Chassis Prep/Restoration

[fine69]

With a limited time-frame yesterday (son had a hockey game), I started on the chassis prep - soda-blasting followed-up with a power wash.

It started to look like a winter wonderland in my driveway.

I was only really able to get to the drive-train, and leaf spring.

Ralph

 

[Peer81]

Good to see you're making such progress!

A few recommendations.
I would take everything apart. So the front and rear suspension from the chassis so you can blast everything perfect and get in every corner.
I don't know if soda blasting is the same as sand blasting? I sand blasted some parts and within a few days I could see the rust form on the service. So if you blast everything I would blast a few things and then paint them then you don't have the rust forming problem.

Good luck!

Greetings Peter

 

[macx]

I'm "looking forward" to doing the same on my 81.

I like your blaster - did you buy or rent that?

And how much cfm and pressure does it take ot run it?

I've just got a "mini" blaster and that would take a month
to do that much, so have to find an affordable source
for the blaster equipment.

I've got a bunch of Black Beauty I got off of a construction
job - that's basically crushed furnace slag so you don't have
to be afraid of silicosis when using sand. Silicosis is just like
asbestos lung damage. Works the same way. And the only way
to guard against that is with an air supplied respirator with
filters for air contaminants like oil. So be careful!! Just FYI
OSHA outlaws sandblasting without that kind of respirator
protection in construction or industrial work for that reason.

I heartily agree on disassembling everything, otherwise you'll
eventually have rust creep out from inbetween surfaces.

And, yes, bare metal will "flash rust" in very short order, so you
would be best off putting on a thin overspray of some type of
primer within at the longest the same day that it's blasted.

Just be sure to blow blasted surfaces off very well and then wipe
them off with a rag dampened with paint thinner or something like
that, JUST before you do your thin coat of primer.

Good luck!!