PROGRESS! (finally!)

[65stanger]

My new sandblaster arrived yesterday. Took me three hours to assemble and test, but didn't really get the chance to use it until today.

VALUABLE LESSON #1 Never let sandblaster sit over night with sand in it!

This morning we got off to a slow start, couldn't maintain a consistant flow, it kept sputtering, surging and/or stopping........

By lunch time we had used up the 40#s I had, so rather than drag the tarp out and sift it, we took a lunch break and went and picked up 3 more 60# bags of sand. (HELPFUL HINT: Always sift!!! Even new sand!)

And wouldn't you know, about the time we get back to it, the sand hose clogs and I blew off two hose clamps.....cleared the clog and replaced the clamps (with bigger ones, not the cheesy little ones supplied by the manufacturer......fixed a leak in the process too!)

GOOD NEWS! With fresh sand, all clogs / potential clogs cleared, air leaks eliminated, (it's now about 1 p.m.) and away we go..................the sand blaster blew right thru the job.......3 hours, 3 60# bags of sand later and we've got 3/4's of the undercarraige stripped!


At that point I cleaned up the sand blaster real well (NO SAND in the tank), we picked up the rest of the tools, dragged the tarp out from under the car and sifted all the sand into buckets (we managed to save about 2/3s of what we started with), and called it a day.

All that's left to strip now is part of the rear seat and from the front trunk wall back....maybe another hour or two...........

Then it will be hose down, metal prep and POR15 time again!

 

[66stangbluework]

good work, If I remember correctly you have a six cylinder car?

 

[65stanger]

Yup, but she now has V8 front suspension and steering (w/ the "Shelby Drop") and I've got an 8" rear waiting to go in..........

I've also done a disc brake swap too (I was lucky to find a set of factory original Mustang front discs set up from the a-arms out. Thanks WORTH!

Hopefully by the end of September she'll be sitting on her "new" Magnum 500 look-alikes (Granada's?), wrapped in BFG 225/60R14 Radial T/As

Engine and tranny are still in the basement.

Interior is still gutted.

Body still needs work.

But chassis and suspension will be completed!

 

[WORTH]

Very cool, are you puting the 6 back in it or a V8? I may still have a few tidbits around if you need anything.

 

[bnickel]

good job Fritz, i strupped my undercarriage with a 3M stripping disc on my crappy little 12 volt cordless drill. i now have a an 18 volt ryobi cordless that is much better but i doubt it would be a whole lot better at last compared to sand blasting anyway.

 

[65stanger]

Yes, I still plan on keeping the 6, especially with gas prices as they are! You should see those old rims all cleaned up and ready for rubber, just got my new center caps (M-500 type...black background w/ running Pony) and chrome lug nuts the day.....I'll post a photo later, still have to download it.

Wish we would have made more progress today, but we spent most of the morning learning how to use this blaster. And is it EVER so much better than the $15 siphon-type I bought last summer!

 

[mustangman70]

How much would someone local charge me to sandblast the shell of the 70 if i can get it to them..

 

[65stanger]

How much would someone local charge me to sandblast the shell of the 70 if i can get it to them..

Dunno.

Couple of photos...........
one of my "new" rims......:

and my helper sandblasting, (19 y/o from the FD...very eager to learn, also owns '06 Mustang GT 'vert) Probie Joe, now aka "Sandy".............:

 

[t_chelle16]

Darn you! Now I want a sand blaster. Cleaning & coating Sadie's undercarriage is hopefully going to be one of my fall projects. I may just have to do what I can with our power washer, though.

-Chelle

 

[bnickel]

chelle, you can buy those those pressurized sand blasters from harbor freight for about 75 bucks sometimes less if they have them on sale.

 

[65stanger]

It only cost me $79. +s&h from Harbor Freight.

I do have to say, we gave my compressor (3hp / 15 gal.) a workout keeping up with the demand.

We found out the blaster works best with the tank pressure between 100 - 125 psi, and it hardly worked at all when the pressure dropped to 75 psi. This translates to about 2-3 minutes blasting, then ~5 min. for the compressor to re-pressurize the blaster, even with the compressor running continuously.

It will be great for the smaller projects I've got, like my doors (inside the door shells), hinges, undersides of the front fenders, backsides of the interior rear quarter trim panels.........everything I want to strip, prep and POR15, and all of it will be buried once the car is reassembled.

 

[bnickel]

Fritz, does it work well on undercoating?

 

[t_chelle16]

Don't have a decent compressor any more either. But we're considering buying another one.

-Chelle

 

[65stanger]

Fritz, does it work well on undercoating?

I don't know as we had stripped ~95% of the undercoating with Zip Strip last week.....tough part was goobering it on thick enough without wearing it!

Don't have a decent compressor any more either. But we're considering buying another one.

If Mom and Pop are subsidizing these purchases, get the biggest compressor you can, then plumb your garage / basement / shop for air!

If I ever buy a house, that would be the next major purchase, along with a shed (well insulated AND sound proofed!) for it right next to the garage.............

 

[WORTH]

If you have a big project your probubly better off renting a gas/diesel compressor for the day. Buying a compressor big enogh to run a blaster is gonna get pricey.

I have one of the cheapy 5hp 30 gallon rigs, it's more than adiquit for everything I do except blasting.

 

[65stanger]

My 3hp / 15 gallon compressor runs my new sandblaster fine, you just have to pace yourself and not try to blast continuously for more than a few minutes at a time.

I'm sure it will work great on my smaller parts that I need to sandblast!

 

[Jester67]

You are using sand?
If so please get a very good respirator and be careful with the dust as it can make you very ill.

 

[65stanger]

You are using sand?
If so please get a very good respirator and be careful with the dust as it can make you very ill.

Thanx for your concern, but I'm already three steps ahead........besides, the dust of ANY abrasive material we might use is extremely hazardous!

 

[StangDreamin']

Hey, it's deja vu all over again!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Red5oh
Just remember to use a good mask if you use sand. It is very dangerous to breathe the sand dust.

It's not safe breathing the dust of any abrasive medium.

What? Are you paying these guys to be your straightmen????











That's okay, I can only because the Valley Fever (coccidioidal something-or-another) is in remission..... Too much time spent out in Sonoran Desert "Brown Blizzards"

 

[Jester67]

Thanx for your concern, but I'm already three steps ahead........besides, the dust of ANY abrasive material we might use is extremely hazardous!

Agreed
However, aluminum oxide is not as bad I would still ware a respirator with it as well