Chassis clean up

[fsaroyster]

Afternoon folks,

Hopefully the weather is as nice and sunny where you are as it is down here

Anyway, got some time to myself so decided to make a start on the chassis clean up. I've started by removing the side steps, think it looks better without them to be honest, bit meaner and higher

First thing I've removed is the "armour" from underneath the fuel tank. I've been attacking it with a drill and various wire brush attachments, is this the best way to do it DIY? Any advice, tips more than welcome.

My aim is to remove every piece, one at a time, tidy it up and re-fit, tidying up the chassis beneath any parts I remove. Any parts that seem beyond repair will hopefully be sourced and replaced.

Any bits I should be careful removing? I got caught out with the fuel tank armour, by undoing the bolts that hold the tank itself in place, only to have that dangling down on me :/

You get a better idea of how well the metal is cleaning up from the tools shot than my poor before/during pics





Quick pic of the truck minus the side steps



Thanks in advance

Rog

[wishbone]

A cup wire brush on an angle grinder makes much quicker work - they're a lot more agressive than the ones for drills.

Maybe get some panel wipe to clean up the metal before painting - removes grease.

hth,
Rob.

[POPEYE]

Well i gotta say i dont envy you, i did mine several years ago and i ended up with the truck off the road for six months while i did the underside,
You have a lot of work ahead, if your going to every part of the underside, If you can afford it it is well worth takeing it and getting it steam cleaned before you start, that will get most of the shite off, although i did it the hard way,
I made a sort of pressure washer out of a plastic header tank,
Filled with hot soapy water (a right old mix of any detergent products i could find), a pipe run from this tank to an oil/underseal gun hooked up to the comp,
as long as the tank is placed well above what your spraying it works well, armed with this and wire brushes, scrubing brushes etc, i first sprayed it all over with degreaser (jizer or that other shite, forget the name, i got a few 5 gall cans off ebay) then attack it with the soapy spray gun and brushes,
luckily i have a pit in the garage but i still got soaked every day i did it
Actually i did the truck in two halves, rear end first, removed the fuel tank, bumper, dropped the axel, and after paint and refitting the bits, i went on to the front end, (the worst end) i stripped as much as i could off the engine, all the stuff in the engine compartment, front bumper, grill, rad, you name it,
i guess you wont want to go as "loud" as i did color wise but thats me, i cant help it,
here are some pics, mind that was several years back and it aint so clean now, cant be arsed to even wash the bugga now, sorry shineys!

[cabbage]

Not a fun job but you've done the hardest bit of actually starting!

I'd do the same, wire brush cup and then put a coat of rust stopper and then prime with red oxide and the paint. I've tried the hammerite direct to metal stuff on a few jobs but it doesn't seam to last as well as 2 coats of primer and two coats of top coat.

My own surf is starting to look pretty bad underneath, I'm now planning as much of a strip down and rebuild as I can afford. I need to get my replacement 4x4 and my tractor put back together first....



also keep the side steps, looks so much better!

[fsaroyster]

Cheers for the pointers guys

I'm just hoping to discover a fairly 'easy' method of removing the rust/old paint/etc but I don't think there is one, I've spent about 2-3 hours just on the fuel tank armour and I'd say its about 60-70% done to bare metal, and I've only done the outside so far!

Popeye - That's some effort you've put in there fella, and what a choice of colours, impressive stuff

Probably a not powerful enough, but would a normal steam cleaner be any use? Each bit I remove, I could pressure wash/steam clean and see what I'm left with I suppose, no harm in trying I guess

Cabbage - You prefer the truck with the side steps?

Thanks again guys

Rog

[xpro]

Im doing the same thing myself at the minute.
I pressure washed pretty much everything underneath and undersealed the chassis,diffs,tank,and anything else that rust sticks to it.

I sandblasted and powder coated the tank guard, two front trays and the bulbar.

Other then that im not removing anything else. I will just lube all the moving parts, and maybe change the tank filler pipe which appears to be mad rusty.

[fsaroyster]

Tomorrow I might treat myself to one of the small hand held angle grinders you can get. Any one got and suggestions on ones to get/avoid? Are they all much of a muchness...

Thanks in advance

Rog

[POPEYE]

Like all stuff you get what you pay for, just get the best grinder you can afford is the best bet although if you buy a cheapy B&Q one and when it packs up you can take it back and get a refund, handy if it packs up just after you've finished with it

[wishbone]

I've had good luck with the b&q grinders and drills - my £23 angle grinder has lasted 4 years so far and managed to clean up 3 surf chassis without breaking. The review on b&q's site reckons they last 20mins though