Bed Off Restoration

[Lefty]

There is an old saying which goes, "neither down nor feathers." Bare metal is not good but neither is too much rust. I blasted the frame in a fast pass, removing encrusted dirt, the crusty layers and scales of rust which had not adhered tightly to the metal. Hopefully I have not erred to one side or the other.

POR-15 makes a surface prep product which contains an acid and a zinc treatment that promotes adhesion. The photo shows how it works. It's etched some of the rust away, but most is still there. The next step is the paint itself.

Also I blasted the exhaust system clean. It's going to get a coat of high temperature ceramic paint. I chose Rustoleum. Eastwood makes a product too. I'm not sure if there are any products which will be durable.

 

[Lefty]

I spent today crawling underneath and brushing POR-15 on to the underside, including the front half. the frame under the cab. I found it in pretty good condition. It went rather fast so I doubled back and applied a second coat. Tomorrow I will tackle the bed.

I've never had good

I've never had good luck with exhaust system paint. It doesn't seem to be durable. Still, that extra little bit of love might keep the rust worm away for a while. Feel free to recommend a brand. I thought I would try a new ceramic made by Rustoleum.

 

[racsan]

Ive never found anything for exhaust systems either, Ive considered stainless but I know there are different grades of stainless and they are all expensive. Ive never found the nerve to make that kind of investment.

 

[Lefty]

Ive never found anything for exhaust systems either, Ive considered stainless but I know there are different grades of stainless and they are all expensive. Ive never found the nerve to make that kind of investment.

I'm with you

 

[rumblecloud]

You made it look easy. How'd you like the blaster?
Was it worth the expense?

I'm curious because something like this is in the future plans for mine.

 

[Lefty]

You made it look easy. How'd you like the blaster?
Was it worth the expense?

I'm curious because something like this is in the future plans for mine.

I liked the blaster. It may not have been necessary, but it made short work of the prep: no need to scrape, sand, or wire brush. I finished blasting in an hour or two. The aluminum oxide particles even removed the greasy/oily parts. Was it worth $80.00? That's a question you would have to answer. How much is your own time worth?

I still need to paint the underside of the bed. It won't take long. I should finish tomorrow.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Ive never found anything for exhaust systems either, Ive considered stainless but I know there are different grades of stainless and they are all expensive. Ive never found the nerve to make that kind of investment.

I’ve done stainless exhaust before, I’d say it’s probably worth it. The stainless done on my dad’s Ranger has nothing more than light surface rust, same as my choptop. Doing it with my green Ranger. There’s a local custom shop that I’ve been using, the older guys are good enough to put dirty marks on the pipe with a glove and bend what you need. The amount of skill needed to work like that is impressive

 

[svtcards]

I've got a 11/2hp and a 3 hp compressor. The gun I am using requires a minimum of 1hp. I bought this setup at Harbor Freight. I'm using 70 grit aluminum oxide. I could have bought a Tyvex suit, but will wear an N95 dust mask, goggles, gloves, scarf, and a hat. Don't ask me too many detailed questions. I've never done this before.

Did u have any issues with moisture in the lines while sandblasting?I bought and added water separator before the gun and still had water.Curious what you used to prevent this?

 

[Lefty]

Dolid u have any issues with moisture in the lines while sandblasting?I bought and added water separator before the gun and still had water.Curious what you used to prevent this?

I blasted on a very humid day. I could see the moisture coming out of the nozzle, but for all intents and purposes, the surfaces remained dry. The next step was paint prep anyway, a liquid acid etching solution which leaves an adhesion promoter on the surface. Directions explain that the product must be rinsed with water before it dries.

 

[Lefty]

I bought a pair of used ramps and a creeper. They came in handy especially underneath the cab area.

It is also nice to see the front view without any rust under the bumper line.

 

[triggerslaps]

Please take care with that abrasive. I assume you will being doing this in all in the open air and that fine powder will cause health issues to anyone breathing it in directly.

Also, this is super cool. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Shran]

Dolid u have any issues with moisture in the lines while sandblasting?I bought and added water separator before the gun and still had water.Curious what you used to prevent this?

I have basically the same sandblaster and have run it with and without a water separator. If you are only using the media once it really doesn't matter, it's when you reuse it continuously in a cabinet that you will have problems with it getting wet and clumping. You also need it regardless if you're using soda or some really fine media. Coal slag, big sand, etc probably not needed at all.

 

[Lefty]

Please take care with that abrasive. I assume you will being doing this in all in the open air and that fine powder will cause health issues to anyone breathing it in directly.

Yes! There is a long list of safety concerns that goes with media blasting. The top two include wearing a respirator, and goggles. I also wore a face mask over all that, and a hat. Gloves are important too. And yes again: Work outside and keep pointing the gun downwind.

It is important to protect the rest of the truck too. Keep the doors and windows closed to keep the dust out.

Also cover the cab with plastic drop to keep the dust off of the finish. Some will be there anyway. Dust it with no downward pressure. After all, abrasive materials may potentially scratch minor scratches or swirl marks in the clear coat. I use a big duster to clean my truck anyway.

If you wash the truck, use a pressure sprayer if you can. I recommend throwing the plastic away so you don't breathe the dust on it when you unfold it later on.

 

[Lefty]

Yes. There is a long list of safety concerns that goes with media blasting. The top of that list includes wearing a respirator, and goggles. I also wore a face mask over all that, and a hat. Gloves are important too.

Good to know about those blasting abrasives! I put a tarp down first thinking that after I was done, i would reuse the old stuff, but I chose not to anyway. It was filled with flakes of paint and rust. Rather than strain it, I just threw it away. It wasn't that expensive and not worth trying to save.

 

[superj]

i got those same ramps at a garage sale years ago. ramps are always useful. and they stack on top of each other to take less space.

i like garage sale tools. especially ramps, cherry pickers, engine stand because people usually use them once and than sell them because they are taking to much space.