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Thread: Progress Ho!
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rotormunky
Redlining
Orlando, Florida
Posts: 424
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posted December 01, 2003 11:09 PM |
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Progress Ho!
Just checking in with everyone. I took a few days off last week and managed to de-rust about half the bed.
It was pretty labour intensive. I wound up blasting the entire bottom and wheel wells, plus tough spots on the side panels, stopping short of the top bed rail and tie-downs since those will require a little more time and labour.
I took it straight down to metal, treated it with a two-step process from PPG and then primed it with their Omni line primer. When I go back at Xmas we'll see how well that stuff neutralised the rust:)
I'm doing this mostly because if you really look at all the damage I have to fix, I hope you'll all feel better about your own projects :)
Although I'm feeling very challenged by all the welding and metal forming I've got to do I'm feeling very good about this project. It might be because its been quality time spent working with my father. So if you're ever feeling frustrated try sharing the project with someone you like to spend time with. Or just look at how bad off my body is, if that doesn't make you feel better nothing will :)
All my pics to date are here: http://www.themonkeyhouse.org/REPU
Here's some pics of the blasting area we created in my dad's shop. It actually kept 90% of the dust and sand out of the rest of the shop. I'm very lucky he let's me use this space or I'd never be able to do this.
You really should check out the earlier pics to appreciate how clean the blaster leaves the metal.
After priming:
____________
-Martin
Orlando, Florida
http://www.themonkeyhouse.org/REPU
'77 REPU (Some assembly required :)
'91 Cabrio (Battered and bruised, but she's still my baby.)
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rotormunky
Redlining
Orlando, Florida
Posts: 424
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posted December 02, 2003 09:03 PM |
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d'oh
Wouldn't you know it. As soon as I posted that my webserver took a crap. The pics are available now. Unless it dies again. Blech.
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-Martin
Orlando, Florida
http://www.themonkeyhouse.org/REPU
'77 REPU (Some assembly required :)
'91 Cabrio (Battered and bruised, but she's still my baby.)
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Klaus43
Rotorhead
Posts: 1259
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posted December 03, 2003 11:03 AM |
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That's beautiful!
You're hired! You do take VISA, don't you?
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sparky
Redlining
Posts: 299
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posted December 03, 2003 07:13 PM |
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Hi Rotormunkey,
What you have done looks awesome.
I'm getting ready to do the same thing for an extra truck bed I have for my 77. What brand of sand blaster did you use and where did you get it...Also, how much was it?
Sparky
____________
'77 REPU
Stock 6-port
T-2 tranny
Weber IDA 48
Alum Flywheel
3rd gen Torsen in rear end.
DLDFIS ignition
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rotormunky
Redlining
Orlando, Florida
Posts: 424
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posted December 04, 2003 04:14 AM |
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quote:
I'm getting ready to do the same thing for an extra truck bed I have for my 77. What brand of sand blaster did you use and where did you get it...Also, how much was it?
Ha, I *WISH* I had an extra bed. Mine is swiss cheese, but its an oppotunity to learn how to form metal I suppose.
I got the blaster at Harbor Freight.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=40925
I got it on sale for $45.00 though. If I wasn't so short on cash I would have gotten this one:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=34202
If for no other reason it'll give you some extra time between refills. But even if you get the 20lb capacity its doable. But you need a good air source and a decent moisture filter system. I was having trouble with that. I have a filter/regulator on the compressor, an inline on the end of hte hose, and a seperator on the blaster itself. You can see it on the pic below.
Also don't bother with the grey end valve on the end of the hose that I got on mine here:
Its worthless. Luckily I only paid ten bucks for it.
I tried reusing the sand but the humidity was so bad that the sand would form in the tank. Unless I had someone tap the tank it wouldn't flow very well. But Home Depot sells the stuff for 3 bucks a 50lb bag so you could probably do your whole truck with under $150 worth of sand. I used 600 lbs on the bottom of the bed BTW. It doesn't look as impressive sitting in yard but my back remembers moving every pound of it.
Just make sure you have a good hood, coveralls and gloves that go up the forearm. That sand/dust gets EVERYwhere. I use a respirator and I was still blowing black boogers for a couple days. Check out pics of my thumb and fingers if you're ever tempted to do anything with the blaster without wearing gloves. It doesn't look bad in the pics, but it bled quite a bit. Luckily that was the only injury for the week. You'll also go through blasting tips and plastic face shields quickly so have some of those on hand so you don't have to stop what you're doing to go get more.
My next purchases will have to be a welder and a sheetmetal roll/brake/shear so I can form up replacement panels.
Everything's an education :)
____________
-Martin
Orlando, Florida
http://www.themonkeyhouse.org/REPU
'77 REPU (Some assembly required :)
'91 Cabrio (Battered and bruised, but she's still my baby.)
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Klaus43
Rotorhead
Posts: 1259
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posted December 06, 2003 10:08 PM |
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You might could have an extra bed...
...for the cost of shipping it cross-country... (hint, hint...!)
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sparky
Redlining
Posts: 299
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posted December 07, 2003 03:29 PM |
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Thanks for the reply rotormunky.
I'm definitely going to get the blaster. Thanks for the links andm pics.
____________
'77 REPU
Stock 6-port
T-2 tranny
Weber IDA 48
Alum Flywheel
3rd gen Torsen in rear end.
DLDFIS ignition
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rotormunky
Redlining
Orlando, Florida
Posts: 424
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posted December 07, 2003 07:07 PM |
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quote:
...for the cost of shipping it cross-country... (hint, hint...!)
Wow I had no idea you were willing to part with that thing. God only knows what shipping for something like that would be. Wish I knew that it was available before I started in on this one.
What kind of shape is it in? Do you have any pics?
I wish I had more REPU-heads around here to hang with. I'd be happy to help you de-reust your bed, now that I'm getting the hang of the process myself.
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-Martin
Orlando, Florida
http://www.themonkeyhouse.org/REPU
'77 REPU (Some assembly required :)
'91 Cabrio (Battered and bruised, but she's still my baby.)
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Klaus43
Rotorhead
Posts: 1259
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posted December 08, 2003 11:47 AM |
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My problem with pics is...
...that I have yet to own a decent digital camera. Also, just found out why my Hotmail account likely ceased to function: I probably exceeded my allotted bandwidth for the month, just recieving pics... (Aaargh!)
The bed in question is also an early '74. At the very least this means the b-box lid is different from that on your '77... I have no idea if any of the mounting locations might be aby different, due to the change in length '74 to '77... Rust: Bed surface is 'extensively surface rusted'... Not bad for it's age... Only reason I wouldn't want to hang on to it, is I'm getting to the point of having too much/too many siting here, and nothing'll be happing with 'em fast enough... So, if it can be of good use to a motivated REPU-head...
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kick
Hauling
Posts: 149
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posted December 08, 2003 01:09 PM |
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The green sandblasting sand is the best to use when blasting cars. Something to do with heat, and the type of sand it is that makes it the best to use when doing this type of stuff. Dads a body beater, so he would know a lil. :P
____________
1972 Rx2 - no enigne or trans
1974 Repu - runs and drives
1976 Rx4 - no engine or trans (klaus42 old 4)
1977 Repu - Parts
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rotormunky
Redlining
Orlando, Florida
Posts: 424
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posted December 08, 2003 04:33 PM |
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quote:
The green sandblasting sand is the best to use when blasting cars. Something to do with heat, and the type of sand it is that makes it the best to use when doing this type of stuff. Dads a body beater, so he would know a lil. :P
Yeah, there's definitely a lot of choices out there for blast media. The heat he's referring to is generated when you blast a panel. Blast a panel long enough and it'll get too hot to even touch. On smooth sheet metal panels (like quarterpanels) the heat distorts and warps the metal. Heat is the worst thing for exterior body panels which is why its so hard to gas weld when doing body work. Even using MIG requires that you do small spots, move around a lot and allow for proper cooling.
There are other silicas available and that's what you're dad is referring to. They're all a lot more expensive than the $2.50/50lb bag I was paying. Plus I don't blast exterior panels as I'm afraid of warpage. I use it for nooks/crannies and things that aren't as succeptiple like floorpans, underside of the bed, frame, suspension components, etc. I use a DA to rip down exterior panels and even then I move around a little to keep the steel from warping under heat. This weather lately has been great for it though (40-50 degrees at night :). I was thankful for it actually when I was wearing all my blasting gear and stuff. Took the primer about two days to dry completely though :)
If you want to strip just paint or avoid warping panels baking soda is a decent media but you really need a lot of pressure to use it well. Its good for plastics and fiber glass as well. I can sandblast a hole through a windshield in under two minutes so its pretty harsh, but I use it to remove bad scale and clean out pitted metal.
I'm learning little by little, wish I had a guy like your dad around to pick his brain. I've just been going slow, using common sense and reading, reading and reading some more.
The one thing this has become (which I was hoping for) is *FUN*. I feel good when I try something new and even more when it works out. Its been fun when I'm scratching my head on my own, and fun when me and a friend are scratching our heads together while figuring out how to deal with something.
Its a great way to really bond with the truck but also with your friends and family. Its all pretty rewarding.
____________
-Martin
Orlando, Florida
http://www.themonkeyhouse.org/REPU
'77 REPU (Some assembly required :)
'91 Cabrio (Battered and bruised, but she's still my baby.)
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rotormunky
Redlining
Orlando, Florida
Posts: 424
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posted December 08, 2003 04:40 PM |
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quote:
So, if it can be of good use to a motivated REPU-head...
I almost wish it was in WORSE shape (no really, hear me out) so I wouldn't feel bad about cutting it up for replacement panels for my bed. Its going to be a real challenge crafting replacements for some of the biggest holes in my bed.
It killed me when I saw a courier bed used as a U-haul trailer. I wanted to steal the darn thing :)
____________
-Martin
Orlando, Florida
http://www.themonkeyhouse.org/REPU
'77 REPU (Some assembly required :)
'91 Cabrio (Battered and bruised, but she's still my baby.)
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Klaus43
Rotorhead
Posts: 1259
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posted December 09, 2003 10:56 AM |
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My 'parts' REPU
has a less-perfect (less surface rust, but some bondo instead...) bed... but it's a '74 as well, and all the way over here...
A few weeks back I noticed a REPU bed made into a trailer... haven't gone to see if it's for sale; no more $$$ to spend... it even still has the lights intact... how cool is that?! Courier bed trailers are common by comparison.
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Fd3BOOST
Hauling
Posts: 114
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posted December 16, 2003 09:50 PM |
 Edited By: Fd3BOOST on 16 Dec 2003 21:51 |
The bed looks like it came out pretty clean.Any before pics? I guess I should look through your site before I ask.
BTW What state are you in anyhow?
-Dave ;)
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Fd3BOOST
Hauling
Posts: 114
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posted December 16, 2003 10:00 PM |
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Ok I looked.
Clean navigation on your site BTW,I like the back ground as well.
Your bed was really in pretty good shape anyway.
Relatively speaking of coarse.
Did you get that rusted end patched yet?
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rotormunky
Redlining
Orlando, Florida
Posts: 424
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posted December 16, 2003 11:36 PM |
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quote:
Ok I looked.
Clean navigation on your site BTW,I like the back ground as well.
Your bed was really in pretty good shape anyway.
Relatively speaking of coarse.
Did you get that rusted end patched yet?
I have to assume you're being sarcastiv cause the site's a wreck.
I just don't have any time right now to worry about it. I'm scrambling to take care of business so I can continue to finance this recent spurt of progress on my truck :)
I'm not going to really complain about my truck, but the bed is in pretty rough shape. There are at least three holes big enough to stick my fist through and about a dozen or two others of varying sizes and severity.
Nevertheless, they will all be repaired in time. Santa should be bringing me a nice little Hobart 135 or something similar so once I finish the rust removal/conversion and priming I start grinding, and patching the easier/flat spots.
Ideally I'd be able to lay hands on a metal brake/roll/shear, some hammers, a shrinker/stretcher and an englishwheel/planishing hammer combo kit, but that's close to $1,500 worth of beans. So I'll just be taking it slow, doing the easiest stuff first and improvising as much as possible.
Far be it from me to give advice on how another man should conduct his projects but for me anyway I can't even THINK about 'getting the truck finished'. I have to approach each part of the project as a project in itself. This bed is going to take quite some time, and then the cab after that.
Then I can mess with the chassis, engine, electrical, interior ... well you get the idea.
And one day I'll have turned the last screw and she'll be ready to cruise :)
Welcome to the club BTW, every new member is a blessing. We all benefit from each others' company, or at least I know I've benefitted tremendously from the guys here.
I'm in Orlando, Florida BTW. The truck is down in Naples (about 3-4 hours south of here) in my father's workshop. Its an awkward arrangment, and one of the reasons I get so little done on the truck, but the only viable option at the moment. Its working out tho.
Good luck to you,
____________
-Martin
Orlando, Florida
http://www.themonkeyhouse.org/REPU
'77 REPU (Some assembly required :)
'91 Cabrio (Battered and bruised, but she's still my baby.)
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Fd3BOOST
Hauling
Posts: 114
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posted December 17, 2003 04:22 AM |
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Actually i waa not being sarcastic.I have a site dedicated to my rx7. I just said I like the layout of yours. Your not used to compliments?
WEll good luck with the truck.
Have youever been to the www.nopistons.com forum?
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rotormunky
Redlining
Orlando, Florida
Posts: 424
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posted December 17, 2003 04:36 AM |
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quote:
Actually i waa not being sarcastic.I have a site dedicated to my rx7. I just said I like the layout of yours. Your not used to compliments?
Heh. You're the first person to ever compliment it so I wsan't sure. I let it go to seed and have been meaning to organise it better but just can't seem to get the time.
Just save that off and and use it as your background. It tiles pretty good tho if you look close you can see where I didn't quite get it right.
quote:
WEll good luck with the truck.
Have youever been to the www.nopistons.com forum?
Nope, tho I really should. There an one or two other places actually. I always feel like I'm two steps behind so its about all I can do to keep up with this forum by email.
ANyway, good to have you in the club, catch you later.
____________
-Martin
Orlando, Florida
http://www.themonkeyhouse.org/REPU
'77 REPU (Some assembly required :)
'91 Cabrio (Battered and bruised, but she's still my baby.)
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Fd3BOOST
Hauling
Posts: 114
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posted December 17, 2003 02:13 PM |
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I see,
I am spend alot of time online. I think its called addiction?
Anyway, We have a small REPU forum there.
It hasnt taken off much yet as far as the repus stuff goes. The rest if the forum is actually quite large and busy.
I mod a few forums over there. Stop in a say hi some time.
http://www.nopistons.com/
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