63 stepside SWB project

[scotts62]

Yeah not bad at all.

[TimE]

Looks like a pretty nice cab.

[Captainfab]

Originally Posted by 1963chevyshort

Resurrection. LOL

Well everyone I am back. I just got my new cab and getting ready to replace it this weekend. I got the cab from North Dakota and it looks really nice. Going to see about getting it soda blasted and dp 90. It is a high hump cab so will be good for drive shaft clearance. The other cab is going up for sale for 300. Also have a 3/4 ton chassis if anyone is interested. That is what this other cab came off of. It is in great condition i was very suprised. If interested let me know.

More pics coming up this weekend.

I wouldn't recommend getting it soda blasted, but if you really want to go that route, I'd first ask your PPG rep if they will still guarantee the DP90 if you do get it soda blasted.

I would recommend getting your cab blasted with something like copper slag or nickel slag. Those are just what's commonly available here. You may find a different but similar media in your area.

BTW Nice looking cab

[1963chevyshort]

Thanks guys

Captainfab,

Have you heard bad things about soda blasting?

[scotts62]

Ive heard that if you dont clean the parts or whatever you have soda blasted really good that the paint/primers have a hard time adhearing to it and could be a mess later, but not sure if its all true..

[1963chevyshort]

OK sounds good i will stick to another type of blasting material.

[1963chevyshort]

Does anyone know of any shops that does blasting in Houston, TX and painting in houston? A good shop?

[1Bad62Pro/Street]

I found an article while browsing years ago. The site pertained to the restoration methods used on the Hot Rods, and describes several methods acid dipping the chassis vs. other processes with both pros and cons.

So I coppied and pasted it in Word Format and have it on my Flash Drive.
FYI:

Body (paint and rust) Stripping
There are several reasons to strip the paint (and any rust) from your body shell: rust repair, scratch/paint damage repair, or for re-spraying as part of a restoration. There are also many techniques, each of which has advantages and disadvantages.

Choosing the wrong stripping method can be a mistake. For example, if you get your car bead blasted and are not ready to paint, you will find yourself with a car-shaped piece of rust in a very short time. The summary below shows the major paint and rust stripping methods, with their suitable applications, advantages, and disadvantages.



Method: Acid/alkaline dipping
Description Entire shell is dipped in acid or similar chemical, and all rust and paint is removed by chemical reaction. The body is then ready for panel beating or painting.
Comments The most expensive car stripping method, but also the most effective in removing absolutely all rust and paint.
The newly exposed bare metal will start to rust within a very short time unless it is primed. The company will usually prime or phosphate the shell to prevent immediate surface rusting. They may oil the shell or provide some other temporary coating that must be removed before painting.
Box sections and seams can trap acid/stripping fluid which may seep out over a period of months or years, ruining new paint work, though I have never seen reports of this actually happening. The company should water blast or chemically clean the shell to prevent this. It is wise to open up box sections to allow them to be cleaned and rust proofed. I have personally seen rusty box sections discovered on a recently dip-stripped car - it might pay to use a borescope to inspect all crevices and box sections to ensure they have been adequately stripped and painted/protected.




Method: Chemical stripping
Description Paint stripping solution is applied to the paint and left to stand - paint is then scraped off.
Comments Leaves bare metal, but dissolves body filler.
Time consuming and unpleasant but highly effective.
Difficult to clean out nooks and crannies that become filled with stripper and difficult to remove dissolved paint from complex surfaces such as castings and Mini roof gutters. This leads to the possibility of stripping chemicals becoming trapped in seams.
Good for large, flat areas, e.g. body sides and roofs.




Method: Machine sanding
Description Paint is sanded away using a grinding disc.
Comments Slow but effective.
Risk of warping panels with heat if the grinder is held in one place for too long.
Risk of leaving metal scratches that will show through paint if the surface is not adequately sanded using a finer-grid disc of at least 80-grit after initial sanding.
Impossible to strip areas that are not almost flat.
Sanding dust is poisonous and gets everywhere.
The method of choice for sanding out scratches/surface rust for spot repair.




Method: Sand/media blasting
Description Sand, or other media (crushed walnut shells, baking soda, glass beads, etc) is sprayed on the panel to remove paint, rust, and sometimes filler.
Comments Highly effective and fast, removes rust.
Sandblasting is not recommended. It work-hardens the panels making them hard to panel beat. Body panels will warp if both sides are sandblasted, or if the operator is untrained (many sandblasters are used to blasting industrial eqipment and bridges, not 1mm steel) and spends too long in one area.
Other media apart from sand are gentler to panels.
Rust particles mixed with paint flakes and blasting media get in every nook and cranny, the car must be very thoroughly washed and dried a few times to remove it, or the rust will be trapped under the new paint and start again.
Seams should be avoided if possible as rust and blasting media will become lodged in them. However, there are few methods as effective for getting rust out of Mini roof gutters.
The car must be painted immediately after stripping to prevent rust. The shell must usually be transported to the blasting premises. These two factors can prove to be very inconvenient.
A popular method for stripping an entire car.
Does not remove underseal.




Method: Clean-N-Strip
Description 3M Clean-N-Strip discs used in an electric drill to strip paint and rust without removing any panel metal. Wire wheels can be used to get into areas too small for the Clean-N-Strip disc.
Comments Gentlest way of removing rust and paint, but better suited to small areas.
Difficult to get the disc into confined spaces or near flanges.
Recommended for stripping surface rust from floor pans or similar mostly-flat areas that are not too large.
Scuffs the surface of the metal to provide good paint adhesion. Wire wheels tend to polish the metal surface, and therefore may not remove as much rust.


Choosing a Paint Stripping Method

To strip the paint on a Mini, I recommend chemical stripping for the home restorer, with disc sanding or hand sanding for any tricky areas - be careful to thoroughly remove all stripping compound from areas such as the roof gutters.

If the budget will allow professional paint stripping, media blasting or acid dipping are excellent; acid dipping has advantages but it usually more expensive. Ensure that the car will have a coating applied to it that will prevent rust until such time as you are ready to paint it. Typically, the car will be phosphated (metal conditioned) and will need to be primed within a few days.

Do not attempt to strip the entire car at once unless it is absolutely necessary and you are working fast. Instead, strip the roof and phosphate/prime it, then do the same for body sides, front/rear and the interior, if you are stripping it.

If you have access to a competent media blaster, mask the inside of the car and have them strip out to within a few inches of the seams, then finish the intricate areas yourself. Get metal conditioner, etch primer and primer onto exposed areas as quickly as possible, to prevent rust.

If the paint on your Mini is in good condition, seriously consider not removing it all, especially in the interior which rarely receives new paint and hence should not be too thickly covered. Instead, clean up any areas of rust, scratches and other damage to the paint and prime those areas.

When to Strip Paint

The original paint film must be assessed to determine whether it is safe to paint over. It should be removed if:

It has crazed or oxidised (become chalky) or has water/air blisters.
It reacts with the paint to be applied.
The paint is too thick (the car has been repainted too many times already).
The owner desires a "bare metal respray".
The car is going to be painted a different colour. This is not strictly necessary but prevents the base colour from showing through in worn/chipped areas, and maximises the quality of the finish.
Often, if the paint is sound, there is no reason not to paint over it. Any scratches or patches of surface rust can be primed over and the entire surface flatted back before the entire car is resprayed. This avoids the hassles of stripping and the risks of surface rusting while the metal is bare.

On the other hand, if you suspect filler or bad repairs, removing the paint is the only way to find out accurately the condition of the shell. Also, if a complete respray of the shell is undertaken, every little nook and cranny must be flatted back so the new paint will adhere to it.

Getting to Bare Metal - What to Do

Before you start stripping your car by your chosen method, clean it thoroughly and then clean it with Prepsol, a 3M product that removes wax, grease and silicone - three things that do their best to stop new paint sticking to metal - from your paint.

Strip the car and apply Deoxidine (another 3M product) to bare metal. This metal conditioner (discussed more in the paint section) reacts with the bare surface to give an iron phosphate coating that is highly rust resistant and provides an excellent surface for primer. Spray with the etch primer and primer of your chosen paint system as soon as possible as metal conditioner does not protect metal against rust very well by itself. (See the paint section for discussions on etch primer and primer).

You are now ready to do any necessary body work. Depending on environmental conditions (amount of salt in the air and humidity), the primer may hold out against rust for a period of days to a year or more. The former estimate applies if you live by the sea and store the car outside, the latter if the car is stored indoors in a desert, in a Carcoon-type cover, or in a sealed garage fitted with a dehumidifer, and good quality primer is used.

I used Rustoleum on alot of my truck. It's ok, but this product clams to be better:
Rust Inhibitor Coating
http://www.rustbullet.com/

[1963chevyshort]

Thanks Prostreet.

Well just sold my old cab and the guy is coming to pick it up on Saturday. He has a 62 so we will swap out brackets so we can change each on our trucks. Also will have the 3/4 ton sold today. I did not know that suspension was a torsion bar suspension. i was told that is how you can lower the truck pretty cool.

Second i talk with Nathan and purchased the hood hinges and also the sway bar so waiting for that to come in. Will take more pics once the cab is off the Frame.

[DaddyMack]

Don't mean to hijack your thread.. but on Soda Blasting I think it's the perfect media for what you wanted to do.

I am actually just getting ready to start a new business to do just this.

It actually protects the parts from rust due to the soda itself. Cleaning just prior to painting will allow the paint to adhere fine. It is non-destructive and can even be used on woods, fiberglass, aluminum, metal and other substrates without any damage whatsoever. It was developed for cleaning the Statue of Liberty.

Extremely cost effective and wont harm glass or rubber (so you don't even have to tape off).

I work with custom rod and bike painters and they love it for the time savings...

Would love to hear if anyone had a different experience.

[1963chevyshort]

Thanks Daddy Mac. I am curious too on it heard alot on it but i know everything has pros and cons

[1963chevyshort]

Starting back on the project this weekend.

[MacAttack]

Method: Sand/media blasting

Description Sand, or other media (crushed walnut shells, baking soda, glass beads, etc) is sprayed on the panel to remove paint, rust, and sometimes filler.
Comments Highly effective and fast, removes rust.

Sandblasting is not recommended. It work-hardens the panels making them hard to panel beat.

Kind of a misnomer - in aircraft components it stress relieves the material, in this case - very mild steel and panels will migrate toward welds, tight bends, and areas previously pounded into submission.

On the soda issue - no allowance without a post operation prep in the repainting of aircraft because of the possibility of not getting it off all surfaces to be painted, causing gas-off in weld roots, tight bends and areas that don't lend themselves to a through cleaning after being blasted.

Point being - the painted surface will appear perfect, but a "dome" of un-neutralized material will create pockets below the finish surface.

Mac.

[1963chevyshort]

Mac thanks for the info. I am starting to finish a few things on the frame and then going to get the body media blasted this week.

[scum1]

just stumbled onto this build..any updates? looks gooooooooooood

[63redsled]

good looking progress!
here is my 63, it looked like that about 6 months ago, keep your spirits up man!

[1963chevyshort]

Not much going to try and start it up this Friday on the cab mounts was the only thing holding me up and also just being lazy. So i will take some pics of the progress on Saturday and hoping to get the engine and trans fitted by the end of January 2011. Time to put this baby on the road

[1963chevyshort]

63 Red you truck is sweet. Seeing your truck has given the inspiration again to get started.

[66-PMD-GMC]

Most of the photos on your thread are gone...
I was looking for inspiration... any progress?

[1963chevyshort]

Well Sorry for the long wait. Had the truck and storage and talk with Nathan from Porterbuilt and was inspired again. Will post soon on the new progress.

[1963chevyshort]

Sorry I have been gone for so long but here is where i am at with the project. I need help finding the Front Cab frame mounts for a 1960-1962 chevy truck. If anyone know where i can find some please let me know. I need this so i can put the cab on and start back on it.

[kieth]

Originally Posted by 1963chevyshort

Thanks Daddy Mac. I am curious too on it heard alot on it but i know everything has pros and cons

We used walnut shells, laid out tarps, after using the material we put screen over a 55 gallon drum, poured the shells thru the screen, then used them again. Results were great, the shells left a oily film and the surface of the body (stored inside) rusted very little over a 2 month period of time. No warping of the surface , and the shells were very low cost, since they could be reused 2 - 3 times. Kieth

here is how it worked:
http://kieth.smugmug.com/Trucks/66-G...6574&k=8DCG8tf

[1963chevyshort]

Kieth,

That sounds pretty cool. I will check it out. I got the cab all ready to be done. Love how yours came out.

[Captainfab]

If you have a '60-'62 cab and a '63+ frame, all you need to do is just drill new holes in the cab to line up with the front mount brackets on the frame. And if you feel inclined move the dished washer to the new location and weld up the old location.

Originally Posted by 1963chevyshort

Sorry I have been gone for so long but here is where i am at with the project. I need help finding the Front Cab frame mounts for a 1960-1962 chevy truck. If anyone know where i can find some please let me know. I need this so i can put the cab on and start back on it.

[1963chevyshort]

Captainfab,

Thanks for the info but mine or missing as i traded them with another guy who never sent me his. so right now i have no front frame body mounts.