Rat repair.

[swamp rat]

Originally Posted by Vic1947

One of my best investments! You have the compressor to complement it and I'm betting it won't be long before you wonder how you ever did without it.

I think I'm gonna have to agree!

[HUSTLESTUFF]

Just read this start to finish over two days. Nice work and you'll never be more proud. Get some Evercoat Plastic Honey resin for the bondo to thin it out. I do everything on my cars and have learned a ton. Great work.

[7dee2]

It's looking great Mike, I'm jealous of your cabinet if you were closer I'd need to come borrow it!

[swamp rat]

Vic, Hustlestuff, 7dee2, Rgunlock, Thanks again for the comps and encouragement!

So my deadline approaches fast, had to get the body line reworked and the Bondo covered in K2 today, as usual i had to come up with a little unconventional way to straighten things out, a 4"X2.5' section of conduit with some long board sand paper stuck to it, I had to build up some more Bondo then i sanded using a curling and diagonal movement, making a cross hatch, once i was happy with the shape of the body line i put a radius on it, now i need more practice on shaping the radius but its close.. LOL! If i have time tomorrow then i may sand and put a second coat but its at least sealed now.

So i grabbed my inner fenderwell and tried to slide it in place, i quickly remembered that the old one came out with a bit of persuasion so i'll have to jack up the driver side and maybe remove the tire to get it in place...

[GASoline71]

Very nicely done Mike!

My old rod probably won't get as much love on the exterior as yours for awhile. Glad I started following along on your build!

Gary

[swamp rat]

Originally Posted by GASoline71

Very nicely done Mike!

My old rod probably won't get as much love on the exterior as yours for awhile. Glad I started following along on your build!

Gary

Thanks, I would have liked to not have to do so much to that door but right now i don't feel like trying to re-skin or buy a replacement, as i have said learning from the school of hard knocks! Its a 20 footer for sure right now.. LOL!

So i installed the inner fender well today on the driver side, Of course it didn't fit sitting in its free state so instead of jacking and removing the wheel i first put a ratcheting strap on the outer side and put a bit of a curl into it so i could get it to sit on the tire, then i installed a tie down strap on the inside and removed the outside strap then manhandled it from there, probably put a couple scratches into it but did my best to not damage the powder coat. Not fun for one person with torn rotator cuffs

I really wanted to be able to take the time to wire wheel the frame both in the front and under the cab, then apply some POR and paint but i just ran out of time for now. I may have enough time to apply a second coat of K2 on the lower door tomorrow.

[GASoline71]

Is that an aftermarket inner fender? I have an aftermarket inner for my passenger side and we had to beat the snot out of it to fit in the fender well. I'm yanking the drivers side inner fender out of the 1972 C25 that I have to use in my C15. It's a little rotted out in the front, but I'll fabricate a new patch panel to make it useable.

Gary

[swamp rat]

Originally Posted by GASoline71

Is that an aftermarket inner fender? I have an aftermarket inner for my passenger side and we had to beat the snot out of it to fit in the fender well. I'm yanking the drivers side inner fender out of the 1972 C25 that I have to use in my C15. It's a little rotted out in the front, but I'll fabricate a new patch panel to make it useable.

Gary

Yes i got them from Franks Pick M Up in Olympia then had them powder coated before i even test fitted them, i think i payed about 10-20 more for the powder coat than the wells, I had to loosen the front of the fender from the radiator support but after i got them past the tire and released the straps they fit rather nicely, i used an alignment punch in a few places, i only had to file the front support bracket hole as it was slightly out of alignment from the main inner fender when it was spot welded but that was the only mod. Yes i would recommend these wells.

[swamp rat]

Well, last day of working on the truck for a while, decided i didn't need a second coat of primer on the lower door so decided to wrap up the column.

About 4 years ago i found this wheel for sale on the parts thread, zero cracks but obvious wear on the pattern area, still overall a pretty nice score for $60, sure looks better than the Grant unit i had run for the last 20 some odd years.

I still have the stock green wheel and am hanging onto the green non tilt column for the time being, the green wheel last time i looked had no cracks and probably less wear than the black one above but its been a while since i looked at it closely.

Eventually i will put the grant wheel up for sale with the new horn kit i have for it.

[7dee2]

That was a score on a crack free wheel, so what's up you going to get your shoulder worked on?

[swamp rat]

I have a torn rotator, tore it 3 times in april and may, 3 or 4 bone spurs and a severed Bicep that i'm having reattached. I actually have torn the the right one this year before the left some time about march, but the right side will wait. basicly anything i do anything physical be it lifting or sanding ect both shoulders start screaming at me (cramping up) to stop. I'll be out of work until about November 8th (tentatively) I check in at 11:15 today (about 2.5 hours from now)

[7dee2]

Originally Posted by swamp rat

I have a torn rotator, tore it 3 times in april and may, 3 or 4 bone spurs and a severed Bicep that i'm having reattached. I actually have torn the the right one this year before the left some time about march, but the right side will wait. basicly anything i do anything physical be it lifting or sanding ect both shoulders start screaming at me (cramping up) to stop. I'll be out of work until about November 8th (tentatively) I check in at 11:15 today (about 2.5 hours from now)

Hope surgery went well and you heal quickly.

[swamp rat]

I didn't notice right away but the column housing is rubbing on the bottom of the steering wheel, i emailed the guy that rebuilt the column and he has no idea why its rubbing, i was hoping there may be a couple screws i could access to loosen the housing and reposition it.. The pictures were taken before i tightened the wheel down all the way, it still rubs a little after tightening but it does not interfere with turning the wheel.

[Vic1947]

Maybe the steering wheel? You might try pulling the wheel and seeing how it fits on the original column.

[swamp rat]

Originally Posted by Vic1947

Maybe the steering wheel? You might try pulling the wheel and seeing how it fits on the original column.

That was the same thing the guy said in his reply, try a different wheel, I'll look into it later.

There was a mishap during shipping, the column in its crate was apparently tossed a little hard somewhere on the trip here, the lower shaft broke thru the end cap which allowed the upper shaft to come out of the hole, so the weight of the column was resting on the bottom of the housing, visually the column looked to be fine so i didn't worry about it, i did show the seller the pic's tho thinking he may want to reinforce the end caps with a little sheet of plywood. So it could be the wheel, it could be a slightly tweaked housing that i cannot see, it does not look to be egg shapped at the opening, no dents on the outside..

[DD1]

Originally Posted by swamp rat

I didn't notice right away but the column housing is rubbing on the bottom of the steering wheel, i emailed the guy that rebuilt the column and he has no idea why its rubbing, i was hoping there may be a couple screws i could access to loosen the housing and reposition it.. The pictures were taken before i tightened the wheel down all the way, it still rubs a little after tightening but it does not interfere with turning the wheel.

That's a really nice wheel you got. If you can't get it to work, you can just send it to me, and I'll "dispose" of it for you.

Did you send the column out to be rebuilt or did you buy a rebuilt one? Given the questions and concerns you had (the missing tab, the shipping issues), would you still recommend him to rebuild a column? May I ask how much you paid for the column?

I have a column that it would prob not be a bad idea to have it rebuilt; have not decided yet, and I'm not that the point where I need to worry about it. But it's good to have the information.

[swamp rat]

I don't mind saying..... this stuff don't feel too good even with the pain killers! lol! Couldn't even sleep last night so i'm sure a nap is on order some time today before the Seahawks play.

So my drive is still alive, what can i carefully continue on as a one armed bandit as time lets me, even if its just buying supplys for now.

Which leads me to a question, the opening in the back of my H/F blast cabinet for the hose is 1" or 1 1/4", will have to recheck, rather than feed a long hose thru that hole and have a shot mess allover the place i would like to find some kind of fittings that will thread solid to capture the hole, kinda like a fitting with a nut that has internal threads so i can screw my air hose fittings and or brass fittings to, my plan is to buy a better short air hose for the inside ether 3' or 4' X 3/8" and thread it to this fitting, want to stay away from pipe fittings of possible but won't rule pipe put. .

[DD1]

Originally Posted by swamp rat

I don't mind saying..... this stuff don't feel too good even with the pain killers! lol! Couldn't even sleep last night so i'm sure a nap is on order some time today before the Seahawks play.
.

Hey, hope you are doing better. I know how you feel. When do you start physical therapy? My doc literally made me go from the surgery right to PT. I left the hospital and went to see the therapist. It actually helped a lot in the recovery process.

Of course, you also had a lot more work done than I did. Take it easy with the work; you don't want to shift or bump your arm by mistake.

[swamp rat]

Something kinda like this but i'm not sure if the inner threads are NPT... and it has to be pressure compliant

chttp://pvcpipesupplies.com/pvc-fittings/schedule-80-cpvc-fittings/schedule-80-cpvc-bulkheads

[swamp rat]

The Dr just gave me some motion movements to work on for now but said don't try and overdue it, its only been two days.

found and ordered the bulkhead for the air fittings and ordered a short hose for inside the cabinet, i have a light plan but haven't bought anything yet, probably go to home depot next week.

[Vic1947]

This is a bit off topic, but since the blast cabinet is something you can tinker with while you recover from surgery, I figure a few photos might be in order. I have a HF cabinet also and have had to do some mods to make it more user friendly.

I added a small vacuum cleaner as a dust collector, because the real ones cost big bucks. The problem with this is that it not only pulls the dust, but also a lot of media out of the cabinet. Not having a dust collector quickly makes it impossible to see your work piece so that isn't a choice. To fix the media issue, I moved the exhaust cutout to the roof of the cabinet and added a tapered chute that lets the media settle out of the airstream before it hits the vacuum hose. I tried hanging a filter at the exhaust opening, but it caked up with dust and media and had to be changed too often.

I used an outdoor flood light for illumination. Placed an electrical box with an outlet and switch on the exterior of the cabinet that activates both the light and the vacuum when switched on.

I've also invested in some better gloves that make it easier to pick up small items like bolts. Speaking of which, HF also sells a magnetic stainless dish that works great for holding onto small ferrous items while you blast them. Saves the thumb and forefinger from wearing out so quickly on the left glove. Also be sure to put a water trap close to the inlet air hose to remove any traces of moisture. Wet media isn't the hot tip. I keep a couple of desiccant packs in an out of the way corner. If you need some, let me know, as I had to buy a 5 gallon container of them and they keep forever.

TP Tools and some other outlets sell the plastic shields for the glass. You don't ever want to blast without one covering the glass as it will frost the window muy pronto and make it very hard to see your work. The plastic shields come with adhesive strips to hold them to the glass, but I also use 3/4" masking tape to provide additional sealing around the edge. Keeps out the dust and lets you work longer between shield replacements.

[swamp rat]

Originally Posted by Vic1947

This is a bit off topic, but since the blast cabinet is something you can tinker with while you recover from surgery, I figure a few photos might be in order. I have a HF cabinet also and have had to do some mods to make it more user friendly.

I added a small vacuum cleaner as a dust collector, because the real ones cost big bucks. The problem with this is that it not only pulls the dust, but also a lot of media out of the cabinet. Not having a dust collector quickly makes it impossible to see your work piece so that isn't a choice. To fix the media issue, I moved the exhaust cutout to the roof of the cabinet and added a tapered chute that lets the media settle out of the airstream before it hits the vacuum hose. I tried hanging a filter at the exhaust opening, but it caked up with dust and media and had to be changed too often.

I used an outdoor flood light for illumination. Placed an electrical box with an outlet and switch on the exterior of the cabinet that activates both the light and the vacuum when switched on.

I've also invested in some better gloves that make it easier to pick up small items like bolts. Speaking of which, HF also sells a magnetic stainless dish that works great for holding onto small ferrous items while you blast them. Saves the thumb and forefinger from wearing out so quickly on the left glove. Also be sure to put a water trap close to the inlet air hose to remove any traces of moisture. Wet media isn't the hot tip. I keep a couple of desiccant packs in an out of the way corner. If you need some, let me know, as I had to buy a 5 gallon container of them and they keep forever.

TP Tools and some other outlets sell the plastic shields for the glass. You don't ever want to blast without one covering the glass as it will frost the window muy pronto and make it very hard to see your work. The plastic shields come with adhesive strips to hold them to the glass, but I also use 3/4" masking tape to provide additional sealing around the edge. Keeps out the dust and lets you work longer between shield replacements.

Thanks for the tips Vic! I found TP Tools late last night and also watching Youtube i found another popular company that sells mods for these cabinets called Tacoma Company. They don't have much in the way of a webpage but the guy runs a media blasting business and has come up with both blasting cabinet mods and lighting as well. i like your vacuum outlet mod being at the top and the baffle, i'll concider moving the location of mine as well..

http://www.tacomacompany.com/

I did however buy the smaller bench top model cabinet and as much as i like the flood lamp setups both TP tools and Tacoma Company sells and i know they are proven to work very well i am concerned about how far down they will hang, leaves me wondering if i can find shorter flood bulbs that still have a good wattage? I am also looking at my kitchen under cabinet Xenon lighting and wondering if it would be durable and or bright enough? especially after they get frosted by the media, the glass is probably not tempered tho. The same company also has a 20" LED that is 380 lumen and a 10" thats 190.

https://www.pegasuslighting.com/xeno...ask-light.html

https://www.pegasuslighting.com/led-...ower-cord.html

https://www.pegasuslighting.com/led-...ower-cord.html

Home Depot sells a vacuum head for a 5 gallon bucket called a Bucket Head, i bought one to remove unburned pellets from my Traeger smoker, fairly inexpensive, some of the blast cabinet guys have used one in conjunction with a cyclone type media separator.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwuDRh7ALis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFUYl6Z6w9I

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Bucket-He...0100/202017218

I'm moving about trying to not sit on my butt to much, still pretty sore and doing small therapy movements, actually got to hop in the shower and shave tonight so starting to feel human again. Biggest gripe is sleeping in my recliner, what i'd give to be able to take a nap while sitting in a massage chair like ya see at fairs or just sleep in my bed LOL!

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by swamp rat

Thanks for the tips Vic! I found TP Tools late last night and also watching Youtube i found another popular company that sells mods for these cabinets called Tacoma Company...

Tacoma Company is the source for the gloves I buy off eBay. Small world. The flat light might be a good choice given the smaller confines of the table top model. All I know is, the more light you can get in there, the better off you'll be. Post up your mods when you get it rolling. Hope your recovery is quick. My wife had to sleep sitting up on the couch when she cracked some ribs recently. She was positively thrilled when she was finally able to lay down again.

[rgunlock]

Hang in there Mike! I like the cabinet mods you're considering. Wish I'd done them to my cabinet, maybe it would have gotten used more. Without the upgrades, it is difficult to see your work. I just never got around to prioritizing the time and money for upgrades over time and money for the truck. Also I've read of a number of folks who upgraded from the HF gun, but mine was working ok if I use correct media.

[swamp rat]

Vic, Rick and Nonhog, for some reason i'm not getting message notifications for my thread in my inbox again, Thanks for the replies! I'm dealing with it but already getting annoyed LOL!

Well, I called Mike at Tacoma company Monday and we had a good chat, he wanted me to ask myself what parts i may want to blast on the future and really think about if the things i want to blast will fit into this bench top cabinet, also keep in mind not just fit but the ability to move the part so i can get the ends of it and see what i'm doing when doing it. Having a look around its pretty plain to see that i'd be limited to small brackets, nuts and bolts, pulleys ect, there is no real way to do something like valve covers, air cleaners, intake manifolds or Oil pans ect.

The H/F stand up model is 36 3/16"W X 23"D VS the bench top 26"W X 18 3/8"D Absolutely the size of the stand up is what i need minimum, looking at my ever shrinking foot print in my garage i think i can squeeze it in there. So being as H/F has a 90 day return policy i think the bench top model is going to have to be returned and exchanged for the stand up one. But that isn't going to happen for a while.

Mike at Tacoma Company has a number of mods, 4 stages of lighting, a quick removal kit for the window to change the inside film easier, a couple different gun/pedal and regulator setups that work on a different principal than the gravity fed guns from H/F. It kinda depends on how much money you throw at it but his point is that the cost of the cabinet from H/F plus his most expensive mod kit at about $500 and you end up with a cabinet costing $650-700 that performs like a cabinet that would cost much more.

More reading material. http://mediablastauto.com/default.asp