Time for some rust repair on the Tahoe.

[ak diesel driver]

I've been wanting to hot dip the frame on my truck but shipping would be a killer

 

[n8in8or]

Ya know I have a 92 2 door that will be minus the running gear. Be a good excuse to come to AK

I'd love to make a trip to AK! There are many more things up there that would draw me up there more than a truck body That would just be a bonus.

I've been wanting to hot dip the frame on my truck but shipping would be a killer

Yeah shipping a frame wouldn't be cheap. I like the idea that @Will L. gave on another thread: digging a pit, lining it with plastic and then using electrolysis to remove rust from a large part.

 

[ak diesel driver]

I'm talking hot dipped galvanized. I've read it's starting to be the trend for restoration.

 

[n8in8or]

I'm talking hot dipped galvanized. I've read it's starting to be the trend for restoration.

OH! I thought you were referring to a chemical stripping process.

Galvanizing would be nice because it would get in all the nooks and crannies you couldn't necessarily get to with paint, so it would give a nice sacrificial anode coating. But I wonder if that's any better than e-coating? That too would get everywhere and instead of being a sacrificial coating, it's an epoxy coating that seals the metal. It isn't UV stable, but if you can't get at it with paint, the sun probably also can't get to it.

I'm not sure what the charge is for galvanizing a frame, but the e-coater we use for work charges about $15/linear foot that they can hang on their overhead conveyor. $300 for a 20' frame wouldn't be bad. Luckily that place is only 1.5 hours from me so it would be manageable (I may even be able to throw it on the truck that goes there multiple times a day from work if I ask nicely).....I'm not sure where the nearest e-coat facility would be to you unfortunately.

 

[JayTheCPA]

Maybe more salty water splashes from oncoming cars?

My vote is brine. That stuff goes where salt does not and remains corrosive at lower temperature and humidity than salt.

 

[ak diesel driver]

Sounds like the e coat would be ideal to dip the bottom half of a rig in

 

[ak diesel driver]

At least body wise. Can't HDG sheet metal

 

[n8in8or]

Sounds like the e coat would be ideal to dip the bottom half of a rig in

Yeah. I’m toying with the idea of e-coating my 70 C10 cab after having it chemically stripped and repairing any rust.

 

[BIGR]

Yeah. I’m toying with the idea of e-coating my 70 C10 cab after having it chemically stripped and repairing any rust.

1970 C10, someone has been holding out on us?

Maybe I have missed it in the past, tell us more, any pictures?

 

[n8in8or]

1970 C10, someone has been holding out on us?

Maybe I have missed it in the past, tell us more, any pictures?

Ha! It’s been in pieces for over 20 years. It was the first vehicle I bought with my own money at 17. It came from Alabama, but had Gulf of Mexico rust....and then 2 Michigan winters didn’t help it. I stripped it down to the frame and that’s how it’s been since. I did have the frame sandblasted at one point and then I painted it with POR15 and put back together as a rolling chassis, but that’s as far as I got. I have a pretty solid AC cab for it and thr rest of the body panels are decent, I just need to do it. I always wanted to do a nasty gas engine for it, but I think I’m going to do a 6.5 instead - if I can build one that puts out more power than the one in the Tahoe and stick it in a truck that weighs 2000 pounds less?? That should be fun! The funny thing is that once I started digging into the Tahoe’s rust I realized that this was a larger metal project than the C10 that I’ve been putting off for years!!!

I have only 1 picture somewhere from when I was driving it. Here’s a pic of when I brought the chassis home from my dad’s friend’s lot....yes that’s a Chevelle body sitting on it....and no that won’t be permanent, it was just a convenient way to store the body.

 

[BIGR]

I like that body style of the Chevelle's also. I have a lot memories of the late 60's and early 70's cars and the C-10 Chevy trucks.

I learned to drive in a 1969 C-10 with the 250 CI Inline 6, three on the tree when I was about 13 or 14, on the dirt road on our farm. Of course I did some off roading in the fields and mud...

 

[n8in8or]

I like that body style of the Chevelle's also. I have a lot memories of the late 60's and early 70's cars and the C-10 Chevy trucks.

I learned to drive in a 1969 C-10 with the 250 CI Inline 6, three on the tree when I was about 13 or 14, on the dirt road on our farm. Of course I did some off roading in the fields and mud...

My truck was originally a straight 6, 3-on-the-tree truck, but had a 283 in it when I bought it....which was fun but developed a rod knock. Then it got a 350 and then after that I put a Super T10 4 speed in it. It was a fun truck.

 

[n8in8or]

Here are some more pics.

This is what the Black Diamond 3060 looks like.



This is the funnel I use to strain junk out when I fill the pot. It’s just a standard funnel with a piece of aluminum window screen draped inside, held in place by 2 large hose clamps.



This is the scoop I found that works a ton better than a dust pan. It’s a pet food scoop that I picked up at Menards. Works perfect for scooping up abrasive with it’s flat bottom and sturdy construction.

 

[BIGR]

Hey after the Tahoe Build, lets build that Chevelle and drop a Big block Engine in it...…....

 

[n8in8or]

Hey after the Tahoe Build, lets build that Chevelle and drop a Big block Engine in it...…....

Sounds fun! Unfortunately the Chevelle is at least fourth in line on the project list

 

[n8in8or]

A few more pics to share.

This is the first Black Diamond I tried. After reading their website, I thought this was the stuff I wanted. I waited for TSC to get more in and when they did I bought 400 pounds if it. The first clue that it wasn’t going to be good was when I dumped it in the funnel and it wouldn’t fit through the screen. Well I reasoned that after one pass through the blaster it would be knocked down small enough to fit through so I proceeded to dump it in through an unfiltered funnel. I started blasting and first thing it did was plug the nozzle. So I put a worn out nozzle in the handle and then I was in business again. Then the throttling valve plugged. I got it to unplug a couple times but then it finally plugged for good. So I dumped it out of the pot. I tried running the used stuff through the screen funnel and nope, it still wouldn’t flow. So unless you have a serious sandblasting setup, stay away from that stuff.



Then here’s a pic of my modified filter assembly. Looks crude but it works and now it’s easily servicable.



And I thought I’d show what I used to cut most of the sheet metal. I used this before when doing rust repair on another truck and I really like it. It’s light, super maneuverable and it cuts the sheet metal without tearing it and making rough/burred edges. And it’s cheap: $18 at Harbor Freight.

 

[SnowDrift]

Government says "You will repair or replace the vehicle you drive in only a few short years because we will force you to do so"

When the salt gets put down, it is normally spread in the center of the road, thus the side that usually starts to rot first.

 

[n8in8or]

A little “fun” at the junkyard today. Another body cut to get some 2-door-specific structure. I’m getting better at these the more I do them.

 

[n8in8or]

After the junkyard, more sandblasting of course. I pretty much wrapped up the underside of the truck today except for some touch-ups that I need to do. So next up I blasted that body cut I got today so i could see what I had. Then I started blasting suspension parts.

 

[n8in8or]

Today I blasted the axle and fuel tank skid plate.



I also got the second leaf spring blasted and hung them both up so I can hopefully paint them tomorrow.