I am down to my frame and it does not look bad at all. There is some rust and I started to remove it using my grinder with an 80 grit wheel. It is causing a lot of dust and there are places I can't get to, So was wondering if anyone has used chemicals to remove rust and how good the results were? What paints did you use over it etc.
Thanks ahead for all input.

 

Get it sandblasted or chemically dipped.

You can probably find a sandblaster in your area that can do it for a reasonable fee. Just use a mild sand grit.

We did one in my friend's back yard with a pressure sand blaster that he purchased (compressor required ) But initial costs $$$$ may be higher than if you just found a guy to do it. The frame is not that heavy......two guys can pickup and move.

Wear a good dust mask if you DIY.

Larry

 

****PROFESSIONAL FEEDBACK****

I normally send the frame out and get them blasted with aluminum oxide and powdercoated. It is actually cheaper for my customers than having me do it at my shop due to the time I have to put into it.

I know you are doing this yourself.... so depending on how much you value your time will dictate on how much time you put into it to achieve a result.

Now..I have used wire wheel and grinders and my sandblaster to prep a frame...and then either shoot an epoxy primer on it and painted it....or applied a Direct To Metal paint that requires no primer...or used the metal prep from POR-15 and applied POR15 on the frame.

So to answer a part of one of your questions...I use the metal prep from POR 15 that preps the rust so the POR 15 can be applied...but water has to be used in that process..which then is getting in the frame and takes time to get out.

I have yet had a customer who wants to send the fame out to be dipped to remove all internal/external rust in the frame an then dipped into a primer...and THAT is actually the BEST route ...in my opinion due to that is how cars are done today.

I can not work on a frame for 1 to 3 days and have someone think that what I did was worth $100. Because they feel that it is a 'no type of skill required' type of work that a flunky can do at minimum wage ... so why pay a lot. So that is why I replied like I did....because I have had people do just that.

DUB

DUB

 

i run a powder coating shop and can honestly say grinding or wire wheeling a frame no matter how much time is spent, you will just not hit all the nooks and crannies.
sand blasting is far nicer to start with when coating it, i don't mind chemically dipped frames but they tend to leach out no matter how much they have been neutralized

if your plan is to just clean it up i had a friend wire wheel his and por 15 the whole thing and it looked decent.

i will second what DUB said though the few things i do for restoration shops, they all seem to say it's not worth their time or hassle for what we charge.

 

Some additional things to consider. Before and after you have the frame blasted use an inspection camera like the Aardvark for looking at the inside of frame. The Aardvark links to your smart phone or computer via wifi. Using the camera will take some practice to comprehend what you are seeing as there is no way to orient the image. You will want to remove all the rust scale and dirt/debris as you can. If you have rust scale you can use a needler or hit the frame repeatedly with a hammer to knock the scale loose. My project frame had been painted prior to me taking ownership and it took several hours using a hammer, water jet and air blasts to remove all the rust scale, small pebbles and sand that was in the rails and at the kickups.

Once you have the internals clean to your satisfaction, treat the inside of the frame cross members and frame rails with Eastwood's internal frame coating or something similar. I used the green as it is easier to see where it has been applied. I recommend you treat the internals before you paint the frame externally. You can do it after the frame has been painted but I can tell you it is a pain to tape off all the holes and seal all the seams with putty. Even then you will have some clean up with mineral spirits to do.

If you use the Eastwood product it will take at least 4 cans. I wound up using 6 cans. The product comes with a flexible plastic wand about 18 inches long. I recommend using the wand with a coat hanger wire taped to it for support. This will keep it from coiling backup and to better control where it is inside the frame. Application by the wand works better when the nozzle is not against one of the four sides of the frame rail.

If you really want to get carried away have the frame seams welded full length.

some before and after to give you an idea



tape off and permagum or dum dum putty applied to holes, seams and crevices




Before cleanup drivers side rear of frame at kickup



After cleanup, drivers side rear of frame at kickup



Eastwood frame coating applied drivers side rear of frame at kickup

 

The other thing that is good with powder coating the frame is you can still sand it down fill in any pits and reapply paint. Very easy to do if you want to fill any small pits. I used a red scotch brite pad various disc pads and then krylon tough coat afterwards. Just kept doing this to build up the paint to fill in the small imperfections.

 

I have heard that also...and that is the one thing that I am afraid of if I get a customer to do it.

About 2 decades ago... I had a friend of a friend have his 1957 Chevy body dipped...and when the car was down...within a few years is was falling apart at a vast majority of the spot weld joints.

My concern is all of the lap joints and pockets that can hold liquid due to the part was not designed to be dipped and allow these areas to drain out.

DUB