Undercarriage Restoration
#26
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N2 is nitrogen... how are you planning on hooking up an air line to the regulator on the N2 tank? I would think that it would be much cheaper (safer) to put in a water trap as suggested then try and rig up a N2 system. You can get the traps at Harbor Freight or some place like that cheap enough...
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One way to try to limit the amount of condensation is to have at least 30 feet or so of pipe on the compressor that has a down leg that can be drained off. It takes about 30 feet of pipe for the air to get cool enough to form water again and drip in to the down leg. I did this on my 80- gallon compression in my barn with copper and shark bit connectors. Shark bit connectors allow you to put copper together without have to solder the pipe. Also make sure you drain the water from the bottom of the compressor every do often. I also use a filter/regulator.
#28
To make it really simple, you could run ~25-30 feet of hose from the compressor to a water trap and then another ~25-50 foot hose to your tool. Make the water trap the lowest part so that the water will drain back down. For what your doing, just use two saw horses and drap the hose over them and put the water trap in the middle.
What size compressor do you have (gallons and horse power motor). I have a 80 gallon Lowes Kolbat (Sanborn) compressor with a 3HP motor and at 100PSI it still runs constantly in the blasting cabinet.
The water traps I have (in the picture) are from Harbor Freight and cost about $30 on sale. Their not the best but they work. The only issue I have found is that the regulators like to go bad so keep your receipt.
What size compressor do you have (gallons and horse power motor). I have a 80 gallon Lowes Kolbat (Sanborn) compressor with a 3HP motor and at 100PSI it still runs constantly in the blasting cabinet.
The water traps I have (in the picture) are from Harbor Freight and cost about $30 on sale. Their not the best but they work. The only issue I have found is that the regulators like to go bad so keep your receipt.
#29
Re-doing the whole thing is NOT an option...I can't get anyone anywhere to do ANY work...11 months now I've been trying to rebuild my diff. and reassemble my rear axle. I'm getting no help here or anywhere. I paid more for the welding fix of the bin rot than I paid for the car in the first place. It's done very nicely from the inside, but I had no idea the old crap layer was left underneath until ~4 years later when I dropped the rear and tank...
It might be prudent to invest in a good MIG. You can find a solid lincoln or miller on Craiglist for a couple hundred dollors and that'll pay for itself in a few years.
#31
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To make it really simple, you could run ~25-30 feet of hose from the compressor to a water trap and then another ~25-50 foot hose to your tool. Make the water trap the lowest part so that the water will drain back down. For what your doing, just use two saw horses and drap the hose over them and put the water trap in the middle.
What size compressor do you have (gallons and horse power motor). I have a 80 gallon Lowes Kolbat (Sanborn) compressor with a 3HP motor and at 100PSI it still runs constantly in the blasting cabinet.
The water traps I have (in the picture) are from Harbor Freight and cost about $30 on sale. Their not the best but they work. The only issue I have found is that the regulators like to go bad so keep your receipt.
What size compressor do you have (gallons and horse power motor). I have a 80 gallon Lowes Kolbat (Sanborn) compressor with a 3HP motor and at 100PSI it still runs constantly in the blasting cabinet.
The water traps I have (in the picture) are from Harbor Freight and cost about $30 on sale. Their not the best but they work. The only issue I have found is that the regulators like to go bad so keep your receipt.
I can't work on my car where I live, so doing anything to it has turned out to be a complete nightmare. Getting a welder won't help me any either as I haven't a clue how to properly weld and don't have the time to learn, or anyone to learn from.
Thanks again guys, for the helpful suggestions.
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Oh yeah, keep forgetting to ask...How the hell do you see what you're doing when blasting???I bought a shittie sandblasting hood from Har.Fre. that makes me look like Moltar(S.G.C.2.C.) but I can't see anything out of it. It's ventilated, so all the grit still comes in and fills your ears and whatnot. Also, all the grit and dust sticks all over the glass and you can't see, AND if you're all contourted underneath trying to look around, the view window stays put when your head turns and you still can't see. I also bought and tried some swimming goggles that fit only around the eyes so I could also wear a dust mask. They worked great for about 40 seconds...Then the outside of them was nicely frosted from all the grit bouncing back in my face...
#33
Pretty much anything you get its gonna get pitted and foggy after a while, and since you're laying under the car it's 10x worse. i just bought a bunch of cheap goggles from harbor freight and toss them as they wear out, make sure they're on tight though or the sand will come in around the edges. Make sure you're wearing a good mask as that stuff is nasty to breathe in, and I wear full ear protection (the kind you would see tree guys wear, that cover the whole ear).
I agree it makes you look like a jackass, but it gets the job done lol.
I agree it makes you look like a jackass, but it gets the job done lol.
#34
I don't like using sand any longer because it can cause silicosis. Make sure to wear a respirator.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicosis
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicosis
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How disheartening...
Well, got back to the car this past weekend...The small area it took me weeks to treat was all for nought...Rust is back just 6days after the de-rusting treatment, before I could even prime it. Guess this purple power **** is worthless...I mean, I blasted down to bare metal, painted two coats of this stuff on, and the rust is coming through after not even a week?!? Guess time to reset and get me some of that there POR15 stuff. Since I'm planning on blasting, then using por15, I'm assuming I don't need their recommended two step cleaning products before applying it. Now I'm getting really worried about the engine. It's the longest it's ever not been run. I treated it with pennzoil marine fogging oil when I parked it end of last summer. Have turned it over by hand for a while throughout the winter and spring. Still have the intake and exhaust baggied up...
#37
Anything more than a day or so in our humid climate (sometimes within a hour or two) can cause rust to come back, you need to get por 15 or some good paint on there basically immediately after blasting it to bare metal.
Metal that has already had rust on there tends to re-rust even quicker than fresh metal, so it's important to get it sealed quickly. Typically I'll seal it up within the hour, even on the dry days, just to be safe.
Metal that has already had rust on there tends to re-rust even quicker than fresh metal, so it's important to get it sealed quickly. Typically I'll seal it up within the hour, even on the dry days, just to be safe.
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Humidity is a horrible problem for me...The car is outside so I can blast it, and I'm pretty sure there hasn't been a single day I've had off in at least three months with humidity below 75% or so. I've been reading on the por15. It says moisture being present dries it quicker, but too much and it dries too fast. Once the por15 is painted onto the bare, blasted metal, does it have to be primed over, then topcoated? I mean, for the undercarriage, can I use undercoating on top of the por15, or should I prime over por15, then undercoat? I'm not worried about cosmetics, just trying to keep the rust from coming back. Thanks again.
#39
Yeah the humidity around here sucks, makes it hard to do any kind of metal/body work...
Por15 dries very shiny, too shiny for paint to stick to properly. There are two ways around this, buy the special "tie coat primer" that por15 sells, or just spray regular primer on top of the por15 before it's totally dry. This way the por15 and primer bond together and makes a perfect surface that can be topcoated with undercoating or paint etc.
I've put paint/primer etc over cured por15 (even cured por15 that I scuffed to give it some tooth) and it always ends up peeling off... The trick is when to get your primer on there. Too soon and the por15 won't be dry enough and it'll want to just run off (or get what they call snake skin, real crappy looking), too late and its dry already lol. Basically just wait until the por15 is tacky then dust some primer on (several light coats, not one heavy one). For the undercarriage I use Rustolium professional primer - lowes sells it and it makes a really good base to work off of. It doesn't sand very well, which is why I don't use it on bodywork.
I used this technique 6+ years ago on a car that sits outside and sees rain and even occasional snow and it's still holding up well.
Por15 dries very shiny, too shiny for paint to stick to properly. There are two ways around this, buy the special "tie coat primer" that por15 sells, or just spray regular primer on top of the por15 before it's totally dry. This way the por15 and primer bond together and makes a perfect surface that can be topcoated with undercoating or paint etc.
I've put paint/primer etc over cured por15 (even cured por15 that I scuffed to give it some tooth) and it always ends up peeling off... The trick is when to get your primer on there. Too soon and the por15 won't be dry enough and it'll want to just run off (or get what they call snake skin, real crappy looking), too late and its dry already lol. Basically just wait until the por15 is tacky then dust some primer on (several light coats, not one heavy one). For the undercarriage I use Rustolium professional primer - lowes sells it and it makes a really good base to work off of. It doesn't sand very well, which is why I don't use it on bodywork.
I used this technique 6+ years ago on a car that sits outside and sees rain and even occasional snow and it's still holding up well.
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The only primer I have is all the cans of DupliColor self-etching primer that I bought in anticipation of painting the bare, blasted metal...Will this work fine for the "dusting" of primer when the applied por15 is almost dry but still tacky? Also, if I do it this way (blasting - por15 - primer dusting) will it be ok to come back in a week or two to finish coats of primer, then undercoating? Or will the rust come back that quickly like with the PP stuff I previously used?
Thanks again.
Thanks again.
#41
It's been a while since I used anything from duplicolor, but they are supposed to be good, so I would say yes, go ahead and use that. And yes, using this method will seal up the area for a long time. Having some primer and a top coat of undercoating is a great idea (mainly to protect the area from stone chips etc), but you could have just por15 on there and it would last for a long time as well.
As an example, I sandblasted much of the suspension on my 83 GS back in 2005 and coated it with por15 and that was it. No top coat or anything. I've since gone back in and changed many of the components on there, but the front spindle assemblies are still in there and very little rust has come back. The other parts are still on my shelf and again, very little rust.
As an example, I sandblasted much of the suspension on my 83 GS back in 2005 and coated it with por15 and that was it. No top coat or anything. I've since gone back in and changed many of the components on there, but the front spindle assemblies are still in there and very little rust has come back. The other parts are still on my shelf and again, very little rust.
#42
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K, good to know. Thanks for the info. I have to wait until the week of the fourth and pray for desirable weather...Gonna get a huge water trap built, and por15 in the mail in the meantime. Now if only I could get my rear end back together in the meantime...
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It's A Trap!
Built the water trap today...Have the whole week of the 4th off, plan to rent the compressor and try to get it blasted, finally. Fianlly a ray of hope...
#46
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How do you think I feel being under it? It was supposed to only be up in the air for a weekend, not for months...I think it's more stable than it looks...And pay no attention to the crooked chunks of railroad tye, they only keep the driveshaft from falling down.
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