Trying to make Junky perhaps just a little bit Funky...

[DD1]

Originally Posted by crakarjax

Why not just blast outside? I laid down tarps and it made collecting the media relatively easy. I used the HF 100lb blaster and it works ok, but I taped the nozzle open because holding it open for so long is a huge pain! I also followed up by spraying the frame with phosphoric acid (concrete/metal etch) to convert any surface rust to inert oxide.

I will check out the 100lb blaster at HF. As far as the trailing arms go, I did not blast them outside because I don't have a portable blaster, I don't have the time to figure out which one I want and blast the arms. I got them back this morning and they look really good. I will post pics when I am not on my Ipad.

As far as the frame goes, I can't take it outside because the trailing arms, springs, and driveshaft is not installed, and the frame areas I want to blast are covered by those parts.

The guy i use for sandblasting also paints. For bigger jobs, it's probably more time effective for me to have him blast them and paint it with Chassis Saver at the same time. I will probably take the truck to him to have the frame done once it is rolling again.

Has anyone tried Lab-Metal?

[DD1]

Here is a pic of the blasted trailing arms. I think they look pretty good except for the small hole I need to weld. I could probably just leave it alone, but it should only take a few minutes to add some metal to it; it does not even have to look nice in that spot or anywhere on the arms really.

Dumb Question: when I insert the bushing sleeves into the trailing arms, does it matter which direction they are inserted? Does the side of the sleeve with the lip go on the outside of the arms or on the inside? I'll search for pics on the forum and see if I can figure it out in the meantime. I did not pay attention to the direction they were in when I removed them.



Here is a comparison of the end of the two arms.


Got the Differential Cover today. I was a bit disappointed that it turned out to be chrome. In the photo on Advance Auto's website, it looked like a brushed metal, not shiny. This is the website pic on the left vs what I got on the right. Not a big deal, but just not the look I was going for. It will probably get dulled when I have the frame blasted and sand accidentally hits it.

[DD1]

I took a better look at the trailing arms today and noticed this area is really thin on both of them and chipped/cracked on one. I am wondering if I can get a piece of angle iron with the holes in it and plug weld it to the back as a support?

Is this something I should be concerned about? It near where the it connects to the axle.



I welded up the little hole that I showed before.


I decided to paint them with Chassis Saver, except where the metal is thin because it was starting to get surface rust spots. I painted 3 sides on about 75% of it, and will have to leave the rest till Friday evening.

You can see all the spots forming:

[DD1]

Took a good look at one of the fenders I bought from someone. The original fenders need fender cups at a minimum; it was easier to buy better fenders, and if I remember correctly I think I got them at a decent price. This was back when repairing a fender cup seemed like a daunting task to me (so, like yesterday?).

I think it's looks decent; has it's fair share of rust, but nothing major I think I need to fix before it gets blasted and primed. I am going to have the guy blast it and coat it with an epoxy primer. There might be one little area I have to weld a little. Please let me know if you see any red flags in the pics below.

On Friday I will pull the other fender and see what kind of shape it's in. I am trying to get an idea of what I want blasted and painted, or just blasted. The more stuff I bring at once, the better pricing I will get.



This is where I am thinking it might need to be cleaned up and plug welded at the seam by the curve.

[swamp rat]

Originally Posted by DD1

Took a good look at one of the fenders I bought from someone. The original fenders need fender cups at a minimum; it was easier to buy better fenders, and if I remember correctly I think I got them at a decent price. This was back when repairing a fender cup seemed like a daunting task to me (so, like yesterday?).

I think it's looks decent; has it's fair share of rust, but nothing major I think I need to fix before it gets blasted and primed. I am going to have the guy blast it and coat it with an epoxy primer. There might be one little area I have to weld a little. Please let me know if you see any red flags in the pics below.

On Friday I will pull the other fender and see what kind of shape it's in. I am trying to get an idea of what I want blasted and painted, or just blasted. The more stuff I bring at once, the better pricing I will get.



This is where I am thinking it might need to be cleaned up and plug welded at the seam by the curve.

You won’t know on the fender until it’s blasted, if the metal is thin enough to pierce an ice pic through it should be replaced. On the trailing arms ether find a good way to reinforce them or replace them, all you can do is try.

[Xeen]

That thin spot on the trailing arm is bad enough that you need to cut it out and weld in new metal.

[crakarjax]

It looks like the thin spot is on the bottom of the arm, and in a spot that won't see a ton of stress. Also, most of the strength comes from the vertical segments of the metal. If I was going to run those arms, I wouldn't worry about it.

[DD1]

Originally Posted by crakarjax

It looks like the thin spot is on the bottom of the arm, and in a spot that won't see a ton of stress. Also, most of the strength comes from the vertical segments of the metal. If I was going to run those arms, I wouldn't worry about it.

I was thinking the same thing. I was looking at it today and realized it was on the bottom. I think I am going to weld a scrap piece of metal on the outside just near where that spot is and the u-bolt goes as reinforcement, just to be on the safe side.

Originally Posted by Xeen

That thin spot on the trailing arm is bad enough that you need to cut it out and weld in new metal.

See, this is why I wanted to bury my head head in the sand and not remove the arms! Ignorance is incredibly Bliss! :-)

[DD1]

Only got to work on the truck today. Yesterday decided to take the motorcycle out for a ride with some friends as it was the perfect weather for it. Was going to work on the truck in the later afternoon, but was reminded at the last minute we had to go to my nephews birthday party. I did make a detour to HF on the way to pick up a few things I need - priorities.

This is what I decided to go with to reinforce the trailing arms - made them out of some pieces of bed frame I cut up. I used weld-thru primer on the arms and the back of the plates, so I have not welded it in place yet to allow time to dry.

The metal has been cleaned up and primered since I took this pic.


I sandblasted most of the parts that will be painted with Chassis Saver prior to installing, and installed the differential cover and gasket.

Of course something as simple as the differential cover could not go easy. Turns out the bolts that came with the cover are too long and I can't get them all seated properly. Gotta go to HD tomorrow and get the right bolts.

I could reuse the old ones, but the threads are not great on all of them, and they look crappy on the new cover.


The end result is I did a lot today, but did not complete anything.

[72 tigger]

Those plates look good- should be a nice, strong fix when done

[swamp rat]

Going to bolt/weld the plates on the inside? or outside of the trailing arms?

[DD1]

Originally Posted by 72 tigger

Those plates look good- should be a nice, strong fix when done

Thanks, I think it will work pretty well.

Originally Posted by swamp rat

Going to bolt/weld the plates on the inside? or outside of the trailing arms?

I was planning on welding them to the outside. The Shock Plate would sit on top of these plates. Do you think I should weld them to the inside? Or perhaps cut another set and also weld on the inside? (Not that I really want to make another set.)

I have not had a chance to get back to the garage yet this week. The arms are probably rusting away in this humid heat wave we have this week. Hope to get the plates welded Friday evening.

[swamp rat]

Can’t tell you if one way is better than the other, was just curious of your plan.

[DD1]

Originally Posted by swamp rat

Can’t tell you if one way is better than the other, was just curious of your plan.

Oh, okay. You have probably figured out by now that when someone asks me a question like that, my first thought is "Why, am I doing it wrong?" because there's a good chance I AM doing it wrong.

[swamp rat]

I always quest for knowledge 😊

[DD1]

Quick Update: I have not touched the truck in months, in part because of the cold and in part because I went back to the old habit of ignoring a problem I was not confident in my ability to fix. Rock Auto finally got new trailing arms in stock, which motivated me to make a decision; after much dwelling on whether to try and repair mine or to bite the bullet and spend the money on new ones, I decided tonight to bite the bullet and ordered new trailing arms.

I just did not have the confidence that I could repair them properly; the trailing arms are also holding up everything else as I can't move the truck an inch until I get them installed. In the interest of not wasting anymore time, I decided it was the best direction to go.

I did finally try to start the engine after ignoring it for months. Unfortunately the carb has a stuck float and it's leaking gas out the top.

Hopefully I will be moving forward, making progress, and posting updates more often.

[swamp rat]

I think you did The best move, that or find a used set in better condition. Winter has a way of slowing progress, we had record snowfall this past 3 weeks, but in typical N.W fashion it’s melting off quickly but still cold and wet, my truck is happy in the garage this winter! But nothing is getting done to it.

[DD1]

Originally Posted by swamp rat

I think you did The best move, that or find a used set in better condition. Winter has a way of slowing progress, we had record snowfall this past 3 weeks, but in typical N.W fashion it’s melting off quickly but still cold and wet, my truck is happy in the garage this winter! But nothing is getting done to it.

Thanks, Mike. There were a few decent used ones on EBay, but by the time I got them, had them sandblasted, and painted them, I’m out another $100 and 2-3 weeks. Figuring the best I can get is a used set for $300 shipped, I decided I am better off buying new from RockAuto for $463 including shipping and tax.

They should be here by Friday; if so. I am looking forward to installing them on Sunday.

I am thinking that maybe someone who has better welding skills than me might want to buy a set of sandblasted, painted, trailing arms with new bushings at the right price.

[DD1]

Got my new trailing arms today. I am impressed with RockAuto for several reasons:

1. They got them to me fast.
2. Shipping was way more reasonable than I expected.
3. They found a huge box to ship in and sent it FedEx.
4. Kinda impressed with the FedEx guy who I saw carry it by himself on my security camera.

It's the little things...

Now that I have them, I am really glad I went this route. Hoping someone with better welding skills than me will want to buy the original arms and the bushings.

Should be warm enough on Sunday for me to rough up the areas of contact on the trailing arm and paint with Chassis Saver. May not get to install them as a result, but that's okay.

I compared the arms side by side and they are a good match!

[crakarjax]

Good choice! It's way more pleasant to work with parts in good condition.

[DD1]

Originally Posted by crakarjax

Good choice! It's way more pleasant to work with parts in good condition.

I agree! I am excited and motivated again. Looking forward to working on it this weekend.

[DD1]

Hey Mike, in June 2018 when discussing your seat on your thread, you mentioned in a comment that you did not think I had a 67-72 seat because the seat handle was in the front, not next to the door.

I thought about this yesterday because I was watching an LMC Truck video about seat upholstery and they were working on an 81-87 truck seat which had the handle in the front. I did save the floor mounts and everything from my original seat, so hopefully the actual seat itself is the same size. This was back before I learned to save everything; really wish I had not thrown out the seat that came with my truck when I got the replacement.

[DD1]

Trying to get prepared for when (IF) it gets warm again. Picked up a used sandblaster on craigslist really cheap, had to modify it a bit with some new parts, but still cheaper than buying new, even with the 20% coupon.

After some setbacks and a couple of trips to Home Depot and Ace Hardware, I got it running today. It's been a while since I used one and had to learn the adjustment of the valves; the first time I tried it I was basically throwing media at the truck.

I don't plan on using it indoors, but I will have to for a small section of the frame where the spring reinforcements and the cross-member goes. Then once I get it rolling, I can take it out back and do some blasting on my own. It will be cheaper and easier than going to the sandblasting guy.

Ordered a blasting hood to protect my face and lungs. Don't need to breathe in anymore dust and glass than I probably already have.

I setup a tarp to catch the media which came in handy when I had the abrasive valve fully open and was just dumping media onto the frame. Tested out the blaster on a small section of the frame to make sure it worked properly.

[swamp rat]

Ya gotta do what ya gotta do, but I suggest wearing a dust mask I get that hood if your blasting for any longer than a minute or so, especially in an inclosed space.

[DD1]

Originally Posted by swamp rat

Ya gotta do what ya gotta do, but I suggest wearing a dust mask I get that hood if your blasting for any longer than a minute or so, especially in an inclosed space.

Yeah, I was wearing a dust mask when I did the test run. Helped but not completely successful. I ordered a hood; I think it will arrive today. If it warms up I will try to get started this weekend.

Especially having mild asthma as it is, I have no interest in damaging my lungs by inhaling glass dust.