Im going to start working on getting rid of my surface rust and have been looking into several ways of doing it. First there is the sandpaper way which i dont have a spinny thingy to put it on. or a chemical way which seems much easier but im not sure what it will do if anything to my good metal.
Im also looking into how to weld and use a plasma cutter so that I can do some of it myselft like the whole in the drivers side floor. Which cant be seen if I do a bad job. Any ideas will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Luke
1970 f100
Floorboard sheetmetal replacement is fairly easy, even moreso with replacement floorboard sections you can buy. You can get 'er done with a MIG, but doing it with a TIG can help it look cleaner cause less of a mess. Make sure you take the time to prep everything right (removal of anything nearby that could be burned or stained by smoke or get ruined with weld splatter). Good tools are a neccessity. Hotrod mags are a good source of info for this kind of project.
ok thanks for the info, the other parts i need to do is around the doors and some inside and the lip that goes around the top of the windsheild and down around the back of the windows. how did yall get that rust out??
I Think it turns the rust into Zinc oxide? or some other hard surface. Its Kind of like anodizing aluminum for steel. My friend did it to his frame about 8 years ago and it hasn't rusted since! With no paint! And the truck still sits there with no cab on it!!! Meh, Its a Chevy.
As far as welding goes, safety is priority!!!!!!!! FIRES AND ELECTRIC SHOCK can be interesting to say the least. That said, Pick up a good book about the tips and tricks if you don't have the expirence. one bit of info that I've seen is while doing test pieces, make sure that its the same thickness as the metal you are repairing. I have seen to many guys blow through there workpiece because they had the amps up to hot!!!
If you don't have access to a plasma cutter, the oxy acetylene is more economical to buy and you can do a lot more with it such as brazing and welding. The plasma is limited to cutting only.
Good luck and pics of the progress!!!
To get rid of surface rust I use a wire wheel on my grinder, makes short work of it.
be careful with the wire wheel and grinder on sheet metal- you can damage and warp it. i made the mistake once! i vote for chemical removal, just apply, and cover with plastic, then rinse and dry. easy.
Don't think he's gonna have to worry about warpage in the areas he's referring to. I'd wire wheel em' without a second thought. I've never even heard of wire wheels causing sheet metal to warp, but then again I've never taken a wire wheel to exterior sheetmetal. I can see a grinder doing some weird stuff, but a wire wheel??
Don't think he's gonna have to worry about warpage in the areas he's referring to. I'd wire wheel em' without a second thought. I've never even heard of wire wheels causing sheet metal to warp, but then again I've never taken a wire wheel to exterior sheetmetal. I can see a grinder doing some weird stuff, but a wire wheel??
depends on the wire wheel, they make really coarse wire wheels, and when used on delicate surfaces it CAN hurt it. only on thin exterior metal like a roof. on floor pans they work great.
There is minor body rust so I wont have to worry about grinding it or anything. The worst area is the left side of the driver floor board that I want to get taken care of first which I will probably do some sanding then use some chemicals on it to slow it down or stop it till I get a chance to cut the hole out and replace it. Ill take some pics later this after noon that I will need some help figuring out how to get the rust out.
Thanks for the replies and advice.
Luke
be careful with the wire wheel and grinder on sheet metal- you can damage and warp it. i made the mistake once! i vote for chemical removal, just apply, and cover with plastic, then rinse and dry. easy.
I've never had a problem with warpage, never even thought about it. one thing I do know is these trucks are made of some thicker sheet metal as opposed to my 68 charger, thats what I used it on.
I got a grinder for christmas one year and it came with a wire wheel to put on it
here is some of the rust that I need to get rid of.
This is the pics of the lip that goes around the cab windows. I have no idea how to get in there and get it out. I have a dremil that I could use but im not sure how well it would work.
Next is a picture of the bar that was welded into the bed after rust was taken out.
The next picture are the little holes they have by the tailgate im not really sure what there called though.
The next one is the rust under the lip in the inside of the bed.
The last 2 are of the outside of the driver/passenger doors where the window goes in. Its the metal strip that holds the rubber to keep water out of the door. There basically totally rotted and need to be replaced but I cant find those metal pieces anywere.
Thats it for the outside ill post some of the inside stuff later on.
Thanks,
Luke
first pic: is that the drip rail? if so you need to remove the seam sealer first then clean it up as good as you can and use some rust converter, or the chemical stuff to remove rust.
next, those are called stake holes on top of your bed and probably again use the chemical rust remover.
as far as the window seals on top of your doors you should be able to get the new seals from LMC they include the clips to hold them to the door
yes thats what there called (sorry still new to this)... ok I figured I could get the window seals just didnt know what they were called.
Is there a chemical rust remover you suggest?
Thanks for all the info,
Luke
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1970 f100, original 302 2bbl, 5sp out of a 90 mustang... 78k original miles
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