I know I have seen this thread atleast once before. What is the best time to sandblast the frame if you are going to. Should I do it before I start to weld on it or after? I'm thinking before because if you box any part of the frame you won't be able to get at it. I may have answered my own question!

 

No real right way to do it I guess. I'm waiting for Spring thaw so i can blast my F1 frame. I've removed the springs, not shackles/perches. Running board supports off, which means grinding rivets, and anything bolted on is off. I don't plan on boxing anything. It will get blasted, epoxy primed, and sprayed chassis black (eastwoods). I will blast the running board supports and other small parts in a cabinet. If I was to do any boxing, I would like to have bare metal to weld onto...rust is not good for welding, lol. It would be easier to remove primer to weld than rust. I then can keep a couple rattle cans of eastwood's chassis black to touch up when I feel the frame is done, and everything can bolt back on. That's just how I would do it.

I forgot about weld-through primer. I use U-POL

 

Hi Dave,
Everyone has their preferences so I'm not saying I have the best answer for you. What works for me is to blast out the places that will be welded and hard to get to after the welding work is done. You can paint or coat those areas that will be hidden prior to welding. It is true that some of the paint or coating will get burned by the welding but that is better than having it be totally bare and start rusting inside. I also like waiting to just before priming and painting to do the final blasting. Same day blasting and painting if at all possible is the way I like to go. I hope this somehow helps you decide what to do.

Later Man...

 

I don't have a blaster or a trailer so using my bodies trailer for a couple trips to the blaster is not really an option. I'm thinking a wire wheel onthe 5" grinder where I plan on doing work. Then blasting after everything is complete.

 

Your answer brought up another question for me. My running board supports are all in great shape and I was not planning on removing them. But I wonder what is going on behind them? Maybe I should take them off any way.

 

Mine are in great shape save one. Because of that, I decided to do them all so that they remain uniform in appearance (bolts). I don't think it's necessary to remove them, but the layer of crust between them and the frame is what concerns me. The PO sanded down the front half of my frame before, and didn't remove them, so I have to wonder what's behind them as well. That layer may or may not be there, but I'm always on the cautious side. It can do bad things, and is always in spots where dirt, salt, and water gets trapped. This is not a running board support, but you'll see what I mean.

PS: this area is one reason why I started over with another truck.

 

My advised is to grind off or wire brush the rust where you intend to weld first. Clean up every where you intend to box the frame if that is what you intend to do also. You may want to use some type of rust neutraliser then have the sandblaster do the blasting. A lot of the times a sandblaster can get into the areas that have openings and hit it with the sand. If you were to sandblast first then do the welding, you may need to take it back to the sandblaster again to clean the areas again. Furthermore depending how long you intend to complete your welding, your frame will develop surface rust from moisture and all the hands that will come in contact with it. I am a sandblaster and powder coater and these are some of the issues my customers have to deal with. I hope I have been helpful and kinda clear your answer somewhat. Every project is different and that where the fun begins.

 

I am probably going to do all my welding before taking it to the blaster.

I don't have to do much welding anyway.

No Boxing here......I don't think an F-600 frame needs much boxing!

 

I am still in process. Since I needed to box the front and do some minor repairs/mods, I sandblasted (could have used a wire wheel and sanding disk) the areas to be welded including all of the inside of the frame rails to be hidden by boxing. Then I used weld thru primer on the inside of the rails in the boxed area. Following that I taped back about 3/4 of an inch from the weld area and shot frame black to the hidden area. I did the same process to the inside surfaces of the boxing plates. My intent was to have as much paint as possible in the enclosed areas that are boxed but yet not have paint contaminating the welds. The frame is now boxed in the front and all repairs/mods completed with the truck test fit/assembled. My next step is to tear it down and sandplast/prime and color the entire frame. My only error was that after doing this I decided that I wanted the frame pewter gray!
I will sandblast and epoxy prime the same day. I have modified 2 engine stands to work as a frame twirler.

 

Thanks for the info. that is kind of what I was thinking.

 

You have made a few good points Fred. Whe I tossed in my two cents worth I did not consider that he may be having to take it to someplace else. I have my own blasting equipment and for some reason I guess I just assumed that was what he was doing. If you have to have it done elsewhere I think you suggestion is best.

Later Man...

 

Dave, If it were me, I"d go ahead and remove the runningboard brackets..that frame is heavy, and even with help, there is a chance of dropping it and damaging/bending the brackets. You will probably want to get behind them and clean dirt and get rid of the rust anyway. That would be a good time to clean the brackets and paint them/powdercoat or whatever, because space is always at a premium at my place..I leave them off untill the last moment( like when re-fitting the fenders)..they tend to reach out and snag a shin,tear pant legs,and provoke curse words.I blasted and powder-coated mine to help preserve them.Good Luck!

 

I spent the day out in the garage today. The brackets where actually bolted on. The nuts were tacked on either they came that way or someone did a really good job. I found one crack on the frame behind the front passenger side cab mount. Both front cab mounts have small cracks all are very fixable.

 

epoxy primer is quite durable. I plan on having mine brought to the local blaster, where they blast it and epoxy prime it all in one shot (it's worth the extra $100). I'll take it home, set it on the rotisserie, scuff it, wax and grease remover, tack cloth, etc... and spray chassis black over the entire frame. With the spare rattle can of the same paint, it is not much different than doing spot repairs on bodies, if it's needed. Again, this is without boxing.

Any welding will leave spatter, burn the paint, and such, and will need to be "dressed" to make it look good. That involves sanding/wirewheel/grinding, etc...sparks will "burn" the paint as well. That is why I mentioned leaving it in epoxy primer. You can sand away the primer, then weld, then clean, clean again, and then spray epoxy primer again. Once everything looks good to go, then you can apply the color of your choice to the entire frame. Weld thru primer can be applied on the inside of your welds and plates. Depending how the boxing is done, there may be access afterward. I've seen socks soaked in paint pushed through there to get as much paint on the backside as possible, and other variants of trickery. 56fred makes a very good point: you don't want it blasted and left bare. Depending on what the local blaster can do, is it worth going there twice? pay the extra for primer if that's available? Just a couple things to know before going. They may have that frame sitting there for a week or two before they even get to it, so that can be a concern as well. IMO, I'd call them and see what all is offered.