Featured Projects Nothing to see here - Just another boring Merc build

Blasted and now back in the shop. Was thinking of using TP Tools Rust Cover paint, or POR 15 on the frame. It's never gonna have mirrors under it at a show. Is there a good reason to not use one of those? Is it better to Epoxy prime & use paint w/ hardener? I don't care about it being overly pretty, just want it protected.

 

I feel like epoxy and hardened enamel is better for a clean, bare frame than the rust cover paint. There's been quite a few stories on the HAMB about POR15 peeling off in sheets, and it's really meant to cover up rust, not to go on clean surfaces to prevent rust. The last ch***is I painted got enamel and it's holding up nice.

I feel like good winter storage has way more to do with the underside of an old car holding up than any kind of specific paint or coating though.

 

POR-15 will work really well it’s not just for rusty surfaces. Fresh well cleaned steel is an ideal substrate and honestly anything that is galvanized POR-15 rust preventive is the only choice. . Just need to do all the prep process. Enamels will work and last for a period of time. They’ll be less durable but serve your needs especially something that is a cruiser.

Anytime paint comes off in sheets it’s a prep issue. None us follow the prep process how manufactures suggest but it does make a difference in the end and will dictate how successful your painting project will be.

 

I used some heat and a big Crescent wrench to bend the frame by the rear spring hangers back into place and welded up the crack. (both sides). Then I added a little gusset, thinking it would be stronger than stock. The flare of the inner part didn't seem to hold up to the pounding of the springs. Probably too much HP from the big Merc flathead. IDK if that's something commonly done, but it made sense to me. It lasted 75 years the old way, hopefully it will last at least that long now.

In case I wanna run dual exhaust, I copied the factory p*** side hanger on the dr side.


Ignore my less than perfect welds. They really aren't any worse than the factory ones.
Had my wife help me flip the frame over, and I have some repairs to do under the front X-member. More heating, hammering and welding.

 

1. I have used the por15 on farm wagons. It doesn’t like sunlight, so you have to paint something over it, which sort of doubles the work, and still shows signs of peeling. Plus you sort of need to use the whole container of por15 or the remainder in the can solidifies. It is pretty expensive to waste. I’m sure I wasn’t particular enough, but that has been my experience. Love the project, not sure about maroon…

 

I learned that lesson also. My fix was not to open the Lid the next time I bought some. I punched a small vent hole in the Lid then a larger hole in the side near the top to pour out of and closed then up with appropriate size sheet metal screws. Add screws as soon as your done pouring paint out.

 

Here's some of the damage to the underside of the front crossmember. Looks like somebody hooked a chain in that hole to pull it. I've straightened & welded up the cracks. Working on painting on some rust protection.

 

Nice to find stuff like that now, when you have easy access to fix it.

 

Progress.

 

Looks good. What product is that?

 

@RMR&C I went with the TP Tools Rust Cover satin black. Seems a little glossy for satin though. It's still wet in the pic. It's supposed to be a step up from POR15. It has higher solids content & is UV stable. Or so they proclaim it to be. Can be used over rust, or blasted surfaces. Brushed it on because - who cares? There will be no mirrors under this car at shows. For the sections of the frame that are boxed in, I ordered some spray cans from Eastwood that have a tube w/ a multi-directional sprayer on the end. I'll report on that after I try it out. Might be overkill, but I'm hoping it will be another 75 years before somebody need to do it again.

You can see where I straightened & welded the underside of the front crossmember here. Once again, looking for function over form.

 

You don't have to open the rear end housing to calculate the gear ratio. Put axle housing up on blocks and rotate the brake drum one revolution counting the number of times the U-joint rotates. The later will give you the ratio.

I have used Por-15 several times without any problems. It does fade but, who cares. As you said, no mirrors underneath for your car. Just be sure to follow the directions.
Slowly building a 50 Ford choptop so there are lots of similarities with your build.

 

Keep up the good work @1pickup! I'll be watching !!

 

Very Kool thread, Looking forward to watching your progress. Please keep us posted.

 

@Fat47 Yes, I know this. However, this rear I'm using needed to be pulled apart. The gear set looked pretty bad, and most of the brake hardware had rusted away to nothing. New parts have arrived. I was out of the state for a few days to attend a family funeral. I'll get back to work soon.

I'm currently looking to find a set of wheels locally that will work. I ***umed they would be everywhere. Probably most were s****ped. 15"X6" ish 4 1/2" bc. Just plain steel wheels. They came on millions of Fords, why are there so few around?

 

Mopar wheels will also fit and many have the size you are looking for.

 

Also true. The steel wheels that come on 70's D150 Dodge pickup trucks are 15x6 with 4.5" bolt pattern and are very clean looking, I've used those on quite a few cars.

 

Here's how bad the brake shoes were, and yes, I'm using that rear axle.


The instructions didn't say so, but I taped the access holes before using the Eastwood inner frame rail coating. You can see where it ran onto the floor.

Here's a couple shots looking inside the frame rails. Looks like good coverage.

 

If the whole inside of the frame looks that good, I'm impressed with that coating. That looks really good.

 

@Squablow It's probably expensive overkill, but I only want to do this one time. I'm hoping the next owner (maybe my son?) appreciates all the work I'm putting into it. If it adds 5-10 years to the lifetime of the frame, it's worth it to me.

 

We got a little snow last night. Approximately 9".

Got the frame flipped over and used a razor blade to knock some nibs off (runs/drips). Mostly cosmetic, and unnecessary, but a few would have interfered with something bolting back on (brake hose hole, etc.). Ready to finish painting and start bolting things back together.

 

Here's the stuff I used on the inside of the frame:

Now that we've flipped it over, I can see some spots that were missed in the first p***. It got the sides and bottom well covered, but the top - not so much. I'll make another p***, and it should be good.

I put the rear springs back together with a liner between the leafs. Or is it leaves? After the frame painting gets dry, it's time to start bolting things back on! I need to get the suspension and steering in, so I can decide where to mount the 401/4 speed. Does anybody know what position the rearmost shackles were originally? Mine were pointing down, but flipped up is instant lowering, and that's what I'm planning to do.

 

This is correct shackle position as in how it would have come off the ***embly line day one. The way this spring is mounted on the actual frame mounted bracket is a personal modification. I hate lowering blocks, and this is my solution. If you can see the front of the spring, you'll notice I did the same there. 3-1/2" drop and No blocks.

 

Thanks @Pist-n-Broke. That's what I was ***uming. I'm not a fan of leaf springs, but I'm not planning hole shots, or adjustable suspension, so the stock leafs will work fine. I see and like what you did there. I don't think I'll need much for blocks, but will have to wait until it's back together to check the stance.

 

I'm looking for some 5/16" ID thin-walled tubing to replace the rusted & bent up spacers in the leaf spring clamps. Can't seem to find anything suitable at the local Fleet Farm or online. Has anybody found something that works?

 

I have repurposed galvanized water pipe or black gas pipe before.

 

That's actually sheetmetal that's rolled when new. It does nothing structural at all. A new bolt and a nylock nut will do just fine. The bolts only there to keep the ears from spreading apart, don't over tighten the nut and move on.

 

You can use pieces of 3/8 steel tubing(or no-rust stainless) or, older eavestrough used to use a nail and similar split spacers to hang the trough on the eave.

 

You might try a garage door supplier. Those look similar to the spacers used on the hinges for garage doors.