Sandblasting a 69 GTO frame and suspension while still together.

Hey Folks,
Normally I would take the the suspension apart then do the sandblasting. Guess Im trying to cut some corners.  I was wondering if there were any concerns or things I needed to watch for when sandblasting the frame and suspension part while together? I am still going to take stuff apart and do things right, but I thought it would be nice to work on grease and grime free parts for once Anyway, please let me know guys!!! Thanks, JB  

Hit it with a good pressure washer first, that's what we did with my Tempest last month. There was still a small amount of grease and grime to deal with but nowhere near as bad.
Steve  
A little help... 'cause we don't all have to learn the hard way!

+1 Steve the pressure washer does work well but as you said it can leave some stuff behind.  Here is an alternative. I have used TSP (tri-sodium-phosphate) to clean parts inside and out countless times.  

You can build a simple tank by placing some concrete blocks around the perimeter with some boards on the inside of the blocks.  Then you can take a waterproof tarp or some 4 or 6 mil plastic and line your creation. I like the plastic since it is cheaper usually. You could also dig a shallow pit, lined with plastic, but the neighbors tend to notice that more.  If you let it soak a few days in TSP you should get all of the grease off and tsp will also soften old paint.  Finish with the pressure washer.

It all depends on how much work your willing to do; how much time you have; and the final results you are willing to settle for.  Once you are down to a frame you might as well do the best possible job allowing for time and money.

Of course, you will want to dry the frame immediately after you pressure wash it.  Eastwood makes a kit for coating the inside of the frame.  The kit consists of a long sprayer attachment and Zinc Oxide / paint mixture that should keep rust away for many years.

TSP, or pressure washing, will not clean off rust. You will need to media blast or soak the metal in Phosphoric Acid solution which you can pick up in a lot of parts stores and places like Harbor Freight.  The acid thing could be expensive.

Once your have your tank built you could also use electrolysis to clean off all of the rust and paint.  One of the Articles I wrote for HPP Forum will tell you all about that if you are interested. If you have a compressor with good output you could also blast the rust at home - or have it commercially done.

Again depending on how long you want the frame to remain pristine you can prime and paint it or have it powder coated. I know you probably will not want to go to all of this work but it is an alternative and you gave me an outlet to tell folks about it. The more work and the better quality work you do at this stage the longer your restoration will last. You would be surprised though at how many professional restorations have frames that are pained with rattle cans that show their age after just a few years.

Milt  

I reckon if theres any pipes left on it, I would surely plug those. No reason I see that it can't be done that way, other than the obvious question of how will you flip it over to get to the bottom? I kinda agree with just pressure washing then teardown, because theres going to be a bunch of spots you'll have to come back and blast after its apart. Plus if you blast it now, you'll be handling all that bare steel during teardown. Plan carefully to avoid double work.  

Keep in mind that blasting media will get into absolutely  everything and every place imaginable. The more stuff you remove before blasting the better.


Hi Matt!  

Hey Barney and Mr. Milt, I cant believe people would just rattle can a frame after going to the trouble of stripping it of the parts, but to each their own I guess? Yeah, I agree Barney about wanting the frame as nice as possible, and wanting the work to last.  I think it is just like a paint job, if your body work is crap, then your final paint job will look like crap!! I like the pressure washer idea!! Especially if I can find one with heat!!! Thanks guys!! JB  

Yeah Matt, I agree pal.  I am still going to take the parts apart, Im just blasting the firewall, and then painting it and the cowl, then attacking the suspension, and what I meant was that I wanted to blast the suspension peices just to make tear down cleaner and easier.  I will still need to do more blasting once the parts are off of course.  Iam going to be putting the new PST Poly super kit on.  Thanks guys, you answered my questions. JB  

my uncle did that to a frame on a 67 chevelle. he used his tractor to turn it over.  
76 455/4spd TRANS AM
69 GRAND PRIX 406/5SPD

just having the body off. and all the other stuff removed..

it really does not make a LOT of sense to NOT remove whats left of the suspension..

it is a pain to unload the front suspension.. but you can use a LONG length of all thread.. probably bigger than 1/2" diameter and a large assortment of various sizes of flat washers up to say..  1 1/2" ... go through the shock mounting hole....  and the big washers under the middle of the lower control arm...

one thing.. if the bushing bolts are RUSTED IN...    leave the nuts tight and loosen the bolt  head... what???? how does that work..    the bolt and nut hold the frame tabs tight against the end of the inner bushing sleeve...  if you loosen the nut.. the bolt may be rusted in.. but if the NUT is tight... you can loosen the bolt while the tension of the nut holds the inner sleeve tight in place so you can break the bolt loose..

with suspension in place.. there are a LOT of places that need to be looked at that cannot get properly cleaned by the sand blaster.. .  

Yeah Wayne, I agree.  I guess my main objective, (and I cant believe Im gonna admit this to my friends on this site:O) was to try and remove as little as possible from the frame and just sandblast the firewall, and the rest of the area of the engine compartment, then clean it as best as possible while together, then paint with epoxy primer and underhood black, then put the motor back in and get her running and enjoy her a little then start doing one part at a time.  Okay, before you all jump on me:O) I know this is not the right way to do it!! But that was intially my first thought.  Im sure most of you all knew which way I was going.  I guess I get intimidated when I start removing stuff and then get it a little too disassembled.  But not to worry, Im going to do it right!! Thanks for everything as usual folks. JB  

There is nothing wrong with doing a little here and there and enjoying the ride. It is a much better plan than taking it completely apart and never finishing it.  Never finishing it happens all to often.

Remember what I said about blasting media getting into absolutely every thing. May I suggest you have the firewall CO2 or soda blasted?  Or, you could just put the motor in a drive without doing any of that stuff.  

Mr. Milt, I understand what youre saying.  I made sure to tape off and plug every hole possible in that firewall.  I did use sand 20 grit for media.  It worked really well and I havent noticed much if any sand inside the interior.  But Im sure it will show up here and there as I drive it I also agree with you 100+ percent about the vehicles getting taken apart and then never getting put back together again.  In fact Ive been guilty of that as a kid (16 yoa) with a 1968 Plymouth GTX. But in all fairness to myself, my dad, bless his heart, without my knowledge disassembled it while I was away in Minneapolis working the summer. I returned to my car being completely torn down. Not a happy time for me!! Dad has never lived that down to this day either! Im enclosing a photo  

jb, I thought I was the only impatient one! I can hardly stand to stop driving one long enough to swap a conked-out engine. I know where you're coming from, man. You can't really make wrong decisions on this because you're the boss of your car! I'm a big fan of abrasives though, just stripping wheels and sandpaper. Sometimes I gotta get started before I know just how far I'm gonna go with one section of a job. Go where it leads you when you get there, my friend.

+1 Milt. Planning to finish is important from the start. Sometimes the journey is more meaningful than the destination on big projects, and maintaining the enthusiasm level can mean staying away from the deep end. Even just putting the seat back in with a couple bolts and pretending for a few minutes before you remove the column can help a guy keep his perspective.  

jb, I see we were both posting at once! That looks mighty fine, nice job    Now what?  

Looks good! Back together in about two weeks?  
Drive it before your dead!