Having removed the body of the car presents you with a fairly uncluttered view of the running gear and drive train.
I ain’t got no body
It also sets your mind to worrying about corrosion hidden in little nooks and crannies. And then you decide to take it all off so you can RE-assemble on a solid rust free protected frame. Well….. that’s the thought. Surface and other rust was evident. Peeling paint was significant.
Rust never sleeps
Peel is real
What should we do? Sand & wire brush? Blast & paint? What was cost efficient? Yes, I have a sand blasting pot and a big compressor, but the last outside blasting job that I did used multiple bags of sand, was messy, and took forever. (My blasting cabinet is a different story and I use it all the time, usually with glass beads as the preferred media.)
After long consideration and discussions with others, I’ve come to the conclusion that while not perfect, the best route is to remove everything from the frame and send it out to be blasted and powder coated. Here is how we removed the engine, transmission, front and rear axles over the period May 9 through 13, 2016.
Motor in a sling
Dad steadies the motor as it is lowered into a custom cart.
Transmission leaves the frame.
Empty frame with wheels
After the shackle pins are removed, the front end rolls out onto the grass.