# Sandblasting the frame-question



## SlamminGears65Goat (Apr 29, 2012)

Guys,
I have it all done, except the underside of the shock towers.
It's only some surface rust, nothing going through the frame.
Looking for opinions, should I just POR-15 it and be done,
or sandblast that too?
Kicker is I'm a little burnt out, sandblasting-wise,
but I value your opinions.
I only have the driveshaft and axle to go.....
hope to never see another sandblaster as long as I live....


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## geeteeohguy (Feb 2, 2008)

Up to you. If it's surface rust, it'll probably rust all the way through....in about 700 years. You could POR15 or use a converter and paint over it, or leave it alone. I'll tell you what you already know, though. If you sandblast it now and do it "right", you'll never regret it later!!!!


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## SlamminGears65Goat (Apr 29, 2012)

*I've come this far*

GTOGuy,
I need to suck it up and finish it.
This is my one and only resto, so I we it to 
the car to do it right.
Thanks for checking in.


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## Too Many Projects (Nov 15, 2008)

I hear ya on not ever wanting to see another blaster. I blasted my entire frame in the driveway along with the driveshaft. The control arms I did in my cabinet. I let mine sit for a year and then coated the entire frame with 6 cans of Eastwood converter to prevent it from ever rusting again. I then painted it with Eastwood epoxy and it still looks new, but then it hasn't moved out of my shop in 2 years either...


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## Eric Animal (Oct 28, 2007)

Rest up....then finish blasting it!!!!:cheers Eric


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## FlambeauHO (Nov 24, 2011)

Blast it! Too late for short cuts!


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## BearGFR (Aug 25, 2008)

Man, do I ever remember those kinds of feelings. There were many times building the Beast that I discovered some little part I'd missed when painting (of course after already cleaning my gun and putting it away, throwing out the unused paint, etc) and I'd stare at it for a few minutes contemplating just going with it. Eventually some little voice would chime in and ask, "do you really want to have to do this all AGAIN when it rusts later?". That got me going.

Bear


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## SlamminGears65Goat (Apr 29, 2012)

*Great opinions*

It's always good to hear I'm not the only one.....
thanks Guys, for your input and opinions. 
I'm rested, so I guess it's time to finish her up.
The info I've gotten in this forum has saved me so much time, effort, and aggrevation.
I finished the cross member and the driveshaft yesterday, did them outside.
The frame is inside the garage, but I have alot of plastic that I can make a "tent" out of to minimize the sand flying about...I'm trying to keep the garage clean, that's one of the issues in my debate.
I'm trying to post a pic or two, but I get the message that the pic is too big for this format. I'll keep trying.
One more question: When I blast the rear axle, how do I protect the differential? Should I not blast it? It's not rusty, the paint on it is ok, just scratched up a little.
Thanks again.


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## Eric Animal (Oct 28, 2007)

IF you blast it....SAND WILL get inside....either disassemble it and blast it then clean it, or clean it up real good, and paint it! IMHO....E


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## SlamminGears65Goat (Apr 29, 2012)

thanks Eric. Even though I put it outside the garage when I was blasting, I know sand had gotten into the diff. I'll have to have it taken apart and cleaned. I've never done that before. Is it as complicated as the diagrams make it look?


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## ALKYGTO (Mar 29, 2010)

Damn sand get everywhere! :shutme

I still see sand in my trunk every now and then. 12 years later!


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## WideTrack (May 7, 2008)

Of course you have to blast it....l agree on the fun factor though....If I ever take on a project of this magnitude again, I think I'd pay someone else to do it or have it acid dipped or something other than blasting it myself at home. I'm in MI so the weather was either too hot or too humid or too mosquito filled.....But I got it done and painted with POR15 followed by chassis black. 

I do love my blast cabinet though. It's big enough to fit most parts other than the body and frame and I use it a lot, even for 100+ year-old cylinder stoves that I restore. Good luck and keep up the good work. I find this site is great for motivation when I need it. Every time I think of giving up and selling my GTO parts, I find someone else who finished a project that started out with a car that was much farther gone than mine was....


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## SlamminGears65Goat (Apr 29, 2012)

*right on....*

Hey WideTrack,
I'd love to have a blasting cabinet myself. I do have a friend that let me use his during the winter, so I was able to get quite a few of the smaller pieces done. You're right, this forum does help with the motivation. I really knew what I was going to do, I guess I was just looking for some validation of how I was feeling..(overwhelmed, frustrated, etc) at the time.
It's always great to hear from the others who have been or are "in the trenches". Lots of knowledge here, and everyone is willing to share it....what more could you ask?


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## WideTrack (May 7, 2008)

Yep, "overwhelmed and frustrated" sums it up pretty darn accurately. When it gets to that point, it's time to stop and take a rest before you break something expensive! When you get like that your fine motor skills AND your judgement gets impaired. Not a good combination when you're doing trying to do something that requires some degree of finesse!


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## BearGFR (Aug 25, 2008)

SlamminGears65Goat said:


> I guess I was just looking for some validation of how I was feeling..(overwhelmed, frustrated, etc) at the time.


One healthy dose of validation, coming right up.

I took my 69 apart to begin restoring it in about 1984-85. Life got in the way, and it sat in pieces for more than 25 years. Every time I thought of it or saw it, I felt miserable for not getting it done -- like I was betraying the memory of my Dad or something because it was the last car we bought together before he died. Then once I did get working on it in the summer of 2008, there were times when I'd look at it and just feel overwhelmed by the amount of work that pile of metal represented --- thinking about how much I didn't know about what I was doing --- it seemed like it was hopeless at times. Who was I kidding, thinking I could actually restore that car? It was sure to wind up like so many others had - sold off in pieces for scrap - leaving me with a lifelong sense of failure over it.

Thankfully, with the encouragement of my angel of a wife and the support of others, the story didn't turn out that way. :cheers

If I can do it, so can you. Do -something- on it every day, even if it's just assembling one bolt, sanding one square inch of surface, or engaging in some self-education about how to do something. You'll get there.

Bear


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## SlamminGears65Goat (Apr 29, 2012)

Thanks again, Track, and Bear,
Great advice to get to something, even if it's small, every day.
Bear, hearing the thoughts you've had along the way, as you were restoring the Beast,
(which looks unbelievable, btw), those are EXACTLY the thoughts that sneak into my mind on a regular basis. As usual, the feedback from you and the others is priceless.
Thanks again for taking the time to respond, it helps keep me in the game.


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