Rear work!

I have taken apart the rear and I am in the process of getting it finished.  I will be replacing all bearings and seals before re-assembly.  I have already purchased all of the parts and just need to put it back together.  More pictures as the process finishes in the next few weeks.

Before

 

Finished

Finished

Starting the grind

Frame is finished!

The frame is now finished! Ready to tackle the rear. I have attached some before and after pictures. First pictures were taken back in October when I first took the body off the frame.

Before

Before

After

Before

After

Before



After

After

Joyous bushings!

Last day for posting for a couple of days.  The majority of the day was spent getting the rear control arm busings and stabilizer bushings out.  Without a press, it was quite the job! They are also primed and ready for a top coat.

I have read several discussions on replacement bushings and the pros and cons of synthetic.  In the end, I think price will prevail.

I will be top coating the frame in the next few days as the holiday winds down.  Next part: getting the rear end completed!

Frame primed and ready for top coat

Another long day of scraping, sanding and cleaning…the frame is primed and ready for the top coat.It took most of the day, but it is now complete!

Almost finished with the frame!

I spent all day grinding on the frame and now have ¾ of the frame almost complete.  Between fans in the garage, a running shop vacuum, three respirator masks, and being covered in rust it was a productive day. 

I opted for the cleaning disk instead of the standard wire wheel attachment for the drill.  It really made easy work of the rust and old paint.  They are a little more expensive, but truly saved a lot of time.

Freshly coated in reformer

Coated in reformer

Once I used the cleaning disk, I used the wire wheel to go back and touch up some of the smaller areas.  I am still pleased with the rust reformer.  It really seals the metal nicely and is thin enough to get into the small areas.  The only problem is the small bottles are all I can find.

I will be spending time tomorrow to finish scraping and grinding on the front 1/3 of the frame.  Once this is complete and sealed, I will be pulling the frame out of the garage again to spray reformer into the inside of the tube frame.

Coated in reformer

Before reformer

I have read several blogs on using a foam sealant inside the frame.  Half of the people think it is a good idea and the other half say it is not.  I have read all of the benefits and pitfalls and will decide later on what to do.  Right now I am leaning towards using the rust reformer heavily inside and then spray coating the inside with a thick rust primer.  This should take care of any future problems while allowing the frame to breathe out any moisture.

Worst part of the frame after topcoat

Rust cleaning attachment

1 hour after reformer

1 hour after reformer

1 hour after reformer

1 hour after reformer

2 hours after reformer

Finally I get time

After several months of doing nothing, I finally got a day to get some work completed.  I moved the frame outside and finished cutting all of the miscellaneous bolts from the exhaust hangers off.  I scraped, grinded and prepped the back 1/3 of the frame.

I was surprised how clean it actually came.  As I stated in a previous blog, I have decided to go with Rustoleum brand paint.  I was pleased with how the rust reformer performed in small spots I experimented with this winter, so it became the base for the primer.  After about 4 hours, it had turned black and as hard as epoxy so I put on the primer.

So, after a hard day’s work, the back 1/3 of the frame is completed on the outside and ready for the final coat of paint.  I will try and get the rest of the frame finished this week and then I will tackle the inside of the tube frame.