thanks guys. so what tools off the bat would you all suggest I purchase to get gutting this girl? Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Make a plan. Short term and long term goals. Lots of ppl just get their project driveable and make improvements that are necessary.its your project so you decide where to go with it. You dont have to do a $20k restoration right now. Get it running like it is now. (Based on your budget) Clean it and drive it. later you can do a little more restoration. Some guys rebuild their project a couple times over 10 year span before the full blown restoration. You said your new to this so make a short term plan get it tagged and titled and see what you think. Any improvement will net you an increase in the value and u may end up and sell it for a better suited project and still have $ to use on improving it
Meanwhile your looking for replacement parts ebay craigslist etc stock piling nicer or missing parts fotrim rims drivetrain for the big restoration and planning to tackle task in small bite size chucks so u dont get overwhelmed and see progress. Try not to tackle every problem at one time or youll buen out on it
Like they said above. Probably should have a place to keep it while in progress. Start small and learn as you go - especially if this is your first time. And probably most important: BE CAREFUL WHO YOU GIVE MONEY TO! Just sayin.....
It sounds like you haven't attempted something like this before. Don't misunderstand me, this is not a criticism. One of your statements asked what tools you should purchase for the dis-assembly which lead me to that conclusion. I've been building cars on and off since the mid 60's. I'm retired now and have more time on my hands. Here's one example I would share. Below is a photo of my current project when I took delivery. It was a complete and drive-able Ford Popular. This picture is when it was ready to start the chassis work. It took me about a month of pretty steady work. Not 8 hour days! Hope this helps you get a grasp of what lies before you. It would be a great experience I think. Plan on bleeding a little. I leak alot sometimes. Best of luck to you either way.
Call around to find a mobile blaster that either does the water/sand spray or one that using dry ice, (no dust). You will have to strip it and prime it yourself, probably save you 4-5K. Also check with a rental place, they may have info on compressors, spray guns and people that blast.
Gentlemen, you guys are AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What would you recommend on blasting this truck with? I hear all types of suggestions: soda, sand, walnut, glass etc. I am not really sure the benefits of one over another, can someone give me an idea. I imagine i'd blast the frame different from the body? PS Did i say you all are awesome
PS everyone, this is the truck, i need to take more pics around the truck and inside. http://imgur.com/a/1wMX5#2
Screw a full resto, fix or replace the power train and drive that baby as is, its probably the best looking divco I've seen in a long time.
If you really want to learn to do this kind ot thing, there's no better way than to do the photography, disassembly and cataloging yourself. Then get the blasting/priming done. Should save you a lot of money, which will come in handy later. Even after priming, it is essential to store your project in A DRY PLACE to complete your bodywork/paint/reassembly. These things are money pits. Good luck, Allan
trollst thank you!!! and Faulk I may do that , trying to find a garage that can fit her either in one piece or two ! Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
I'd start by doing as much stripping as you can by yourself. Paint stripper, cross flow ventilation, good lighting, comfortable eye protection, long rubber gloves, scraper, some proper scrubbing pads, brushes, etc.. Do as much striping as you can, small sections at a time, especially the areas divco13 warned you about when media blasting. This will cut your media blasting bill a bunch. Personally, after striping, I'd brace it a little, remove the body, prop it up @ 45 degrees and blast it with a portable media blasting rig in the back yard with big drop cloths under it to reclaim the media. Same with the frame. If you do it at the right time (about 8:30 AM on a work day) the neighbors won't complain because it wont take long. By the time they start bitching, it will be about done. This is an inexpensive way to start too. Tools?..."Tech Archives" is your friend. I would do a big study there on all aspects of this before you start. Divco13 has already done the heavy lifting for you...look at that exhaust lay out on his frame. BEFRIEND DIVCO13!!! Chuck
You never said what your plan was for the Divco. What are the drivetrain plans. I would have a hard time covering up that paint job. You are going to need big hammer sockets screw drivers and band aids.
After seeng the pic, I wouldn't strip that truck. Do a search for the CLR thread, CLR and scotchbrite the outside, pull the drivetrain and get it sorted out, while its out, clean degrease and paint as much as possible. Disassemble ,clean paint the interior in small sections while youcan still drive it.So you need basic hand tools wrenches sockets etc, engine hoist(maybe borrow one), angle grinder with cutting wheels and various wire brushes, hvlp paint gun and an air compressor. I'm recomending the paint gun so you use auto quality single stage paint on the engine compartment, interior. I would not take the body off that truck.
I'm going to take the tarp off the truck tonight and take close up shots and under shots tomorrow for you all to see. I appreciate this thread and since its more than blasting we are talking about I may create another thread but I am not sure how the mods would like to handle this or just let it continue. thanks guy SO much. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
SANDBLASTING SUCKS! But then again, I think painting sucks, so go figure. It is something that anybody can do, however, it does not take much skill or experience. Except the part about having the right equipment . . . OK, Stefan is Swedish, so he speaks metric, but the point is, sandblasting is all about 3 things: air volume at a minimum pressure, ability to pump up new air quickly (compressor power), and media. How many cfm of air can your compressor deliver at a particular pressure, this is where the rubber meets the road in sandblasting. I have a 240V, 30A compressor rated 14cfm @90 psi, and it is pitifully puny. I blast for 45 seconds, run out of air, and wait 4 minutes for the compressor to catch up. No wonder I hate to sandblast. Note that Stefan, in his beautiful butchered English, says " i can blaser near without wait." These ^^^^ N.C. hillbillies do their own blasting also, and get by with 24cfm @ 175psi. My experience says 125psi is minimum blasting pressure. Tinbender apparently hates to blast as much as I do. Note he says "It takes a big compressor." As for media, Play Sand is the ticket, in my experience (Stefan agrees). Forget all that crap about silicosis, hell you're only gonna do one vehicle. If you blasted for a living, I would worry about silicosis. It's cheap and you can sweep it up, screen the crap out you picked up in the driveway, and reuse it about 2 times (then the sand grains lose their edge.) Just remember, sandblasting sucks! My recommendation would be buy only what you need to accomplish the next task. Do not try to be a genius and decide in advance what you will need.
Wow! i knew this board was awesome but this is so helpful!!!!!!!!!! thank you!!! Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
After your basic hand tools a torch and tanks should be your first "large" purchase. Then as you need them like Brerhair suggested.
don't waste your time/money on blasting equipment unless you plan to start a side business out of this. you can/should try stripping youself at least once--one vehicle that big and you'll never do it again--its slow, dirty, tedious and mind-numbingly boring. in my case, although I don't have much of either, my time is worth more than my money and I don't want to spend my limited shop time stripping anything--I'd rather spend it building. I still spot blast stuff, but haven't done a whole car myself in 10 years.
I would NOT recommend you try to sandblast the Divco yourself, I would even have to really look into the pro and how much experiance he has before committing to it. You have big flat panels on the Divco, easiest to warp sandblasting and the worst possible just about to fix if they do warp. Whoever blasts it better know what they are doing. Even media can warp big panels. Maybe I'm sensitive since I have spent many, many hours repairing damage done by blasting, kills me to have to do bodywork on something that was straight before blasting. Even had one "pro" total a customers car with wet sand blasting, it was so bad it wasn't worth fixing, his insurance just paid it off and salvaged it . I am just talking about the body shell, I still like to have floors and frames sandblasted.
ok , fair enough , i appreciate your feedback. I don't think I'd have the courage to blast this on my own to be honest. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
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