Got started at least. Not my welds, they're crap. Wire wheeling this floor is gonna take forever. Took at least thirty minutes to do this part with an angle grinder and drill. Any suggestions for getting to bare metal quicker or just be patient?
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'88 K5 - Running Down A Dream
- Thread starter jimmyleetn
- Start date
Ground up restoration of my '88 K5. The plan is to go through every inch of the truck and fix or replace pretty much everything that needs it. This will also be a full vert conversion and I plan to make the vehicle look more like a 73-75 than 88.
Flap wheel.
What grit? I thought about it l, but was afraid I'd take away too much metal.
I used to have a nice paint stripper that was metal strips attached on a hub, kind of like a flap wheel, it did great and you could barely see a trace on the metal, even on wood it worked well.
It started falling apart after a while, ( it was one of those TV cheap inventions but it was a good one, just cheaply made) and I couldn't find anything like it.
I found some that are similar but abrasive threads, and these actually leave a mark
Use a surface conditioning or stripping disc. Looks like a pot scrubber with abrasive attached. Can be gotten for die grinder or angle grinder. Different grits are available.
Example, ( first time inserting link, hope it works!)
https://aax-us-iad.amazon.com/x/c/Q...&pd_rd_r=fb9269ad-1f32-4e8f-b1f0-17ff67feee8d
Example, ( first time inserting link, hope it works!)
https://aax-us-iad.amazon.com/x/c/Q...&pd_rd_r=fb9269ad-1f32-4e8f-b1f0-17ff67feee8d
Link worked great. I tried one of these on a drill a week or so ago. I believe you are correct, they are the way to go. The unfortunate side is I haven't really gotten to get back out there and do any prep work yet but next week is finals week and then I'm wide open. Have you used these from Amazon? I was looking at some from harbor freight just haven't bought them yet.
I sandblasted my whole tub and it went pretty quick. It does require a pretty sizable compressor though. It's also kinda messy. I still had to wire wheel the bondo areas as it doesn't go through bondo
It's funny you mention sandblasting. I actually have talked to two different people now that have had their tubs dustless mobile blasted and said it was worth every dollar. I've decided next summer when I separate the body from the frame I'm going to have the guy that did my vent windows come do it. I think I'm going to just prep and weld the bad places and the spots where I'm going to add the floor supports for the convertible conversion. I know that's a little backwards from the standard order of doing this but I'm not ready to separate body yet because once that happens the TBI motor is getting sold which means it'll be a roller for awhile.
I used these type wheels to strip the entire inside of my tub (floor and bed). Actually, twice since I used a primer that was incompatible with my paint choice the first time. It wasn't a bad job, on an angle grinder these make quick work while not being overly aggressive on the metal. Much better than wire wheels.
Use them flat on larger areas before turning up on the corner for cleaning indentations or corners and they will last longer (tip from Ryoken).
I bought a couple at Home Depot, but they are cheaper ordered by the box at Amazon. The link was for type, not the actual brand I used. I think I ordered Benchmark Abrasives brand.
Similar discs can be bought for die grinder use and work well in small areas.
Use them flat on larger areas before turning up on the corner for cleaning indentations or corners and they will last longer (tip from Ryoken).
I bought a couple at Home Depot, but they are cheaper ordered by the box at Amazon. The link was for type, not the actual brand I used. I think I ordered Benchmark Abrasives brand.
Similar discs can be bought for die grinder use and work well in small areas.
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that sounds like a fun project. there are several members here who have recently made their own torsion boxes
I am so ready to get moving on it. I am going to do it the way smokeum99ta and coontail did. I talked to smokeum99ta on FB several months back and he gave me some pointers. Other than the 1/8in stuff I need, sourcing metal around here has been challenging. I can't find 18ga anywhere local, only online, which is weird.
my brother is a bodyman in jackson, tn. i'll ask him where he gets his sheetmetal
Oh wow. Right here in town. What shop does he work at or own?
david white's for as long as i can remember
Small world. They are the best in Jackson and have fixed my wife's car twice (wrecks not her fault). I actually talked to David, nice guy. They were too covered up in collision work to help with the conversion and restoring my full top so he sent me to a restoration shop down the road.
Apparently, there's a shortage on the thin gauges from what I've heard. My go-to metal shop an hour north of here said they were having a hard time getting anything under 1/8in.
That's pretty funny as I had the same plan and my local shop opted out as well. They had my tub for six months. Bill and I joke about that and there's just not alot of folks lining up to do rust repair on these trucks. I bought 8sq ft of 16 ga last week without having to look. When he gets off work I'll see if he has any ideas. We all grew up in Humboldt
Very cool! I grew up in Paris. We always went to Copeland's Metals for panels and tubing. You are right though, there is not hardly anyone in our area that will do restore and repair work. The guy that David sent me to was at the shop once in 4 visits. Gave me his card. Called him who knows how many times and no answer. I wound up at Quality Bodyworks in Henderson. He's a Dodge guy but he's done several 60-70s Ford trucks for a guy at work that recommended him. I've seen the trucks up close, they're nice. I think he's going to do a good job, he's been there for a long time. There's a squarebody guy in Henderson too, but he told me he was booked three years out because of collision work combined with restos. He did like my blazer though. He crawled under it and everything lol. Was impressed by how little rust I had.
I talked to my brother and he said they can't find sheet metal right now either. Everything is on back order. if I make a trip up there I'll check in. We have plenty down here but we are a shipyard town
Guy was selling this OE piece on FB and I had to have it. I know I'm a long ways from interior but man it's nice and you just don't see good 73-77 wheels and I didn't wanna buy a Taiwan wheel. Not a speck of rust. Pillow case included. 
So I'm back at it finally. I have never done any rust repair ever. Only this little I guess you would call it a drip rail area of the inner rocker is rusted through. Everything else to me seems fixable with cleanup and paint. Am I on the right track just cutting this little strip out and replacing it with an aftermarket panel? You should be able to see where I drew on it with a sharpie. I have the panels already. They're not the greatest. I'm confident in my welding I just want to make sure I'm not missing something. The rocker is fine I've looked inside it with a borescope too. Any guidance would be fantastic. I'm kind of at a poop or get off the pot moment. I'll probably post this in the body work section on CK5 as well.
