Quote:
Originally Posted by Kayotic
So what's the verdict..
Should the frame be taken apart for powder coating, then reassembled with G8 fasteners?
Are high strength button head or carrage bolts available?
Talk about getting a nice powder job.
If the frame looks good and dry I would guess it's not necessary.
But if there are problem areas anyway!
You ever try to square a riveted frame on saw horses - a lot of back and forth.
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I would say that it is not necessary to completely disassemble a frame, for a resto. Sure, there might be a little crud between the joints of the braces and frame rails that are riveted in place, but who cares? If the frame is square and holds its integrity, I would just blast and coat the frame, minus all bolted on items, and leave all the riveted items on and coat it.
Button heads are available, and they, along with socket heads, and flatheads, are actually stronger than G8 hex cap screws in non stainless form, because they are made of B7 material which is greater strength than G8 due to its different heat treatment process. Carriage bolts are not a good choice for our trucks, since the hole must be square to retain the head and keep it from spinning. I think the only carriage bolts on chevy trucks of our years are the bed bolts. I particularly like the design of step side bed bolts, which utilizes an off center square hole washer to put bind on the bolt and keep it from spinning on top of the wood. But it sucks when the wood has rotted away and the bolts have rusted up.
You use saw horses? I always anchor mine securely to the floor. I use a jig made from steel beams welded together, and bolted to the floor using concrete anchors. from there it is easy to use a port a power, or a chain hoist rigged to the receiver of my truck to repair bent, out of square frames.