I am learning what building a hot rod is all about. Grinding. Lots and lots of grinding. I have been grinding for about two weeks now. First I ground on the frame, then I ground on the rear end, then I moved up front and ground around up there for awhile. Because you can't go out and buy a bunch of fancy equipment to make a hot rod and expect to put it on without grinding away all the old stuff. Some stuff could probably be cut off but I seem to prefer removing everything atom by atom, particle by particle. Mustn't go too far. My face is black, my clothes are black, my shower is black. Even my boogers are black. I pulled a Q-tip out of my ear and my wife barfed. It's still better than a shopping mall though.
You are not building any hot rod unless your shirt and jeans are burnt up on the side you favor holding your tool..... Also your stool is all rusty in the shop bathroom from metal falling off whilst shaking off your......important items.
It's got to be right up there with porting and polishing. I've been grinding on mine too. It for sure is dirty work. This time of year is kind of hard to be wearing a dust mask too.
About 100 tapered sandpaper rolls and sanding discs and as many hours should do it. Don't start unless you're dedicated to finish. Don't think, "I'll just do this little area to see how it goes." Because now you've got a small smoothed area that'll stand out like a sore thumb against the rest of the as-cast finish, and really no way to return it to its original textured appearance. So now ya gotta do the whole thing...CRAP!!!...lol. But...you can't beat the look of a nicely smoothed and painted engine. Awesome, really. Saw a six cylinder Chevy engine done in gloss black...looked like it was made of ceramic.
Grinding and polishing are two nasty jobs,,You really should at lest use a dust mask to keep the crap out of your lungs,,as you get older you learn. HRP
I worked in a steel mill for 8 years . I quit and went to a worse job , lol I was a firefighter,, One doctor asked if I had suicidal tendencies...
Currently grinding the case of the trans going in the wifes p/u (wtf for, you don't see it ) I do however like the idea of eliminating as many sharp edges as possible, I does really seem to help with skinned knuckles... I have learned when fabbing parts do the grinding as soon as done welding, it does save quite a bit of time as opposed to putting it off till later...
Building a hotrod is like being a sculptor. You got this big ol' block of raw steel and you grind everything away that isn't a hotrod. If your lucky it turns out to be something worth looking at. Some are better than others in this department. By the way, my wife is sick of all the grinding.
Grinding builds character! I see you're in San Fran, I guess theres still hope for the place LOL. Keep grinding then start painting or polishing, more character building. After several years of such work you become a character!
Paul, you haven't told the full story You forgot to mention snapping off bolts, rounding off bolt heads. Skinning your knuckles [blood and grease mix together really well] Dropping tools or parts under your car [out of reach] And soon as you're totally filthy , you missus calls out "dinners ready" or passes you the cordless phone
Oh yeah, I've ported and polished a couple of sets of heads year ago. The worst part is you get the first port beautifully done, stand back, take a break and realize you have 15 more to go! I had more tolerance for repetition back then.
i gotta learn to stop wearing cotton hoodies while grinding and cutting, but i always wear gloves so its easier to put myself out when on fire.
I ground so much crap that the tiny metal particles that came off my clothes in the washing machine eventually rusted together to form a big rock of rust then it clogged my drain tube and flooded the garage.
I do a fair amount of grinding & sanding in the machine shop... freakin' castings... I wear a dust mask and wad up cotton in my ears. I also wash my work clothes separately from the other wash. Really funky clothes, I go to the laundromat. I like it when people walk by the machine and see black suds... Bob
I prefer firearm earmuffs, you can find them for under $10.00 http://www.amazon.com/3M-Shotgunner...82793&sr=8-11&keywords=firearm+ear+protection
I had only been wearing my prescription glasses but that has changed, too much black phlegm. Seems like every time I get the angle grinder up to something the only way if fits is with the shrapnel coming in my direction, never away. I have also learned not to step on the angle grinder when it has those narrow cutoff wheels mounted.
Ahhh the smell of grinders......I get it at work in the shop, and at home when I work on my stuff......grinding is alot of noise, makes sparks, and smells all it's own.....I get tired of it, but it never gets old.... LOL... black booger and black ear plugs....
Reading this thread made me chuckle a bit. After 20 years of bodywork, breathing and smelling burnt up discs, cut-off wheels and dodging flying pieces from 7 and 4 1/2" grinding wheels, my career path took a change. I spent the next 1 1/2 years making grinding wheels at Carborundum in Logan, Ohio. They use a lot of sulphur in those things, and they are baked in huge ovens for hours. The smell is straight from you-know-where. What I was thinking when I took that job?
The Jalopy Journal
