"Mi Vieja" (My Old Lady) 68 c10 Project Build

[marcolara]

So it begins... I have taken the rear end off the frame and now is cleaning time. I know cleaning these parts will be a painful lengthy process if I do it myself, so I'm opting in to getting them clean by a powdercoater or anyone that can sandblast the heck out of the frame, control arms, rear-end and a couple of small parts. I don't think I will get them powdercoated because is expensive, so I may just use a frame paint and brush it on or something. Do you guys think there is a better/affordable way other than brushing the paint to have a good finish? How should I prep and what should I use to prep/paint?

I'm still looking for shops that will do the cleaning work, but is hard to find good shops or people that won't burn you.

Anything I should be watching for, any questions you guys think I should ask, anything to help me find the right resource for this task is highly appreciated.

[54belair]

I can tell you how I did it. It wasnt really quick--but not too difficult either.

I took everything apart--as youve done, then soaked the frame and components in various products (Krud-cutter, Simple Green, even used gasoline) to loosen dirt , road tar, whatever, then I set up outside and used a pressure washer. Depending on how bad it is, you may have to do some areas more than once.
After that, I used a sand blaster (and about 5 bags of sand) to blast the whole thing.
The more you clean first--the less sand youll use later.

After it was all sand blasted I used a silver chassic coat on everything. The product is very similar to Por 15, but easier to topcoat. The product suggests brushing on and it will "self level"---That part is Horse pucky! Brushing leaves brush marks, Period. I would never brush it on again. Anyway, after that I used two coats of Eastwoods 2K black chassic paint.
The part I left out was that you will need to sand anything that you brush on (If you want a nice smooth finished surface.

Sounds like a lot of work, but it wasnt bad----maybe three days time total.

[marcolara]

Dustless Blasting really works. I did the entire frame, A-Arms, Rear-end and some miscellaneous stuff. Convenient, mobile, clean and hassle free. This guy is great and highly recommended if you need blasting in the Inland Empire.

[Sequoyah]

That's nice that he's mobile. Very convenient!

[Syndrome]

What did he charge to come over and blast that? Thats an awesome looking setup, this is coming from someone who has went through semi-trailer loads of coal slag blasting water tanks.

[marcolara]

The guy charged me 150 for a frame, all A-Arms, rear end, brackets and drums. I gave the guy 50 bucks as a tip for doing such a great job. Let me know and I can give you his number. He serves Riverside and San Diego counties.

Here is the frame with the rear end assembled. Way better to work on a clean frame.

[marcolara]

Here is the Cab I picked up from J&J. I'm very exited!

[mcbassin]

Very clean work on the chassis. I like the idea of farming out the blasting. It sucks. I've done all mine on my project, in hindsight it would be much cheaper to hire it done.
It sucks to learn by experience.

That cab looks great, how's the rust situation on it?

[marcolara]

Originally Posted by mcbassin

That cab looks great, how's the rust situation on it?

The cab is pretty clean. One of the inner kick panels has some rust, but nothing a good welder can't handle. Other than that, is pretty clean! My idea is to take it to get the body and paint next while I finish the rolling chassi and mount the engine/tranny

[marcolara]

Front and rear suspension are almost set; just need the gear box and the pitman/idler arms. BTW: Do any of you know the type of wheels and tire type/size this blue truck has mounted?

Thanks!