Another build thread? Yep, my track-style T

[J. Robinson]

Falconvan - I agree that it comes down to technique and experience and one other thing; good equipment. I doubt that Vara4 would get the results he wants with a $15 flea market blaster like mine. Also, it takes a lot of practice (that's where experience come in) to successfully blast sheet metal without warping it. I have been doing body work off & on for 46 years and I have seen a lot of body panels ruined by overzealous sandblasters. Your advice to him is good: find somebody who has the experience and has done others he can look at. Otherwise, I stand by my original opinion, don't do it.

Vara4 - Firebird77clone is correct; door jambs, floor pans, firewall, and other structural parts that are heavier gauge steel are usually not a problem. It is the outer body panels that are subject to warping and expanding. Blasting the inside of your roof is the same as blasting the outside; it will end up with so many waves you can go surfing on it. If the inside of the roof is going to show, I would brush on a coat of Ospho, let it sit at least 48 hours, and finish it (prime, scuff sand, paint, etc.). If it's going to be hidden by a headliner, I would brush on the Ospho, let it sit 48 hours, and spray on a coat of rubberized undercoating.

[vara4]

Thanks Firebird & Robinson;
Ya it's gonna have a headliner in it. The gage metal on the sides is real thick I don't remeber the exact gage now, but when I went to buy some sheet metal to fix a hole,
the guy thought I measured it wrong and came out to check it.
He couldn't belive it was that thick, he found out that I was right.
I'm not sure how thick the gage is on the roof though, so way take the chance.
I'll do the ospho like you suggested then sand down the out side.
The metal on this 1965 Ranchero is a little thicker then the metal on my
07' Mustang GT. Kurt

[falconvan]

[QUOTE=J. Robinson;334175]Falconvan - I agree that it comes down to technique and experience and one other thing; good equipment. I doubt that Vara4 would get the results he wants with a $15 flea market blaster like mine. Also, it takes a lot of practice (that's where experience come in) to successfully blast sheet metal without warping it. I have been doing body work off & on for 46 years and I have seen a lot of body panels ruined by overzealous sandblasters. Your advice to him is good: find somebody who has the experience and has done others he can look at. Otherwise, I stand by my original opinion, don't do it.

Agreed; it's definately not a "do it yourself" project. Some things there are just no inexpensive way around if you want good results.

[35fordcoupe]

wouldn't soda blasting be a good alternative to sand blasting for sheet metal? it doesn't seem like baking soda does much damage

[J. Robinson]

I don't think you can soda blast with a $15 siphon feed sandblaster. Besides, I have no idea where to get that much baking soda. I think maybe all this blasting business needs its own thread...

OK, back to the matter at hand!! I have my freshly painted frame back on wheels in case anyone wants to see it. Everything is red except the radius rods and front springs. If you might remember way back when I was fabricating the radius rods, I put a nut inside the center tubes opposite where the rod ends screw in. Now you can see what that little detail was for; I used a short stud and a chrome acorn nut to cap each of those tubes. I think it makes a nice little finish detail rather than just welding a flat piece or a ball bearing over the open end. So far, so good...

[oldrodder43]

WOW J. R. Super job. Even better than I had imagined. Great job on a great project. Getting anxious yet?????????? Perley

[vara4]

J. Robinson; That looks great, nice job. Kurt

[stovens]

those two colors just go great together. Keep on posting.

[Hotrod46]

JR

The paint is looking good!

Looks like we're about neck and neck on getting these things finished.

I think you're still ahead though!

Keep up the good work.

Mike

[Dave Severson]

When's the scheduled drive-away day Jim???

Sure do like the paint colors you have on the car! Gonna be a fun one and look great too!!!!!

[J. Robinson]

Thanks, guys. I'm pleased with the way it turned out so far. Dave, I am a "redaholic" too. Ironically, even though red is my favorite color, I haven't owned very many red vehicles. Of the 50+ cars I 've had in my lifetime so far, only 3 of them have been red!

No set date, but I'd like to be driving it in time for Billetproof in March...

[bluestang67]

Jim the color sure changes the look great choice by the way . The frame is looking outstanding and great color combo . As in the movie cars what did he say oh yeah KA CHOW .

[OFT]

Looking good Jim. Are you going to be able to get it mostly together during the school Christmas break?
Just to let you know, the high here on Thursday was 14 degrees, 4" of snow. And yes, I drove the '29AA. Been driving it every day for several months (lower gas prices as it gets 7 mpg).

Earl

[Gastrick]

Wow that chassis looks great Jim!

It was nice chatting with you at the Turkey run again even if Don did give us the brush off

[J. Robinson]

Thank you all for the compliments.

Yeah, Bill, I don't know why Don was avoiding us... Could it be "hair envy"?

Well, the pics don't show much and it doesn't look like I made much progress this past weekend, but I was actually at it pretty steadily. If you recall from earlier posts, I have two of these 2.5 Chevy S-10 engines. My goal for Saturday was to determine which one to use. The first engine (the one that was sitting in the roadster for the earlier pics) was a running engine when it was pulled out of a wrecked and abandoned S-10. The second one was supposedly a recent rebuild that was removed from a truck after it ran hot once.

I pulled a compression test on both engines Saturday. The first engine tested all four cylinders above 125 PSI (125; 130; 160; 160). The second engine didn't fair as well; these engines are notorious for warping the heads if they get hot. It checked with two cylinders above 125 and two barely at 60 (60; 125; 130; 60). Also, the first engine had nice tan-colored spark plugs when I pulled them out and the exhaust ports are dry (no oil residue). So, I will use the first engine as is (cleaned and painted, of course) and save the second engine for a future rebuild. The second engine came with a 5-speed trans (the real reason I bought it) which I will use.

I spent the rest of Satrurday doing some preliminary cleaning and dismantling all the exterior stuff so I can finish the cleaning process. The engine will be painted the same red as the frame; the trans will stay bare aluminum. Here are a couple of pics of the engine on the stand with everything removed. It sure is a tiny little thing without the manifolds, etc...