Ash's 69 R-code

[stangnet33 88]

Sheep shit, that's not a good start Ash. Were you planning on keeping your roof rails ? What does the interior side of the A-pillar look like ?

[Ash 145]

I've thought about that quite quite a bit, stangnet, I think I'd like to keep the roof rails. I think I'll just get one of those replacement kits, rip the old set right off and put a new set on.

One of these sets

 

http://www.cjponyparts.com/drip-rail-channel-pair-fastback-1969-1970/p/DRC4/

 

At a glance, the inside isn't as bad. But there are signs of rust, and in between the layers is where it is worst. And more up inside the upper pillar. And you know where rust leads, to more rust. So it'll have to be removed. It's going to be a lot of digging but all I can think about is where it will be in 10-20 years time.

 

 

 

[Ash 145]

Still plodding away 15 mins here and there when the chance arrives. I got stuck into the cowl a bit to see how I'd go at removing the surface rust. Started out with a twisted wire wheel. It worked to an extent but it wouldn't get into the pitting.

 

 

 

Popped the wiper motor supports off, this was lurking under them

 

 

This is what you may find under your fender extensions as well. Some of the welds were from the previous owner putting new extensions on over the old rust holes :angry:

 

 

I cut the worst of that out and put a patch in then hit the area again with the wire wheel and some 3M roloc discs I brought. Still not getting into the pitting and those 24 grit roloc discs are pretty agresive.

 

 

under side

 

 

 

The bottom section of the cowl has less pitting but still the same result at the top.

 

 

 

I looked into what it would cost to get some sandblasting gear as this was getting old quick and still not removing all the rust. Looked like the basic gear was just that, basic. I didn't know if I wanted to fork out a few hundred for basic equipment that wouldn't do the task properly. Found a sandblaster mob about an hour from me and gave them a call. He said he'd do each panel for $30-$40 which I thought was pretty reasonable. For that price I'm not going to waste any more time attempting to remove it all myself so am taking the parts down tomorrow while I do some other jobs. I think its better then buying the basic equipment too, especially as it's not a tool I'd use often. I know the pro/shop owner will get it down right first go too.

 

Removed the outside of the cowl and A-pillar this weekend. Lots of surface rust but none of it with the amount of pitting that the cowl had. Am very happy that I've pulled it down this far though as you know it only gets worse with time. Once this and the cowl is prepped and repaired, all surfaces will get a thick coat of SPI epoxy then welded back together. This shit is not coming back for a long long time!

 

[BuckeyeDemon 211]

i recommend getting the media blasting equipment.

[Ash 145]

What equipment would you recommend? I'm usure what it will really require to do a competent job. From what I have found, for both purchase and hire, the equipment is very basic and some even came with a warning that it would not clean to a desired level. I really can't afford to spend money on anything that will not do what I need done. And as usual to what we pay for absolutely anything here in Aus, I probably wont be able to afford it anyway and will have to have it shipped out of the US.

[BuckeyeDemon 211]

What equipment would you recommend? I'm usure what it will really require to do a competent job. From what I have found, for both purchase and hire, the equipment is very basic and some even came with a warning that it would not clean to a desired level. I really can't afford to spend money on anything that will not do what I need done. And as usual to what we pay for absolutely anything here in Aus, I probably wont be able to afford it anyway and will have to have it shipped out of the US.

 

a pressure blaster gives you more flexibility (can do items like your car or large parts that can't fit into a cabinet).

 

a cabinet would be second on the list as it makes it convenient to hit a small part without going through the pain of cleanup.

 

 

i think my pressure blaster holds around 75lbs. you can buy them in the US in the $300 range. how expensive are they in Aus?

 

i can't imagine restoring a car without it. wire wheels just don't work.

 

i'm not understanding your statement about the equipment not cleaning to the desired level. what does that mean?

[Klutch 17]

a pressure blaster gives you more flexibility (can do items like your car or large parts that can't fit into a cabinet).

 

a cabinet would be second on the list as it makes it convenient to hit a small part without going through the pain of cleanup.

 

 

i think my pressure blaster holds around 75lbs. you can buy them in the US in the $300 range. how expensive are they in Aus?

 

i can't imagine restoring a car without it. wire wheels just don't work.

 

i'm not understanding your statement about the equipment not cleaning to the desired level. what does that mean?

 

Pardon the biscuit question, but does a typical blasting cabinet use a standalone blaster that connects to it? Or, does a blasting cabinet have it's own media bin, hoses and such?

[Ash 145]

Pretty much imagine that any tools or parts you buy in the US, will cost at least 2-3 times more in Aus. Sometimes much much more then that again. Most times, even when postage costs as much or more then the actual item, you are still better off buying them in the US compared to buying them here.

 

From what I took from the statement, "does not clean to desired level", They said is doesn't completely remove rust from pitting or completely clean surface. And these are the ones that are in the 2-4 hundred dollar range. Reading that makes me quite hesitant to purchase such an item. I don't know if they are just covering themselves or is the tools are not up to the task.

Any other blasters appear to be in the thousands. This is why I was curious to what you use, is it similar to the cheaper set-up here or more on the industrial scale?

I've seen your blaster cabinet, it is quite a large scale piece. Something like that would be incredibly useful. I've looked around at a few cabinets but again it is hard to decide what are purely toys and what is going to do the job.

[BuckeyeDemon 211]

Pardon the biscuit question, but does a typical blasting cabinet use a standalone blaster that connects to it? Or, does a blasting cabinet have it's own media bin, hoses and such?

 

most cabinets use a siphon setup internal to the cabinet. the media is located and recirculated in the cabinet. siphon setups don't remove rust/paint as quickly as a pressure setup like you would use outside.

[Ash 145]

Pardon the biscuit question, but does a typical blasting cabinet use a standalone blaster that connects to it? Or, does a blasting cabinet have it's own media bin, hoses and such?

 

From the cabinets I've looked at, they appear to be a stand alone item. This could possibly not be the case with all though?

[BuckeyeDemon 211]

From what I took from the statement, "does not clean to desired level", They said is doesn't completely remove rust from pitting or completely clean surface. And these are the ones that are in the 2-4 hundred dollar range. Reading that makes me quite hesitant to purchase such an item. I don't know if they are just covering themselves or is the tools are not up to the task.

 

the difference between the expensive pressure blasters and the cheaper ones are size. they both shoot media at a surface, however the larger ones can move more volume with a higher rate and make blasting much faster. to move a media at a higher rate, you need a really big compressor to keep up.

 

using nozzles starting in the 1/8" range (they wear out and become larger) works my compressor beyond its capability.

 

if the media is larger than the pit containing the rust, it won't be able to get in and remove it. if you work the area longer, the probability of smaller media has a chance to get in and remove the pit. in extreme cases you could use some acid on those pits.

 

i've seen pictures of cars go to commercial businesses to get blasted and they look like they didn't even get the rust out of the pits.

 

i don't use industrial grade blasting equipment. i want to say i paid around $250 - $300 years ago for the pressure blaster. The cabinet is homeade with the special parts purchased with a kit (glass, light, gloves, siphon, etc).

 

there are a lot of piece parts to a car that will need attention.

[Ash 145]

I understand what you are saying. I'm about to leave and will drop these cowl parts off to the blasters. He said he could possibly do them while I wait so will have a watch at what they use.

I'll keep looking around and see what I can find. Would love to find something decent second hand. But we really are limited to options in many ways compared to you all in the US. Like you said, lots of parts, it'll be worthwhile having.

[Klutch 17]

most cabinets use a siphon setup internal to the cabinet. the media is located and recirculated in the cabinet. siphon setups don't remove rust/paint as quickly as a pressure setup like you would use outside.

 

 

Thanks, Buckeye.

 

FYI, I had my Mustang professionally blasted. They did a great job of removing paint, rust and much of the body plastic that was on the car.

 

I recently came to appreciate how much of a time saver this was. There was one area of my car the blaster couldn't get to. The right rear has been badly rusted behind the rear wheel. The previous owner had cut a big hole there, then riveted on a piece of sheet metal followed by a whole lot of body plastic. The blasting process removed the body plastic, which revealed the riveted-on sheet metal.

 

I removed the riveted sheet metal and just started to work on the area behind it, which is where the trunk pan drops off. I'm trying to remove the surface rust and patch a few areas that have rusted through. Good golly, what a pain! I think I'm going to wait until I get a blaster before I work that area again. Trying to remove the rust with sanding discs just doesn't work.

 

Of course, as Buckeye mentioned, I've got hundreds of pieces and parts which are going to require blasting. And there are still a few small areas on the car the professional blaster could not access. No way am I going to try to clean those up with sanding discs and whire wheels.

[Ash 145]

Dropped those parts off to the blasters and he wasn't able to do them then so will grab them next week sometime.

Ran into my first hurdle though with the blaster. When I asked what he used, he said a glass media followed by a coating to protect the bare metal. I asked what the coating was, he said it was an acid based coating but was also neutral? Not sure how this worked but I asked him not to apply it as I need a neutral surface to work with and anything he put on would have to be removed again. This is all because SPI epoxy requires a neutral surface. He wasn't too impressed with me asking to not have the coating applied and warned me it may flash rust. I was aware of that but am happy to deal with that instead of risking some acid left behind and under the fresh epoxy.

 

While I was down there I shopped around a bit for some blasters. Went to 2 hire places, they had nothing.

Noticed at the blasters who had my parts, they were actually having some blasting machinery dropped off by a hire mob. But the machinery was very industrial.

I went to a tool shop, they only had one. It was a 10 gallon one which they wanted $199 for. I had seen better deals then this on ebay for larger sizes and the shop didn't offer any extras with it, no tips or anything. I asked how much the actual media was and they looked it up. They had nothing of any type in stock and started at $50 for a 25kg bag of 36 grit garnet.

Last night I searched ebay for a while and this is the best looking package I can come up with. A 20 gallon blaster with extra tips and accesorys as well as a helmet for $189.95 plus $19.95 post.

 

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Skillmeister-20-Gallon-Sand-Blaster-/180928068113?pt=AU_Power_Tools&hash=item2a20273a11

 

I still don't know the best way to get any media. I'll have to keep looking around for a local supplier to cut out delivery costs. You can get bags on ebay for $35 but post is on top.

 

There was one cabinet in the tool shop, it was just over $300 and it came as a kit. I've seen others around too, smaller ones appears to start around $200. I was told I need a 16cfm compressor to run any of them which is what I have.

[mymachone 13]

Dropped those parts off to the blasters and he wasn't able to do them then so will grab them next week sometime.

Ran into my first hurdle though with the blaster. When I asked what he used, he said a glass media followed by a coating to protect the bare metal. I asked what the coating was, he said it was an acid based coating but was also neutral? Not sure how this worked but I asked him not to apply it as I need a neutral surface to work with and anything he put on would have to be removed again. This is all because SPI epoxy requires a neutral surface. He wasn't too impressed with me asking to not have the coating applied and warned me it may flash rust. I was aware of that but am happy to deal with that instead of risking some acid left behind and under the fresh epoxy.

 

While I was down there I shopped around a bit for some blasters. Went to 2 hire places, they had nothing.

Noticed at the blasters who had my parts, they were actually having some blasting machinery dropped off by a hire mob. But the machinery was very industrial.

I went to a tool shop, they only had one. It was a 10 gallon one which they wanted $199 for. I had seen better deals then this on ebay for larger sizes and the shop didn't offer any extras with it, no tips or anything. I asked how much the actual media was and they looked it up. They had nothing of any type in stock and started at $50 for a 25kg bag of 36 grit garnet.

Last night I searched ebay for a while and this is the best looking package I can come up with. A 20 gallon blaster with extra tips and accesorys as well as a helmet for $189.95 plus $19.95 post.

 

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Skillmeister-20-Gallon-Sand-Blaster-/180928068113?pt=AU_Power_Tools&hash=item2a20273a11

 

I still don't know the best way to get any media. I'll have to keep looking around for a local supplier to cut out delivery costs. You can get bags on ebay for $35 but post is on top.

 

There was one cabinet in the tool shop, it was just over $300 and it came as a kit. I've seen others around too, smaller ones appears to start around $200. I was told I need a 16cfm compressor to run any of them which is what I have.

 

I buy a lot of my blasting stuff at Tractor supply , and have even bought Glass bead media from Napa , no shipping cost . I recently bought HF blast cabinet for just over $200.00 and had some one pk it up for me as shipping would have been #100.00 .

surely there must be a Tractor supply some what close to you ?

[Ash 145]

Actually yeah there is. I live in a small country town and even though there isn't much of anything here, tractors there are!

The guy that owns the shop owes me a favour too I reckon as a few months back he reversed into my wife's car and smashed it right up. He felt pretty bad about it but he's a decent guy. I'm sure he'd be happy to help.

 

We don't have anything like Harbor Freight here in Aus though. We went to one of their stores in Pasadena last year. Dad and I couldn't believe it, we had never seen anything like it before. I know some of it gets a bad wrap for being cheap, but damn it is crazy cheap! I had to buy another suitcase to bring some of the things I brought back home and the rest got shipped in my Mustang.

[BuckeyeDemon 211]

what about this stuff? it's in australia. or is there some other issue? i've never been to or know much about australia. i didn't think it was third world...

 

http://toolman.com.au/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1_8

[Ash 145]

The problem with Australia compared to what you are used to is we are roughly the same in land size with a very small population compared to you. We don't have cheap labour and everything is miles apart. If you want something done, anything at all, you pay through the nose. Including freight. Anything that is not made here has to be shipped halfway around the world, increasing costs. Anything made here is expensive due to labour costs.

Here's a basic map to show you size comparison

 

http://www.ga.gov.au/education/geoscience-basics/dimensions/australias-size-compared.html

 

Those blasters in that link are the same as the ones in the ebay link I put up before. Except they are 1200km's (745 miles) from me. Just a little out of the way.

 

All I'm trying to do is find someone who can supply materials close by. The tractor store was a dead end, they don't deal with anything. As were the two engineering mobs in town. Rang a couple of paint supplies stores out of town and have now found somewhere. Their sandblasters themselves start at $4500. No, I wont be buying one of them but they do sell garnet in a range of grits for $30 a bag. They are about 80km's from me but at least that is doable. So I'll grab one of those 20 gal ebay jobs and go from there.

[BuckeyeDemon 211]

that sucks. have you tried posting on some of the forums asking where to get equipment/media along with posting your location?

 

i know there are several from australia (don't know what part of the country) on the Boss 302 forum.

[Ash 145]

Most guys that I know of from with Mustangs are either in Sydney, 250km's away, Brisbane 750k's, Melbourne 1200k's, Adelaide 1600k's or Perth which is about 4000k's away. There are some helpful guys there for sure, as there are here on this forum.

 

This supplier 80k's from me will be ok. I go down that way every few weeks so will just have to plan ahead what I need.

[Machattack 10]

Ash, I have a blaster like the one in your ebay link. It's very slow going on large pieces but it would probably be fine for your purposes...... if your compressor can keep up with it. I have an 11kw screw compressor, around 60cfm if memory serves me right, and it works okay as long as you're not drawing too much air with other tools. It actually came with plastic nozzles believe it or not which are completely useless so I upgraded to a tungsten nozzle and have never had to replace it. The rubber hose will eventually wear out but is easy to replace. I've also had to replace the valve at the bottom.

[Klutch 17]

The tractor store was a dead end, they don't deal with anything.

 

I think the confusion there is we Yanks have a chain store called "Tractor Supply". It's a large farm store kind of place that carries lots of tools and supplies which people in rural areas tend to need. It's not really a supply store for tractors, as I take it your local "tractor supply" is.

[Ash 145]

Ash, I have a blaster like the one in your ebay link. It's very slow going on large pieces but it would probably be fine for your purposes...... if your compressor can keep up with it. I have an 11kw screw compressor, around 60cfm if memory serves me right, and it works okay as long as you're not drawing too much air with other tools. It actually came with plastic nozzles believe it or not which are completely useless so I upgraded to a tungsten nozzle and have never had to replace it. The rubber hose will eventually wear out but is easy to replace. I've also had to replace the valve at the bottom.

 

You must use yours a bit, Mackattack? I was worried about them being slow or inefficient as well. But like you said, for a single purpose and not a huge deal to do, hopefully it will do the job. Plastic tips though, what were they thinking? I think the ones I've looked at come with ceramic tips?

At least on ebay lots or most of the parts appear readily there, will see how they hold up once I get it.

 

 

I think the confusion there is we Yanks have a chain store called "Tractor Supply". It's a large farm store kind of place that carries lots of tools and supplies which people in rural areas tend to need. It's not really a supply store for tractors, as I take it your local "tractor supply" is.

 

Hahaha, yeah you're spot on. We don't have anything like that that I know of. I did actually go to a tractor store, a small one at that. Think of it as the size of a corner shop, not a large chain store. Like many places in town it looks like 3rd or more generation owned and still being run like it was back in the day.

[Machattack 10]

Actually not that often Ash, it's far too time consuming so we only use for small pieces when we absolutely have to. My idea of small may not be the same as yours. I own a small business painting structural steel and wouldn't even dream of using the blaster on the majority of the work we do. You'll be happy enough with it for the car though as long as you have the air power to run it. My compressor (below) struggles to run it if I have any more than one orbital sander running at the same time.

 

[Ash 145]

My compressor sure isn't that impressive. But as you said, I wont be running any more then one tool at a time so it'll be interesting to see just how my compressor stands up.