1968 Prepping for media blasting

[admin]

My son and I are getting the HCS ready for media blasting. We're not completely disassembling to put on a rotisserie. We'll trailer it to the shop on 4 wheels with all the drive train installed and in running condition.

The plan is to remove the hood, front fenders, front valance, grille, etc. Doors and window glass will remain in place. Windshield and rear glass are currently out, but the blast shop wants them temporarily placed back in so they can more easily tape/seal the interior. The interior is all removed, except for the steering wheel and a seat to maneuver it around the shop. The interior won't get blasted.

We'll remove all the chrome prior to stripping (drip rails, mirrors, door handles, emblems, rocker trim, etc.)

For the fiberglass pieces, I'm planning on removing the side scoops and rear quarter panel extensions.

A few things I can't decide on;

1. Should I have them blast the inside of the trunk area? There are fully rusted through areas in both rear, lower quarter panels, so I'm thinking it will be best if they do blast inside and out. It just means masking off the rear seat area so they don't get much media into the interior (mostly concerned with extra cleanup)

2. Should I hand strip the fiberglass trunk and taillight panel? The shop says they strip fiberglass all the time. They just need to strip it separately. I'm just worried about possible damage to these rare factory original parts.

3. I was not planning to have them strip the underside (hard to do not on a rotisserie) but they'll strip the inner fender area since the front fenders will be off. They won't strip the engine bay (engine still in the car) but I'm going to see if they can strip the top of the fender aprons where I have typical rust-through just forward of the shock towers.

I'm using the same shop that stripped my '72 Bronco years ago, so I trust them and know they do good work. I've talked to them on the phone, but will be sending photos as well before scheduling my date so we can go over any of their questions.

Any other thoughts?

A few photos of current condition:

 

[admin]

More photos:



Fender apron rust just forward of shock tower:

 

[robert campbell]

Jon,
Please remove the engine and tranny and have the bay blasted. It is so easy to do! Also, do remove the interior and do blast out the trunk area. Hand strip the fiberglass and especially the side scoops to preserve the witness line on them. You will thank yourself for this in the future. The fiberglass should be handled like gold!!

Also, the inside of the doors and the rear window regulator area is a huge rust element. You will need to remove all of the regulators and such. Well worth the effort. After all this is done, I will send Neil, Steve, and Arlie down to help you reassemble!!

Rob

 

[Ruppstang]

I agree with Rob 100%. I have never regretted going too far on a project. It always seems the things you do not comes back to bite you.

 

[rvrtrash]

Count me in for 100% of what Rob said as well. You don't want to get blast media into the engine or tranny. I've had a couple of cars blasted with aluminum oxide, but I'm thinking the next one I do will be with dry ice. A lot less cleanup! They also may be able to do the underside without a rotisserie. I've taken completely stripped cars to a place here that lifts them with a fork lift. He had extended forks and positions under the frame rails. When I restored my CS, I bought a small bead blast gun at Harbor Freight and used glass bead media for the fiberglass. I kept the pressure low and didn't get too close and didn't ruin any of the texture under the trunk lid or the witness lines on the scoops.

Steve

 

[Mosesatm]

Jon, how will you use the car once it’s finished?
As with the others, I favor pulling the engine and transmission. It’s an easy task and makes everyone’s lives easier.

 

[admin]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone.

Regarding pulling the engine/transmission, I have a hoist and stand, so it's not a huge deal.

I guess my biggest concern is the snowball effect. If I pull the engine, then of course I'll clean and paint it. And I might as well replace gaskets, water pump, t-stat, etc. And since the engine is old, I should probably pull the heads and at least hone out the cylinders and put in new rings. How about new bearings too? And what about the transmission? Probably should take that to a shop to get refreshed while it's out.

My issue with all that snowballing is timing. My 17 yr old son and I are working on this together and I'd really like to get the car drivable and enjoyable before he moves away to college. So that gives us less than 18 months, which includes two Phoenix summers that are basically unworkable since my garage has no AC.

My goal is to have a solid driver, not a show car. When I first bought this car in the mid 90's I drove it all the time, warts and all. It was a blast to drive and mechanically was in very good shape. But it's been more than a dozen years since I've driven it with any regularity.

I understand I'm going at this a bit backwards, but I'm afraid if I go the route of complete disassembly, doing everything I really should, in the order I should, then it will sit in pieces in the garage for another dozen years.

 

[Mosesatm]

You need a voice of reason telling you to not make snowballs!!!!! Maybe your son?

 

[franklinair]

I have never media-blasted a car. They all made pretty nice 'drivers'. Just sayin...

Neil

 

[admin]

Neil, I'm not media blasting it to be a perfectionist. I'm just doing it to save time vs hand sanding all the surface rust. My paint is all original, but not in good shape at all. So there's no avoiding stripping off all the original paint. I figured media blasting would be the quickest and least painful way to get there.

 

[robert campbell]

Your engine and tranny can be removed any time in the future. No need to snowball at this time. Clean and paint the motor and clean the tranny. Good to go and no need to incur the cost of rebuild at this time. Arlie and Steve, and Neil are spot on!! Relax and have fun!! Make sure the radiator is clean and functional and have fun!!

Rob

 

[admin]

Thanks for all the help everyone. I'll go ahead and pull the engine and transmission as suggested.

Other than that, we made a lot of disassembly progress today. Photos below.

 

[Ruppstang]

Wow you guys are getting it done! You car looks well used but very solid. How the heck did you get the rear bumper off with the bracket still on the body?

 

[admin]

How the heck did you get the rear bumper off with the bracket still on the body?

Nimble hands of a 17 yr old? I gave my son the task of removing the rear bumper while I worked on the front fenders. And that's how he got it done.

 

[1968Cally]

Jon,
Please remove the engine and tranny and have the bay blasted. It is so easy to do! Also, do remove the interior and do blast out the trunk area. Hand strip the fiberglass and especially the side scoops to preserve the witness line on them. You will thank yourself for this in the future. The fiberglass should be handled like gold!!

Also, the inside of the doors and the rear window regulator area is a huge rust element. You will need to remove all of the regulators and such. Well worth the effort. After all this is done, I will send Neil, Steve, and Arlie down to help you reassemble!!

Rob

Can someone tell me what and where the witness line is on the side scoops. I have been wondering about this for a while. Recognition guide did not show it but eluded to it. TIA

 

[Mosesatm]

It the swoopy line that runs along the front edge of the scoop. Most painters sand it smooth for some reason.

 

[admin]

Here's a photo of a scoop where the witness line is pretty much non-existent. It's either an aftermarket scoop or an original that's been sanded down as Arlie pointed out.

And here are some photos of the witness line on one of my original (never repainted) scoops.

 

[1968Cally]

Thanks, guys. That detail never popped out at me. Mine is smooth.

 

[admin]

Well, we pulled the engine and transmission today. It's been 25+ years since I've done this, but it all pretty much came back to me. Took about 5.5 hrs with the help of my son and one of his friends. Not as fast as I hoped, but not terrible.

Exhaust manifold to exhaust pipe bolts took a good 20-30 minutes to break free. Even though I had sprayed them with penetrating fluid a couple of days in advance, they were pretty rusted on and took some careful socket maneuvering and a breaker bar, especially the lower one on the driver's side. Hard to get a good angle on that one.

We also basically pulled the motor twice. First time it just would not raise up high enough to clear the radiator support. So we had to place the motor back on it's mounts and reposition the engine hoist and chain. I think the hydraulic ram on my 30 yr old engine hoist is failing. When lifting the engine, the arm of the hoist would not raise higher than horizontal, yet with no weight on it the arm goes higher like it should. But after making some adjustments to the fulcrum point and chain length we got it to clear.

 

[Ruppstang]

I know it is a bit of work to pull the engine, but you will have a much better end result. I am sure it was a good learning experience for your son too.

Keep up the good work.

Marty