Underside Detailing
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 1,259
Likes: 7
From: Ontario
I did a frame-on restore & detailing. I think it is actually easier and faster to take the body off however my frame was in excellent shape and so was the body/paint. I inspected the frame/birdcage very closely using mirrors and probes to get into places that you cannot see. I did not want to take a chance on damaging the body/paint for something that was not needed so decided to perform the body-on.
To start with I had it on heavy duty tall jack stands with engine, trany, front and rear suspension out. However you could do it with them in, it would just be a little harder and not a complete job. I also did the engine compartment at the same time.
1. Started with scrapers to remove as much of the crud as I could dry. It makes the job a lot cleaner.
2. Some people use pressure washers, however I did not want todo that in my garage. After experimenting with different cleaners I found that plain old SOS pads with water worked the best. They have a scrubbing/sanding effect.
3. After step 2, I then used spray-on degreasers to get anything I missed and to make sure the surface was very clear of any oil/grease. Also went over the frame and any metal areas with a wire brush on a drill. I finished up with plain old soap and water and a cheap nylon scrub brush.
4. After masking/covering the body well, I used a semi-gloss spray-on rust paint on most everything with a gloss on the frame.
After a year, it still looks great. One of the first things I did this fall was to put it back onto jack stands to re-detail. It only took me a few hours with soap and water and a little touch-up paint to make it look new again.
As you can see from the above, some people would prefer to lift the body to just blast the thing while cleaning the underside body with the frame out of the way. However I just did not want todo that on this car.
To start with I had it on heavy duty tall jack stands with engine, trany, front and rear suspension out. However you could do it with them in, it would just be a little harder and not a complete job. I also did the engine compartment at the same time.
1. Started with scrapers to remove as much of the crud as I could dry. It makes the job a lot cleaner.
2. Some people use pressure washers, however I did not want todo that in my garage. After experimenting with different cleaners I found that plain old SOS pads with water worked the best. They have a scrubbing/sanding effect.
3. After step 2, I then used spray-on degreasers to get anything I missed and to make sure the surface was very clear of any oil/grease. Also went over the frame and any metal areas with a wire brush on a drill. I finished up with plain old soap and water and a cheap nylon scrub brush.
4. After masking/covering the body well, I used a semi-gloss spray-on rust paint on most everything with a gloss on the frame.
After a year, it still looks great. One of the first things I did this fall was to put it back onto jack stands to re-detail. It only took me a few hours with soap and water and a little touch-up paint to make it look new again.
As you can see from the above, some people would prefer to lift the body to just blast the thing while cleaning the underside body with the frame out of the way. However I just did not want todo that on this car.
Last edited by Retro78; Dec 23, 2004 at 10:50 AM.
Instructor
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 129
Likes: 0
From: Rio Medina Texas
My car was in pretty good shape underneath to include the frame and the birdcage looks good, so I hit the whole underside with a wire brush, then put rust converter in a small pressure sprayer and coated everything. After that I took the car for undercoating. Should mention I had already removed the engine and exhaust, but the tranny and rear end were in the car.
