If sand blasting isn't an option, what's the best way to clean a frame before paint? This will be far from a show car. Originally, I wasn't even going to paint it. Just basically start slapping it together. I have to fill in a bunch of hole and fix an ugly weld. In the end, I thought painting all of the frame, drivetrain, and suspension parts wouldn't be that much more work and I'd be happier with the end result. I figured I'd pressure wash and scrape the remaining gunk off. Spray with chassis coat in a rattle can. It's going to be a 30's style build (brush painted body etc.)and driven with disregard to paint after it's reassembled. Meaning, I'll have fun driving around in it as opposed to shining it. Any advise or suggestions?
Wire wheel/brush on your favorite rotating device. You will need several different sizes. Dusty and dirty and the wheels will likely throw a few wire strands so stay safe. But it will turn out pretty decent. Consider brush painting it as well with a good rust proof paint. Most of them flow pretty good and you wil get a little thicker covreage than spray.
If sand blasting isn't an option, get your dust mask, safety glasses, and gloves on and have at it with a wire wheel on a 4 1/2" grinder. Sent from my DROID device using the TJJ mobile app
Power washing first, if you don't own a power washer you can rent one for a half day cheap and you can get them that will actually blow the original paint off if there is any left. The finish it up with a wire wheel and angle grinder. I use a cup brush, wear saftey glasses.
I like the 3M wheels that looks like a black skotchbrite to follow the wire wheel, they really get down into the pits and pull out the rust.
Second on the wire wheel.. something like pictured below, used on my 4.5 inch grinder. I'd also recommend Professional Rustoleum. Takes a while to cure but is rock hard. You can brush it, spray it, or get rattle cans of it. Also, the wire wheels come with different wire thickness.. I recommend the thick wire ones.
If you go wire wheel, use a quality one. The cheap ones WILL impale you when they get some ware. No fun picking needles out your arm, or worse, losing a peeper. The cup style of good quality are the safest bet. ______________________ sent from a ROID while taking a cr app
The cup brushes do a great job, but be careful, they are aggressive and will try to pull the grinder out of your hands if they grab. Sent from my DROID device using the TJJ mobile app
It's going to take a lot of time with with wire wheels & grinders. Use a good dust mask and gloves,,,degrease before you start. HRP
I have had good success with a wire brush and then painting it with a phosphoric acid neutralizer like ospho or some other brand. Home Depot sells one. Then priming and painting. I do like to power wash them first. I also have done one frame with POR15 and I liked the results.
Wire wheels and angle grinders are good, but they make a lot of dust and noise. A heat gun and a scraper works really well, no dust or noise to piss off the neighbors. You just hold the gun long enough for the paint to bubble, and then scrape it off.
Sandblasting just makes it so much easier and by the time you factor in all the wire wheels and grinding discs you will use up the cost isn't all that bad. I even used a guy who did tombstone etching one time. I had to meet him in a cemetary and he blasted my parts for me right there. Don
why isn't sandblasting an option? it would do a lot better job at a low cost wire wheels and sanding is a LOT of work
Pork and beaner said it best heavy degreaser and a power washer then go to the wire wheel Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad
I have used oven cleaner on two different vehicles, one a 48 and the other a 55 pick up which had never had any under car cleaning done in their lifetime. With the oven cleaner you want to use rubber gloves a long sleeve shirt and a respirator as the stuff is basically lye. Just apply and wait for it to work then pressure wash every thing off. I sprayed with metal prep which is basically the same as ospho before painting. I used rust-oleum semi gloss black for the frame and bottom of the body.
ditto about the cheapos , I got a cheap one once and 20 minutes later I looked like a junkyard porcupine.
Don has a pretty good and valid point as he usually does when questions come up. It won't take long for the cost of cup brushes ( anywhere from 10 to 50 bucks each) sanding disks, flap wheels and or other material to eat up what it costs to have the frame sandblasted. Add in the hours that you spend and it will be many paying to have it sandblasted isn't so bad. In most areas there is an outfit that rebuilds semi trailers or works on heavy equipment that also sandblasts and if you can work a deal where you drop the frame off and leave it so they can blast it when they are doing some other pieces they often give a break on price over having to get the equipment going just to do your frame. Otherwise the guys have given some great suggestions. Just make sure you wear proper eye protection a heavy long sleeve shirt and heavy jeans (long not shorts) to protect you from flying stuff and flying wires off the brushes.
Lotsa replies. Thanks I figured sandblasting was out of the budget. The cups and twisted wheels cost about $15 a piece. About how many do you figure for an A frame? I have the grinder, goggles, masks and love to work unnecessarily hard Gotta be cheaper right?
I built a steel work table, 1/2" plate was rusty as was the crankshaft I mounted it on. A 1/2" wood dowel, 6" long, was chucked in my 1/2" cordless DeWalt, then slotted 2" from the end. I cut a 4" X 6" Scotchbrite pad in half, (lengthwise) and forced the 2" wide center down the slot, resulting in a "flapper". Really worked. Zero dollars, 'cause I had a stack of those Scotchbrite pads given to me by a neighbor...
Submersion in a large acid tank is an option. The cost for blasting varies a lot. All thiongs considered, especially if you time has any value at all, I would blast. Correctly done with the right media, blasting doesn't hurt anything or greatly alter the part's surface texture.
Fellow hamblerz-Just go w/ the fact sandblasting is not an option and stop harping why, and why not. Used DA sand paper folded over work great in places you can reach. Its like recycling. Wrap it around a screw driver blade to get in to tight areas. Wear gloves to give you a longer work session. Score some form of rust encapsulator to hit the spots that are hard to reach.
3M Clean 'n strip discs - the purple ones last longer Also check out Eastwood's site - they have different kinds of wire wheels that are good for frame rails and this is their promo rust awareness month....
Welcome to the old world TRADITIONAL way to clean stuff up. Many rodders of days of yore had only a 3/8" drill for a power tool. It was the 70s before most rodders had grinders in their gargaes and they were 15# monstres from Sears, B&D, etc., no mini-stuff like today. Gas welding frames was not uncommon either. OR, drill and nuts and bolts to hold it all together...see the Niekamp roadster, 1st AMBR winner, as an example.
Your going to have a huge investment in time, a big mess, and not really save much in the long run. Not to mention a lesser quality product. The time you waste would be far more valuable spent building the car.
do you have any pictures of your frame? i'm guessing you have some old oil and grease up around the engine area, that can be just scraped off and then washed with dollor store degreaser and a scrub brush, the rest of the frame can be hand sanded in a couple of hours, total cost could be less then $10
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