert.com
Instagram: / jonnycarpervert
Twitter: / carpervert
how dry ice blasting is used to clean cars - more than the ultimate chassis detail?
Is dry ice blast cleaning the best way to detail cars underneath?
What is Dry Ice blast car cleaning? How does it work?
Why I wanted to test dry ice blasting to clean my JDM Tokyo taxi Nissan chassis
CHAPTERS
0:00 Intro
0:52 Meet The Blast Smith
1:25 Simple explanation
2:35 Will it damage paint?
4:00 Huge pressure and volume
5:00 Managing expectations
5:28 BLASTING BEGINS
6:03 Suspension parts
7:14 Close ups of results
9:30 80s music video montage
10:15 Retaining original factory marks
11:23 Is it portable?
12:00 COST?
12:34 Underseal removal
13:02 1980s 911 Porsche before and after
14:00 Most popular customers
14:32 Time efficiency Vs cost
15:10 Minimal disassembly
15:42 Rust protection
17:16 Engine bay blasting
#dryiceblasting #dryicecarcleaning #thelatebrakeshow #4k

[@scotti_wan_kenobi]

I've been watching this technique for a couple of years now, and I find it staggering how good of a finish it gives. Especially on that die-cast aluminium part under the bonnet of your Cedric. It looked brand new! It's definitely something that I'm considering.

[@gl3060]

Game changer.

[@StevensPaul]

'The Lost Socket ' is a pretty cool name for a Shop.

[@karl9655]

Bet its all because of a 10mm

[@MrMassivefavour]

Botchit n Leggit better

[@raynarks]

Piston Broke Engineering is a company in Bristol.

[@JohnIrwin]

Better than "the smallest cog" at least.

[@DeereHunter]

I spent over 15 hours laying on my back in a pool of water while I was trying to get the underside of my 911 clean. Countless chemicals, brushes and, rags later, and once it was dry, it looked marginally better. Then I heard about dry ice blasting. I dropped the car off to Sublime Surfacing in Edmonton and when I picked it up, 34 years of road grime and old oil were gone. It looked brand new. The aluminum was spotless, tags on the brake lines were like new, the blue tape stripes on the shocks were like new, the zinc plated nuts and bolts, you guessed it. Like new. That was 5 years ago and it still looks like the day it left Stuttgart. Highly recommend!!

[@TheLateBrakeShow]

Mark, your story is precisely why Jonny wanted to feature this process. It might seem expensive, but it probably saves a week of scrubbing (and does a better job).

[@WilliamStevens007]

Wow, I can't quite believe how clean that has become. Staggering.

[@classic_britain]

God that is mind blowing it takes ages and ages to get a fininish like that well worth the money you would spend that much in cleaning products and paint no problem!

[@TheLateBrakeShow]

It is almost like watching a magician. As expensive as it is, the time saving is blinding. But also no chemicals, no moisture and no abrasives being rubbed on the car to try and achieve a similar result. In fact you'd never get this result in all the crevices without a full strip down resto. That's the attraction of just firing granules of solid CO2 at it.

[@classic_britain]

@@TheLateBrakeShow I have mates who do this sort of thing and this new system is game changing it takes hours and hours as you well know to get a car super clean so it's well worth the money!

[@mikematthews2k181]

Wow fantastic video Jonny 👏 What a fantastic service and fabulous results!! 😎 very impressive 👏

[@besenzon1]

Thanks for the informative video Jonny. The engine bay looks awesome

[@lukemiller_6]

Great video! Hadn't heard of this technique until now, and Tom seems like a really genuine and intelligent guy 👍

[@TheLateBrakeShow]

Thank you Luke, yes Tom is very thorough.

[@patrickhostler5939]

I have to say, this is the best example of finish from this process I’ve seen… the results are genuinely staggering ❤

[@TheLateBrakeShow]

Thank you Patrick. We were worried it wouldn't show on camera, but the results are extremely good. In fact Jonny reckons it might take over a week of labour to do anything this close with hand tools, steam, chemicals or other abrasives. Plus doing it with CO2 eliminates any harsh abrasion.

[@patrickhostler5939]

@@TheLateBrakeShow … it’s the details on bolts , brackets, and lines that really show what they s process can achieve… it would quite literally take you days to get anything comparable with chemicals and a scrubbing brush

[@thomassmith3817]

Thank you very much indeed

[@79RockShox]

It's funny looking at the thumbs up how many do not realise how good this has turned out, damn folks, buy an old banger and learn! :)

[@GentilsGarage]

This is fantastic and I totally agree that the underneath is offer neglected when it gets the mos battering from weather, such as puddles and road salt. I’ve also see dry ice being used to remove carbon deposits from engine.

[@fishbert17]

Never heard of this process before now. Looks very interesting. Thanks for the vid!

[@Laz_Arus]

This video was so cool. What a blast!

[@cjp6527]

Now that's a bit good, I can see that bringing out the OCD in me if I was to do that...😄 Another informative and fantastic TLBS episode 👏🏻 👍🏻 👌🏻 🎩

[@joshuahenry7482]

I had heard about this before but didn't realize how legit it was. Love using modern tech to keep all our favorite old cars alive. Also really want a Japanese taxi now.

[@more.power.]

Thank you Jonny and Tom excellent process.

[@TheLateBrakeShow]

👍🏽

[@paulclark4426]

Thanks Jonny. I think I also recall seeing this process being done on Harry Metcalfe's Countach at Tyrrell's.

[@BentonHart]

Every time I see the results from these machines I am so incredibly impressed. I wish that the machines were more affordable for someone that wanted to do this in their own garage. I'd love to be able to do this to my own vehicles.

[@peterhowells7309]

Greetings from Scotland! That was the coolest and most surprising video I've ever seen! Amazing results!!!

[@Matt.4877]

That taxi, I’m sure it’s the one I helped bring over. Got loads of photos of it in Japan. Glad you still have it

[@dickie8184]

I'd love to do this as a job. Extremely satisfying.

[@helipeek2736]

Good old Bilt Hamber! You really can’t beat it!!!!!

[@1969triumph]

Very impressed. I started doing Car Restoration in the 80s & we were charging similar amounts, but for a week's work.

[@schmoosmith]

I have a 1990 Trabant 1.1 and I absolutely have to get this done!

[@carlduxbury1472]

So satisfying!

[@ianburden1259]

Awesome results & still original

[@stevesretroloft]

I could do with that kit for my bikes (cycles - not the motor things!) - great video, an engine bay clean would be great to diagnose hard to find leaks etc.

[@ME10920]

I wanna go! Looks very satisfying

[@RemaL-2023]

Cracking vid. New way to keep the underside of your pride and joy clean. Thanks again Jonny

[@TheLateBrakeShow]

Thanks Matthew. It isn't cheap, but it is a fantastic procedure to reveal a car's true condition and prep for some corrosion protection.

[@RemaL-2023]

@@TheLateBrakeShow you get what you pay for bud

[@MonaroTravels]

Would love to get the engine bay in the Monaro done with this method. Looks amazing.

[@bondy284]

It was brilliant to watch and well worth the money in my opinion 👍🇦🇺

[@davidjohnrees]

The grin to the camera, showing your want to promote your barn find episodes! 😂😂😂👍

[@twcmaker]

Ohh wow. Would love to get my Commer Cobs engine bay done. It's hardly been touched in 63 years. Amazing results. Thank you. 👍

[@alxgu198]

Genuinely looks stunning underneath. Wish mine had been gone through like this years ago.

[@Kompoism]

That was really impressive!

[@stevelomas8296]

Saw a demo of dry ice blasting of a block of spray foam to find a Harley Davidson. Did no damage to bike. It’s main use is cleaning food machinery in factories. Amazing.

[@colchesterelec5105]

ok so wow interesting video I didn't know this had made its way into automotive use .... I'm an ex (old) injection moulding engineer and have seen it use in mould maintenance ( I dont use ticktak or fauxbook)..its makes sense .. no water contamination ... a good layer of clear waxoyl or similar non setting protection and the car should last a lot longer...seems like an ideal solution to cleaning up an engine bay again no water....the fella in the video doing the blasting seems a genuine guy.

[@zzhughesd]

Obsessed G /Sarah N Tuned. Been following other videos on it. Awesome

[@12uniflew]

Johnny this car is the most unusual and unique vehicle in Britain i love it! you got a great taste in vehicles please don't ever give up or sell it.

[@TheLateBrakeShow]

Thank you. Not intending to sell, although a certain Mike Brewer really wanted it...

[@arthurdardalis]

@@TheLateBrakeShow tell him to go find his own!! The taxi is really cool

[@cme2cau]

@@TheLateBrakeShow So, You're not going to ""Old out yer 'and"? Don't blame you. That car is stunning. Most old taxis are one step away from the scrapper!

[@alxgu198]

@@TheLateBrakeShowdamn it. I was hoping it was going to be a giveaway car limited to subscribers with name beginning with ‘a’, ending in ‘u’, with a ‘x’ in the middle 🤷😕

[@christeitzel9609]

seems like good value to me given the alternatives

[@motorvatorv888]

Truly impressive process and a good explanation of when and why to use it. One concern is where all the cr@p you’ve removed from the vehicle ends up? The Lost Socket must be filthy like an old kitchen after every job when all the particulates settle.

[@koolracerguy]

Love the video. It's enjoyably awesome!

[@TheLateBrakeShow]

Many thanks

[@JakobKsGarage]

Oh, nice to see the JonnyCab again 👍❤

[@poolyboy81]

Lovely finish. Glad that sticker was recovered too! 🙂

[@daveharris5323]

Absolutely amazing 👏👏👏👍🤪

[@jfro5867]

If there was ever an advertisement for buying a Japanese home market car then this is it. Underside is amazing. Cool procedure (no pun intended).

[@garethneal82]

Good to see the Bilt Hamber going on after the dry ice blasting.

[@ChrisScottNI]

I HAVE enjoyed this episode of 'The Late Brake Show'!

[@TheLateBrakeShow]

Good. Thank you Chris.

[@dubster82]

Love this

[@aye3678]

First time hearing of this. And now I want to do it to my car, lol. The results speak for themselves.

[@affordablevs]

I love this! Proper geeky cleaning and I would say you need to be a certain type.of enthusiast to go down this route, but great result. We have used ice blasting for commercial use on industrial cleaning jobs where there are sensitive connections etc... On the protection part of the piece, what product were you guys spraying? I am looking at different products to do something similar on my pick up underside and chassis whilst its still relatively new and rust free!

[@benday1218]

Very informative, I can smell the Bilt Hamber from here.

[@resveldt1967]

I been interested in dry ice blasting for a while, a heard that a few company's say that it doesn't work. The sell car cleaning products ;-) Nice result!

[@hensh911]

Gonna have to get this done on my 997 soon!

[@theloneranger2101]

Ice to see you, to see you Ice!❄️😁

[@harshithsadhana7475]

Ammo youtuber made a video on dry ice deep cleaning. I didn't like the way they should why dry ice can be better for some cars. They just shoved that idea about dry ice deep cleaning to the viewers. This video clearly explains, the benefits of dry ice deep cleaning, and on what kinds of cars to use. Thanks Johnny.

[@TheLateBrakeShow]

Many thanks for watching and glad it helped form an opinion on where and when dry ice is a good idea.

[@ramdynebix]

Looking very good, wondering how many spots were added to Jonny’s notebook for fixing at a later date 😉

[@retrobikechannel2599]

I was dreading you'd be using waxoyl for rust proofing 🤔 thankfully, Bilt Hamber product was used 🤩

[@bizling]

8:57 Very good point, this isn't just about old/classic cars, today I have been blasting with compressed air, the water drains either side of scuttle panel on my 2010 BMW 318d (E91) and bloody hell the amount of crap sitting in that drain, next Ill be blasting between the sill covers, removing the undertrays, etc.....I can see that 335i, 335d, Alpinas, etc, could still be considered desirable/becoming enthusiasts cars. I fear that many cars made since 2000 may never get beyond 25 years old as they'll be written off with hidden rust. It's a bit like the repeat of the 1980's "XR2i, Turbo" arch trims, etc, and look how that turned out! (He says with rotting Fiat Uno Turbos...).

[@adamkelly6264]

incredible! Now googling to find one near me in Australia.

[@Automotive_Solutions]

Now that's cool 😎

[@steveyountz9184]

Looks great. It would have been interesting to show half of the hood cleaned and the other half as it was when you brought it in. He is the only person that I have seen who only used one nozzle. Other folks seem to have a multitude of attachments, ranging from pointy ends to a broad base for larger areas.

[@ade-1772]

That's crazy who would think dry ice blasting would be a thing but so cool ams fantastic tech

[@Oldenroadie]

Fabulous. Just one question. Where does all the dirt and grit etc. end up? I assume in a pile on the floor and it simply gets swept up, but maybe not?

[@dekkerlundquist5938]

Yes, the dry ice (frozen carbon dioxide) just turns back into a gas as it hits at high speed, and the dirt that gets dislodged by the dry ice just ends up on the floor. It's quite remarkable.

[@bobbyedal2737]

Who would have thought it.!! Ice being a good thing for the underside of a car. 😄👍👍👍

[@AdamCowming]

Looks brilliant. Have you looked at Lanoguard to protect the underside?

[@benhooper1956]

Very very interesting Johnny, would definitely consider doing something like this for the quattro, followed up with Bilt-Hamber of course. The price is quite concerning at the moment, but I suppose it could drop if it is more widely adopted

[@TheLateBrakeShow]

Worth it for a car like the Quattro, because of its value and the fact the job will last many years if protected straight after.

[@benhooper1956]

@@TheLateBrakeShow Yes, and it will perhaps convince my father to use it in the snow, maybe even take it to the alps...

[@CarFocused]

Great stuff! Although at 17:22 one of the original stickers on the rad I think gets blown into oblivion 😢

[@jeremywells9019]

I spent weeks off and on detailing underneath my RX8 it was a ton of work. Something like this would have been a game changer.

[@tonystamford]

Sarah -n- tuned has been using this on a few project cars recently.

[@Auto_Funk]

Great process this, I can't think of anything I'd rather do less though - It looks very arduous and not to mention incredibly noisy! Worth every penny if the car warrants it I reckon.

[@mondeost220restorations9]

Awesome!... is that Bilt Hamber Dynax S50 used for rust prevention?

[@maxkoster3836]

Nice!

[@simoncoleshill431]

After seeing the process for the first time on KZbin and realising the severe lack of places offering this service it always seemed like a huge hole in the market here in the UK. Nice to someone starting to offer it. Which Bilt Hamber protection did you use btw? Dynax UC?

[@TheLateBrakeShow]

Yes Simon, Dynax UC. And yes, I think Tom is about to get very busy.

[@sebastiend.5335]

Dry Ice and 'Cool as a Cucumber Jonny' is the perfect combination!

[@forsh3546]

Lovely results! - I recognise the Bilt Hamber cans but which product did you protect with?

[@TheLateBrakeShow]

Dynax UC in the end, for a thin clear film. We will cavity wax it in a month or so.

[@richardparker679]

Always find your videos interesting and informative. Just wondered about the carbon footprint of this process?

[@NOXStellans]

"Dry ice is made of recycled CO2 and does not add additional CO2 to the atmosphere." -Cold Jet's statement -Pretty much the same environmental considerations for other dry ice uses such as food storage and sculptures?

[@joeedwards627]

You need to think about other shit

[@Olivarus238]

Fascinating and very impressive! Could you use this on an EV, say before its first MOT? Would you have to isolate the main battery?

[@TheLateBrakeShow]

No need to isolate, as it is just cold.

[@stanelder9995]

Peugeot 407 getting saved in the background there! 👍👍

[@lookship]

Definitely doing this on the supervan 👌

[@TheLateBrakeShow]

Can't wait to see the Super Van.

[@lookship]

@The Late Brake Show quickly coated it with Lanoguard before Christmas, but it needs a proper clean like this before I seal it in the spring. Looked like the Taxi underneath to be honest. Extremely clean.

[@GM-fh5jp]

If you have a classic car don't drive it in the rain or on wet roads. It makes a HUGE difference. CO2 blasting is pretty awesome...I'm considering buying into it and starting up a venue for car guys in my state to bring in their cars to have it done. Initial research looks like about $12,000 for a machine then you charge for the consumables and a reasonable labour fee. Thanks for posting, Jonny!

[@klutchcustoms2428]

As an ex pneumatics engineer I can confirm that 200CFM from a compressor is indeed a s**t load.

[@nicholashett6265]

I was hoping you might have addressed some of the areas that required welding etc before the coating,but that’s up to you,nonetheless a wonderful result and will consider this a process for my next restoration,very informative,thanks!

[@TheLateBrakeShow]

Absolutely no welding required. One area on the side of a sill section that had lost some paint and showing surface rust on spot welds. We cleaned and protected.

[@colinhead284]

Strange to think it started off in the food processing world for cleaning production lines , where you had a build up of grease or fat on machine parts , it meant the whole system could be cleaned insitu overnight ready to run next day

[@NickProkaza]

Would be intersted to know if it effects wrapped vehicles negatively

[@guyredshaw1422]

Great process and explanation. Has Tom done any motorcycles? It looks like a great process for bikes too. Correct? Thx!

[@TheLateBrakeShow]

Yes, we are sure he has. Contact details for Tom are in the description.

[@guyredshaw1422]

@@TheLateBrakeShow Thx!

[@postbump4085]

What was the rust treatment used? Overall thats a fantastic result. stunning work!

[@TheLateBrakeShow]

Bilt Hamber. We didn't go into detail here because Jonny has done it with the Suzuki Jimny in previous videos.

[@leeholden8658]

Great video. What’s the Bilt Hamber you used for the under seal ? I have a 2003 Honda CRV and as it’s pretty rust free underneath I thought of Lanoguard at first but a spray is thinner and I notice MOT’s are now showing the grease under seal as an advisory

[@tomcardale5596]

Not used Lanoguard but it looks tempting. If you want a hard underseal, Dinitrol goes off very hard.

[@alancurtis9364]

Hi Johny, fab process! I have a question, in the video after the CO2 cleaning process you sprayed everything with a corrosion inhibitor. Could I ask what product you used and is it any good? I'm looking for something to replace using Lanogard( which is great but leaves a greasy residue, thus attracting copious amounts of detritus to the treated surface) Love the channel, many thanks Alan!

[@W124phreak]

He used Bilt Hamber Dynax-UC. I was wondering about using Lanogard myself. Would you not recommend it for this reason?

[@jamesellsworth9673]

Thank you Fellas! I would have stressed how this level of cleaning also keeps components cooler and cuts down on wear due to grit.

[@thomasridsdill5898]

Where does all the dirt go? Is there no "splash" as you're working? Looks like an amazing technique

[@timscott3027]

I was wondering that, does it end up everywhere around the garage?

[@davewilliams7565]

Would this method by good for engine intakes to remove carbon build up? Obviously closing intake vales etc? Although I didn't see the dirt residue dropping off onto the floor? What happens to the dirt etc that is blasted off?

[@rjnation5042]

Wish I could send you photos of my 73 2002 Touring before & after having it ice blasted, well worth the money, Rj in Oz

[@TheLateBrakeShow]

You have a 2002 Touring RJ? My favourite old BM.

[@TwithGazz]

Love the car. Brings back great memories. PS If you like Japanese Taxi's, check out the Japanese TV series; Time Taxi.

[@TheLateBrakeShow]

We will take a look, thank you

[@mclarenjohnf1]

One thing not mentioned is the fact you can dry ice a lot of the interior as well, I have even seen them turn the blackest pair of vans back to close to new.

[@nicklyon3780]

Love the “Japanese” style numberplate. I appreciate that the UK mandates yellow rear plates, but a yellow Japanese plates is only issued to “Kei” cars. Non-Kei cars receive white plates front and back with wouldn’t work in Blighty sadly.

[@johnmccarthy115]

I live in Warwick & never heard of the Lost Socket lol. I know exactly where they are now though 👍 Amazing product, not cheap but you get what you pay for 🤷👍

[@zapfanzapfan]

Dry ice gets used on telescopes too. Don't want to scratch the mirror 🙂 Probably slightly lower pressure though, usually less grime on a mirror than underside of a car.

[@SHOdown13]

What's with the 90 Lincoln Town Car Hubcaps?

[@ChocolateFrog]

I always thought those perfect ice blasting jobs you see on Instagram are SoCal cars that have just got a bit grimey, most have probably never even seen rain. A car that's seen a few UK winters wouldn't come up anywhere near as well, I'd actually imagine you could do more damage than good if you didn't follow up the ICE blasting with a selection of BH products.

[@adammcgraa1021]

What rust protection was used? Whats the brand