Progress has been made. the only things still bolted to my frame are the leaf springs and they won't be there much longer. I'll go with one of three rust preventers, either POR-15, Rust Bullet or Eastwood. To be honest, it'll depend on which one is cheaper.
My question is about the crossmember directly below the back of the cab. It's two pieces, riveted together. Should I grind the rivets out so I can separate the pieces to coat the inside or is it not worth the hassle? I will have to take the frame to a car wash so I can force the old dirt and whatever else out the corners. this cross member and the ends of the transmission cross member are the only two parts I can't reach from the outside.
Mike

 

When these things were originally built they were riveted up and painted later. They have lasted this long with little care. I say it is not worth the time and trouble. Clean what you can and paint it. It will be good for another 50+ years.

 

Mike, My buddy & I have both used Rust Bullet on our frames and are very satisfied with the results. Not sure about the difference in cost of the others.

 

POR-15 is relatively expensive but worth it. This is something you will do once and you wouldn't want to scrimp there. I did my entire frame, rear end, springs, front suspension, cab floor and firewall (inside and out), and as I recall I used a total of about 3 quarts (less than a hundred bucks total at about $34 a quart). I think it has gone up a little since then but still well worth the price...

 

You might be surprised what a good pressure washer will do.
I think you can brush-on the three paints you mentioned,and my experience with POR 15 showed it 'leveled' out real nice, my vote goes with leaving the crossmember alone, just paint after cleaning as well as you can. Just my .02$

 

Thanks guys. I'll see what the pressure washer flushes out and then decide. I would love to just leave it alone.
I definitely plan on never tearing it down this far again. I've read great things about POR-15 and rust bullet. Again, it'll come down to whichever is cheaper.
Mike

 

Hey Micheal, What's that 2000 Transalp..Mad Spousal Unit'.. in your signature? ...I just KNOW there's got to be some humor in there somewhere!

 

Seems like I read an earlier post regarding using POR 15 on a fresh sandblasted or wire wheeled surface and that the POR 15 didn't stick???

I am also about ready to clean my frame up and am deciding on how I want to do it and what paint to use. Thinking of getting it sandlasted if it doesn't cost too much, I think using a wire wheel might take to long and definitly wont get in all of the nooks and crevices very well.

 

The 2000 Transalp is a Honda motorcycle that isn't sold here. Nothing like being unique. the 'Mad Spousal Unit' is my highly irate significant other or just generally pissed off wife. She'll come around once the beast is cleaned up and going back together. I've been trying to buy this truck for over two years. Found out just over a month ago that the flathead was gone and he dropped the price to $750. the following Friday my wife had some of her friends over for dinner so I broke out some magazines and truck books to show off some pictures (all of completly restored trucks of course!). they liked the pictures and I got them to give the wife some good natured needling about not letting me have one. by the end of the evening she just huffed at me "tell him your only allowed to spend $700!". She came home from work two days later and me and two friends were downloading it off a trailer. Mad doesn't begin to describe her mood that evening. If you do something that leaves a Korean woman speechless, you've accomplished something. I think she was more in shock that I actually did it than really being upset. Two days later, when she spoke to me again, she said she didn't know how I was going to fix it because I'm not allowed to spend any money on it till the house is paid off. She's getting weaker in her old age.
JMadsen-
In researching it I've found that most people who have had problems with one product or the other didn't buy the cleaner/degreaser and the metal prep products that they recommend. It costs a little more, but like I said, I don't plan on seeing the frame again once I put together.
Mike

 

Hi Mike,
I agree with the previuos posts as not to remove the rivets. I resored a 1930 frame and it cam out nice. These frames will out last us...
I also used some dilute phosphoric acid, this is put on heavy pitted areas of rust ( iron oxide) and the diluted phosphoric acid neutralizes the rust to iron phosphate. Let it dry and paint over. woks great for rust prevention.

 

I just bought a gallon of "Chassis Saver" and a quart of Reducer. $100 out the door. I've read quite a bit on the different ones, and i think it's worth taking the chance, at least on my beast. The shop I bought it from has always been open and honest with me, and he said that almost all the good shops around town, are now using it, without any problems, whatsoever. What I don't like about the Por-15 is that you need this and that and the other thing, all necessary to do the job. Chassis save is "knock off the rough spots and scale, and paint, baby, paint!".

EDIT - forgot to link to Chassis Saver...here 'tis: Chassis Saver Link

We'll see, I'm getting close to being ready for it. Wire-wheeling like crazy...


R

 

rca8or,
Thanks. I've got some more studying to do now. that Chassis saver looks pretty good. So basically it works this way- pressure wash the frame, knock off the big stuff, degrease the whole thing, wash again, wire brush then apply. You'll get to yours before I get mine probably, let me know how far a gallon goes. Are you planning on using it for an undercoating also or just the frame?
Mike

 

Mike, seems pretty easy to me, a lot less work than Por-15. I read someplace, and can't find it, that you can find lacquer thinner, that's sold as "cleaning" or something like that, that's a LOT less expensive than the gallons you buy at Menards, etc. Can't find the reference to it, though (anybody know???). My problem is that I can't move my truck outside to pressure wash, since I have a slope, both sides of the shop. I can get the truck out, hopefully get it stopped, but can't get it back in - took 5 of us, and a chain to a garden tractor to get it in! So everything has to be done inside. Drats! So I'll use lacquer thinner for the grease remover. I'm wire-brushing now...not a fun job.

Yes, I'm planning on using it for undercoating, since it's basically just the cab. They say 350-400 square feet of coverage. I haven't decided whether to spray or brush, probably a combination of both. You can top coat, to avoid the UV rays turning it a deep charcoal gray, but to me, that's "patina". Plus, it will probably stay black until I have departed the earth! I'm not as worried about color-retention as I am about the protection. I'm even thinking about using it on the floorboards, inner fenders and inner firewall as well.

The nice thing is the flexibility. I've seen it painted on sheet metal, then the metal bent back and forth, etc, without cracking the paint. That's important to me. Plus, I feel that anyplace that the prep isn't as perfect as possible (hidden, unreachable), if I can get a good coating of CS on it, then I'm better off in the long run.

I'll keep the list posted as I go...

R

 

I'm planning on going with the brush on rustoleum for mine. It's fairly tough stuff, and is cheap and easy to find. I also don't have any deep rust on the frame, so i just need a rust preventer and not something that will cure/cover rust. I haven't used the others, but i've used por-15 and it worked well.