oldsguybry

Yes the bigger the compressor the better . Mine is a 25 gallon , and it runs pretty much when I'm using it for sandblasting . I think its 5.8 scfm at 90psi . Nice blast cabinet BTW

Allan R

Today was an iffy weather day - not as warm as the last little while and windier than a politician on the home stretch!

I have several small things I want/need to clean up and they include 2 TCS switches, the rad overflow mounts (started yesterday) and a T Stat housing

The TCS units were, lets say pretty yucky. One was painted gold all over and covered with a layer of grime. I don't know why people don't tape off parts like this instead of painting them. Heck it's easy as pie to take out too.
Anyway the TCS was really easy to clean. I put some drill bits into the openings and blasted away. It even cleaned up the contacts and plastic top covers. I was really happy with the way it turned out, so I did another one.


These are both so fresh looking and clean you'd swear they were NOS


The radiator overflow support from yesterday went into the blaster again and I focused the spray on the areas where the rust was. It cleaned it out really fast and very well. I had just come back from the store and bought some high heat semi gloss black engine paint. Wanted to see how it would look on a finished surface. IMO this looks stellar! Just needs some time to cure nice and hard.


What I REALLY like is that nice satin finish that I've been trying to find for so long now. At last I got it!


The T Stat housing got cleaned on the outside and inside. Figured I might as well paint it to avoid any flash rusting. I think it's a matter of opinion, but I don't paint the goose neck. Might paint it caliper silver after the gold dries, but for now it's just as it sits. Although the housing has seen better days, it's clear that this is OEM by the numbers cast on it.

ah64pilot

Wow! WOW! I think I need to get a compressor and a blast cabinet...you have just brought the quality of your work to the next level and it shows. I really am amazed, bravo sir!

Allan R

This might take a couple of posts to get everything in.

First thing I did was go down to AD and pick up the backing plates. Not sure if they were pleased to see me or not. I don't care because I wanted these so I could clean them up myself. Dropped over to see Peter. Remember he said he had a Cutlass coming in? Yup it was a 68 442 resto clone tribute. Looked ok if you like that kind of mix between stock and non. I'll post pics on another thread.

To say the backing plates were a sorry mess is an understatement. They were also dripping with differential gear oil so I shot them with brake cleaner. This is as good as it gets doing that:


T-other side: Yuch as well. Now I know you're going to say that looks pretty good. Yeah it does from where I'm sitting now too. But that black crud is the horrible crap I've been dealing with all over this car. After 26 years of hardening and drying it's almost like a powder coated surface. In other words I've got my work cut out on this job.


One of the nice things about blasting is it didn't damage the part number stampings


I got the first one to this stage and was starting to feel pretty good.


Then I realized it just wasn't good enough. The crud around the outside edges was really bothering me so back and forth I went to the blaster to get them really clean. This was about the time I found that the media tube had become plugged with a piece of large crud from somewhere. I was just shooting air!! Clean the blockage and the full force of the glass beads worked much better! I'm wondering if that crud was there yesterday too?

Well after a couple hours I was ok with the look of the plate. So I decided it would get the same satin black engine paint. I think it turned out very well. I've seen these go to the powder coater and come back looking a lot worse. BTW, if you notice I also left the rear drum adjustment plug in the backing plate. The brake assembly will be ALL NEW so having the plug there will sort of simulate the correctness of the car as it left the factory.

Allan R

Well the first one turned out well, so I focused in on the second one. I cheated somewhat though. Because of the time it takes for the compressor to maintain the required PSI for blasting, I started out with a wire wheel to get the most of that crap off both the inside and outside of the plate. Once done I moseyed over to the blast cabinet and spent probably an hour getting the little nit picking places clean. I can tell you on a stack of Bibles that I gave this my best shot. When I get my new 60 gallon compressor this best shot will look like a 'good start'. Still, not bad for a beginner.


Did you notice that the grease surfaces on the backing plate have little dimples on them? Wait, I'll get back to that one. This side is also a labor of love. I got the anchor for the guide really clean. It will stay just like that so that means taping off when painting the black. Yes, I remembered on the other one too.


Ok, lets get back to those raised surfaces for the shoe. They are supposed to have some lithium grease on them so the shoe can move easily. OMG! I painted them didn't I?? That means the paint COULD create binding or flake off and just go all over the inside of the shoe. Dummy! Oh well, it just so happens I have this sandblast cabinet in the corner of the garage. Took all of 10 seconds to remove the paint in the general area of the raised surfaces. Now, spend a few minutes taping off and trimming them for the repaint


Shoot them with compressed air and final clean. Looks like they're as good as I'm going to take them in this lifetime. Both sides done, peeled the tape and this is what I now have for the backing plates. When the diff comes back they will have had plenty of curing time. If it gets really nice out the next few days, I'll put them in the sun to bake.


They still have that 'new paint' smell


Tomorrow might be iffy. I have very little working time. Have to go to my son's college with him. Hey! He invited me for brunch on campus. Apparently the food is good, plentiful and cheap.

DENT

Lookin real good Allan.

Tony72Cutlass'S'

Im going to princess auto this weekend...

you make me want to buy a sandblaster...

Allan R

Tony, the sandblaster is one thing. The compressor is the other. To do this right you need to spend around 900.00 + HST so you're looking right around the 1 large mark. If you have an air supply at work that you can regulate down to 125, this bench model is highly portable if they'll let you use the shop area. The PA sale ends soon though. Lots to think about. I know there's a concern about what size parts fit in there. On a diagonal you can get about 29-30". Most smaller parts will fit no problem - even air cleaners and wheels. The only assembly is attaching the air hose and installing the light/power supply if you buy them. You do have to do up the clamps on the gun line. My cabinet had a minor seal leak (foam tape) on the top right which was easily fixed. Other than that it's working like a champ.

I like the glass beads because they leave a very clean surface and don't damage the surfaces being cleaned. For most of your stuff (sorry - I'm thinking a fair amount of corrosion) you might want to try the 20/30 grit glass. If it's just normal paint scaling and light rust? 30/100; more pricey but finer finish.

BTW, I'll let you decide what brand loyalty and manufacture location to choose. I'm getting kind of tired of seeing the negative comments on CO about offshore production. The market is what it is, and your money is yours to spend as you see fit. You're smart enough to cut to the chase on this stuff.

Hey, if you want to just drop over and use mine that's ok too. Should take that long right? LOL, just messin witcha!

oldcutlass

So how much is left on this gas tank repair of yours? I have to admit Allan, you've accomplished a lot and managed to sway the MRS on sorts of new toys. You are my hero of the day!

Allan R

Thank you Eric!
Gas tank: just have to install the fuel lines but that will be done just before the tank goes in. Want to have max room for working with the diff when it goes back. The gas tank sender is ready, tank is ready, wiring is ready, straps and bolts are ready. Should be a breeze to put a clean new empty tank back in.

You're going to hate me or love me when I tell you this. I decided the 20 gal compressor just wasn't going to cut it. I talked the Mrs. into a 60 gallon single stage Powermate compressor (made in USA) I think will deliver the PSI I need to do most everything in the garage. Only thing I need to do is provide 240 from the load center to the garage. Lucky for me, my cousin is an electrician. Soon as I get that wiring done, I'll take the 20 gal back to Costco. They have the BEST return policy on everything. Reason: Doesn't meet my expectations. Response: Ok.

Allan R

I didn't think I was going to get much done today and I'm right. Nada as of now. Maybe a little later but I seriously doubt it. I'm busy searching out info on 60 gal compressors. hee hee hee

So today I was having brunch with Graeme on campus (he ordered nacho fries with pulled pork topped with salsa and green onions for both of us). It was very good. Full of cholesterol, but yummy! Phone goes off. It was Alberta Driveline.

Thulio says, "the ring and pinion you brought in is no good. Wrong size pinion shaft". I was stunned. I had bought this on line about 3 years ago and it was listed as having come from a 71 Cutlass S. What to do.... Thulio suggested he could get me a 'deal' on a used 3:23 set or 3:08 set for around 250.00 That didn't sound like a deal to me. Told him I'd call him back because it was noon and he wanted to eat lunch.

Went out to the shed and pulled out my 3:42 ring/pinion. It was a gamble. Not the gears I was planning to put behind the 350, but they won't hurt it either.(I bought them for a 455 transplant I wanted to do) Just higher rpm and have to change out the speedo gear. I know that most of you will simply suggest that now I have the rear gears, why not put in a 455/400? One thing at a time, ok?

Went down to AD for 1:00pm with the replacement r/p. Thulio brought out the yoke and 3:23 pinion. In comparison to the 3:42 pinion it was obviously much smaller. Probably it was for a G body (7.5 or 8.2?) and got mis labeled. Too late to cry over that though. Fitted the 3:42 pinion to the yoke and it fit perfectly. Don't know how I missed that. Probably because I never lined both of them up beside each other together. Soon as I find out for sure what size the 3:23 is for I'll try selling them for any of the G Body guys.

So now when the differential comes back, it will have 3:42's in it. Explained that to my Mrs. She had a hard time with understanding till I said "It will make the car go faster and do burnouts really easy". Her face lit up and she was "Oh yeah, I can hardly wait!!". Wimmen.... well I can hardly wait too...

oldzzy

I had a very similar conversation with the wife about why I wasn't going to switch my 3.91's out to get better gas mileage lol. My answer was a lot like yours. Yay for faster, and better burnouts!

DENT

I can't wait to hear your opinion on the gear swap , its something I want to do some day.

oldcutlass

Does your wife have a cloned sister, I'm in love. She is soooo agreable, (Allan)"oh honey bunches, I need a fill in blank," (Mrs Allan) "yes sweetums, anything for you dear, just go buy one"

On another note, you can use the same go fast, bigger burnout theory for the 455 install! Run in there and explain it to her while your on a roll for all the new stuff!! Look at how much you've accomplished with just a gas tank repair,
HA HAHAHAHA HAha HAha< sinister laugh and hand wringing

Eddie Hansen

Allan excellent work even though you have a cabinet please use a dust mask there are many pros and cons but even the chance for silicosis is too much just sayin I mean we all want you around for many many years and threads to come yeah that's me mother hen lol. I have the harbor freight bench cabinet it is pretty good does yours have the option for a shopvac/filter connection? Folks say it really cuts the dust down while spraying.

Looking forward to your next chapter

Allan R

Well the compressor thing has really been bugging me lately and I've been really unsettled about it. Hate to rush my decision just because something is on sale too. Not sure if you guys get that, but this is a huge chunk of money to throw at the unknown future. (heck I could start detailing cars and pay it off in less than a month, but the initial outlay is what's making me nervous) I don't want to cripple our monthly finances, but I also want something that I'll never have to replace in my lifetime (barring mech failures). If I buy something that just gets by, I know I'll kick myself down the road later. And I have still to pay for the cost of the differential work and sandblasting I asked for prior to getting my own.

On the other hand I can't justify a big 2 stage expensive compressor. So Joanne and I went back looking at compressors today at PA, Home Depot and Rona. Lowes had nothing! The one at PA I wanted to check out was not in stock, but they would give me a rain check. So I looked at upgrading to a better PSI CFM range. They have 5 hp unit that has 140 max pressure, and the nice part is it delivers 90 PSI at 18.8 CFM and 100 PSI at 18.5 CFM!! Higher draw - 20Amps - and has 3 cylinders instead of the traditional 2. Recovery time is only 48 seconds. It's a lot more than I wanted to spend though. All these units are Made in Canada, which probably contributes to the higher pricing. For any of you who are curious, clik here

Funny thing about life. For the past countless years I worked my tail off to have the security of financial independence and retirement. Now after all that scrimping and saving, I'm finding it hard to break the pattern.


I can already tell ya! I'm going to love it. But it will be next year before I really try it. I'm expecting to see a pretty radical change in performance.

Actually, without the flowery stuff you pretty much nailed it. Only it's "if you need it and it will make it easier to work on the car, just go buy it". She has 2 sisters as a matter of fact. They are both witches though. She turned out to be the Cinderella!

Eddie, thanks for the concern! I'll try to be good momma hen. The cabinet does have the option for the shop vac on the filter side of the cabinet. It's a 2 edged sword though. It will clear the dust pronto like you said. Problem is I have a monster 60 litre 5.75 hp shop vac that would suck an egg down a garden hose. If I attach that to the cabinet there's so much negative pressure inside the gloves will literally stand straight out. Makes putting them on easy. BUT, after that you need a huge amount of force to move them. I'm working on a solution to that. If it works, I'll post the results.

ah64pilot

When I first read your last post I was thinking to myself, "wow, Allan really does like to save his money if he's this concerned over a couple hundred dollars for a compressor..."

THEN I CLICKED YOUR LINK!!! Holy Hand Grenades! Yeah, your wife is amazing! Mine would KILL, bury, dig me back up, kill me again, and then burn my body if I spent that much! Lucky guy you! But now I better understand your apprehension...

Lady72nRob71

Nice work on that sandblasting! It is great to get that kind of result at home. Looks like my 2 gallon compressor won't even sandblast a soup cracker...

Yes of course! The Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch! It's one of the sacred relics Brother Maynard carries with him!

Highwayman

On the other hand we don't know how many Honey-dos Allan had to promise that he will never admit.

Also his wife is looking at how long this project is taking and knows she won't get her car back in the garage before the snow flies if he doesn't get moving.

oldcutlass

All kidding aside, you have a wonderful and supporting wife. Mine is very similar, and she's kept me around for 33 years.

Now get back to work so she can have her garage back.

Allan R

Ok, when we last left the tail light saga it looked like this


After spending some time carefully blasting the inside of the pod, it came out not bad. Metal was in great shape and very smooth. I then spent some time cleaning the sockets. There was old dialectric grease in there. With a small flatblade I scraped out as much as I could. Then I hit it with electrical contact cleaner and a small tooth brush. It cleaned out really well. Sprayed it again and blew it dry with compressed air. This left some contamination on the metal, so I cleaned it with paint thinner and used air to dry it off and get the thinner out from under the socket collar. Sorry it looks red in this pic, that's my durned coveralls reflecting again. The parts that look pink are actually down to metal.

I decided that I could do a better job on cleaning the perimeter so I went back to the blaster and cleaned it so there was no white left anywhere. Sometimes you can't always see as well as you like through the blaster window. I do clean it after each use though. Am trying different ways of venting the air to keep vision more clear.

So when I was satisfied with the cleanliness of the pod, I taped over the socket opening and did a relief cut around the socket. Taped off the rear harness connections and shot the WHOLE DARN THING with white.


Let it dry for about 3 hours and pulled the tape off the inside. With the flash on the camera it looks pretty bright doesn't it? That's good because it will also make the tail and brake lights much brighter too. I use 1157A's in here - they seem to give better lighting than just 1157 for some reason.


Now I know Steve is just going to cringe when he hears what I'm doing next. I have to wait for the paint to cure, so it will be tomorrow. Remember I said I found 'evidence' that the outside of the tailights was white? Nope, turns out it was overspray from the inside. During the white painting process, the paint gun gets tilted to get the vertical parts. By doing that the spray also goes through that opening between the 2 pod halves. So I now have to blast off the white paint on the back and paint it with something like metal cast. Oh well, I've got the weekend to work on small stuff since the differential didn't come home today.

ah64pilot

So Allan, why not leave the white there as the factory overspray was done? Wouldn't it be more factory correct to have overspray in the same locations?

Allan R

You remember that I said most of the parts I'm restoring or buy new are being stored in the trunk? I got to thinking about some of the small things that never really get noticed. Like the wiring clips that hold the rear harness along the inside of the trunk.

Sure enough - they were oversprayed when Ken did the car.
This is how little of the clip you actually see in the trunk. Not much but I'm getting picky now....


Marked the location of the clips and pulled them all out. They looked sad. I know that if I had been doing this last year, I would probably have soaked them in carb cleaner overnight to help get that crud off. Or if you don't care about how many layers, you could just shoot paint right over top


Didn't take more than about 5 minutes to sandblast these. They came out looking like new metal, and they are completely clean - all the nooks and crannies are spotless


Shoot them with semi gloss black and bake for about an hour in the sun and they look like this. I just looked at Fusicks catalogue and they would charge 12.00 each for one of these. Not losing them, they're back in the car already.

Allan R

Some of you may remember I did the wheel liners and A frame seals earlier this year. (Hmm, I should revisit that and update it) I didn't put them back in yet on purpose. Never know if I'll pull the engine and tranny next, plus it would be nice for the guys at the alignment shop (yes Highwayman it will drive to the shop one day next year).

I have all the bolts bagged and pulled the right side ones, and the charcoal cannister ones out. They were begging for a cleanup. I wasn't sure how to do really small stuff in the blaster and this looked like the perfect challenge. Trust me it was a challenge from the get go. I learned:

1. You need a tray to put these in so they don't fall through the screen into the glass beads.
2. Keep the tray in handy reach of the gloves, not over in the corner....
3. It's nice to have a clamping tool to hold them with - they are tricky to manipulate with the rubber glove
4. Count how many go in and how many come out. Don't laugh!
5. This is a heck of a lot faster and cleaner than wire wheeling, and there's no damage or wear to the threads or bolt heads. The letters on the bolt heads stand out in sharp contrast now.



I only shot the big washers on the backside with black. All the others were shot with clear. I was surprised how much corrosion there was on the bottom of the washer. It's still plenty thick though and will hold up just fine. I might replace one of them if I find the right size. The threads on the tip of one are stripped. That may or may not make a difference in starting them. I'd like to keep all the original nuts and bolts that I can on this project. It's not being cheap - it's knowing that they fit!

Allan R

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll give it some thought. But I have to strip off the back of the pods so I can lay down a good cast or metal cast color first.

Not sure I want to simulate some of the sloppiness that happened at the factory though. Don't forget they were slamming these things out every few minutes, I'm taking a couple hours so I want them to look clean all the way around. You just know someone will look at over spray and think I didn't care about the job I did, and that's just not true.

69442C

Maybe it's just me but I'm starting to get the feeling that Allan is really liking that new bead blast cabinet!! At some point you'll ask yourself how you got by in the past without one!

Everything is looking good Allan and I also take the approach of detailing to make it look new and not necessarilly duplicate the sloppy work from the factory.

On the small parts, look for something used in the kitchen (don't take it from your wife though...buy a new one at the store ). They have stainless mesh strainers or colenders and I probably just spelled that wrong too . They work well for holding the small stuff and the blast media passes through the mesh.

Brian

Allan R

Brian,
I think you know the answer to that bead blast cabinet. And you're right! I don't know why I didn't look into this sooner. Thx for all the great support.

Good tip on the strainer. There's a dollar store close by. I might even glue a magnet to the strainer similar to magnetic bolt tray.

Steve - no overspray for me. Decided on the clean look

Allan R

Quick update
Got back from curling and decided to finish off the tag light. There was slight yellowing on the lens and I decided to try some oven cleaner on it to see if it helps. Not worried if it doesn't work because I have a replacement coming from ILT next week. It turned out very clear! So I polished it with some Maguires plastix and it looks almost new! Then I cleaned the pigtail of all the crud and shot the socket with contact cleaner, blast of compressed air to dry. Gasket all cleaned as well. The screws went into the blaster and they came out nice and silver. So I cleared them. All assembled and ready to install. I could get used to doing these little jobs. May not be good at anything else yet, but I'm sure having fun!

The fuel tank vent pipe holder was next. Took only minutes do do the holder and the bolts. They looked really good so I cleared them too; when dry they went back in their storage bag. I really like the fast dry clear. It also makes the finish look so natural and has a satin finish.

Last but not least were the tail light assemblies. I decided to shoot cast directly over top of the newly cured paint. Maybe not the best idea, but I thought I'd try it. Looks great! One side may get re-done because I don't like the way some of the paint laid down. I know no one but me will see it, still......

Sorry I didn't have time to upload any pics right now but I've got to get going and shower. Going out tonight and I was a little late in the garage.

OHHHH!! Just about forgot. Tomorrow my nephew Logan is coming over and we're going to wire the 220 into the garage. Since he's an electrician it should be a breeze. The only thing that will be a pain is routing the wiring in some places from the load center. And from his point of view no permit needed. I like the way he thinks. So that means I probably won't be doing anything on the car till Monday. It will be nice to see him and his girlfriend. They have a cute little 1 1/2 year old son. I'm sure he'll keep the Mrs. occupied....

Highwayman

Say what? You never finished the front end job last spring? I know you didn't drive the car without inner fenders and risk picking up a rock and denting the top of the fenders. So the car was OOS the whole year.

Now that you're obsessed with cleaning nuts and bolts it won't be back together until next summer. Maybe. Oh, you'll get the rear end back under it so you can roll it around and get Mama's car car back in the garage by the time the snow flies, but that's about it. And you're already talking about pulling the engine and transmission. There goes next year.

In the meantime you'll find out how much better your impact wrench works with that new compressor and want to have an air ratchet and 3/8 palm wrench if you don't already have them. And that compressor is going to cry out all winter for a new paint gun. Or three. No more shake 'n shoot. While you have the engine out and the hood off you'll get a MAW for an OAI hood and rear deck wing that will need painting. You know you want it. I smell a DA and an air file coming. MAW.

kitfoxdave

So have you tried muriatic acid to clean up parts yet? MAW give it a try.... just sayin'

Nice job by the way... I am glad you have all those great pictures! it will make it easier to put mine back together!

Allan R

Ha ha ha. Yes I have the air tools now. Bought them last year. I already have a rear deck wing ya know. I have been toying with painting, no surprise there. I'm not too concerned how long the car will be OOS as long as it gets done right. Obsessed with parts cleaning? Yes I guess I am but I don't see that being a real problem. BTW the front end did get finished last year except for the inner liner and air dam which I restored this year. Not putting the air dam on till after I restore the bumper braces and new stone shield. There's an endless list of things to do that are for appearance only and don't affect drive ability of the car.

No on the acid - that's not even a thought with this project.

You're welcome on the pics. There will be more as the project moves along. As mentioned in previous posts,I fully expect the gas tank differential and brakes will go back together rather quickly working with all new or re-conditioned parts. Hope you enjoy the thread. Feel free to ask, and I'll be more tha happy to share info about anything that may be omitted,but you have questions about.

WOW! I just did this post from my wife's iPad. because she was using MY punter to play solitaire. She saw me doing this and said I can have the puter back

Allan R

A pic of the rear fuel line holder to the vapor tank, blasted and cleared.

Good news! My 220v wiring is done. Logan got here around 3:30. I had everything ready for him. Ended up drilling through some floor joists and the rim joist to the garage to run the wire. I have extra for now. If the compressor won't fit past the front of the car to the corner I want it in, there's enough wiring to hook it up on the other side temporarily. Found out that the 220 feeds direct to the on/off on the compressor - no wall receptacle needed. The 220 wire up here runs 4.80/meter.

Just have to caulk the hole and vacuum the floor.


20 amp double pole breaker and line to the load center. Logan hooked it up hot. Only thing I had to do was staple the line.

Allan R

Ok, first I've heard from some that the last batch of pics aren't showing up? They show ok on my puter. I tried reinstalling them and they still look ok here. Anyway it's nothing special. I'll repost the first pic on this thread.

Got some good news yesterday. The differential will be ready this afternoon. So I'll go first thing in the morning to get it. Right now it's getting to rush hour traffic here and I don't want to mess in it if I don't have to. I was really hoping to be able to get the diff detailed and installed by the end of the weekend (forgetting of course that we have our Thanksgiving on Mon). BUT sigh, I think its not going to happen.

My parts order arrived yesterday so I bailed it out of jail at Canada Post. They could use some customer service skills training there. Anyway - got the box home and opened it up. My God, they pack things well at ILT! It was stapled with those big honking copper staples and taped. NOTHING was going to open that without a fight. Not even customs, so they didn't.

Checking off my order and.....NO!!!! The axle snubbers weren't there and only one of the backing plate to axle gaskets. I ordered a set of each. I was getting upset because the shipping time on parts from the US is about 2 weeks and I really don't want to wait that long. Called ILT and spoke to Ryan. He handled the call very politely and professionally. I asked him to ship the parts at 0 declared value to avoid customs, and to send it 'Express Mail'. He wasn't sure if they could do that so he's checking and will call me back. At any rate I will get the parts at no extra charge, just delayed.

I know I could just install the differential and add the axles later, but I'd really prefer to add the posi fluid when the unit is out of the car instead of reaching up and doing it awkwardly. And, right now I can only put one axle back in until that second backing plate gasket arrives...sigh again. Oh well, there's lots of other things to do in the meantime. Maybe clean up the jack assembly or something?

OH!! Anyone with a 64-66 Cutlass needing coil spring insulators? (new they are 35.00/set. I'll sell them for 10.00 + shipping) That's what they shipped me instead of the snubbers. If you're interested send me a PM.

Here's that pic of the clamp for the gas tank venting pipes. Blasted to metal and cleared - even the bolts. Scuse me for the dirty fingers....

oldsguybry

Man you need some hand lotion there Allan

Tom442

Hey Allan!
You and I are alike...as many of us Old's guys are I think. Blasting and repainting or clearing every nut bolt and screw. I use an old fry basket to blast screws and small parts.
I have a couple of pieces of 2x4 and a piece of furring strip(like 1x2) with various size holes drilled in it so I can thread screws and bolts in and then put in my blasting cabinet..leaves the tips un-blasted but easier to clamp the head of the bolt/screw in vise grips or the like to finish the ends or tips. I also use plumbers strap..or iron pipe hanger material that has two different size holes in it (from the hardware store for a few bucks) to blast and I also use it when I powder coat those pieces.
Tom
68 442
70 F85

tru-blue 442

Al, and you said you were retired, lol.
Now that you have the shop together and running,
I see a whole new career unfolding...
You are doing FINE work there!
As soon as the maws subside and you get
the Cutlass out of the way, all you have to do is
ask who's next.
A guy has to make beer money anyway right?
Keep up the good work, Adam.

Intragration

Ha ha I think you're right. I just got my axle and control arms back from Redi Strip. It doesn't make sense to put ugly dirty parts back on the car, and why do a huge job with pretty new parts and not clean up what's ugly and dirty behind it? MAW!

Allan R

This morning I had planned to pick up the diff and compressor. Ha ha ha, guess what Thulio said? "I'm working on it right now - yesterday got crazy busy. It'll be ready for 2:00 for sure". I get that shops are busy but that's the same thing he said last Wednesday and on Monday... So it better be ready for tomorrow morning pickup around 10:30 because that's when I'll be picking it up. If its not finished, he can give me the parts and I'll take it somewhere that will do the job on time.

Now for the compressor. I needed a truck and trailer. Hmmm, there's one sitting right across the Street. Asked Richard if I could use it and he said sure. I stopped on the way to PA and put in 30.00 of gas. Barely takes it to 3/4 full from just below 1/2. Wow that thing is a pig on gas; nice ride but powerful thirsty. The warehouse crew at PA didn't want to load it on the trailer because the compressor is so top heavy. I told them to load it at the front and let me worry about the rest. I had 4 tie downs and anchored the compressor at all 4 top pump flange mounts and secured/cinched them to the trailer. Didn't go faster than 30 mph driving home, and stopped 2X just to check the load was secure. Light traffic so didn't tick off many people. They could see why I wasn't going fast and I waved the one or two speed demons by me. Honest to God, this was scarier for me than driving my son home from the hospital. (BTW the compressor came with instructions - the boy didn't )


I love this rating:


For right now its sitting here because I don't want to scratch the car getting it past the front end. It needs to be 'broken in' by running for 20 minutes on an open valve position. I think I need to drain some of the oil first though. The level is way past the middle bubble in the sight glass and the instructions say too much or too little can damage the pump. I love the warranty on this thing. 1, 2, 6, 9 years after I buy it? As long as it hasn't been abused they will replace it. It will be pretty easy to see it's not going to be abused.

This is sort of like a compressor family reunion. 3,20 and 60 gallon tanks. The 20 gallon is going back to costco soon as I load it in the car. Have to sit it upright like a person and belt it in because it's got oil in it now. PA does not recommend leaving it on the pallet. They suggest putting it on a rubber vibration absorbing mat. Have to look into that.


Now for the electrical. I opened up the power center on the compressor and found the wiring. There's a diagram on top that shows how to hook up the wires to run CW or CCW. The label on the back of the compressor shows it needs to run CCW. Not sure what the extra black wire is for??? It's labeled L1. I can use the wire I have or use BX shielded. For such a small distance I'll get the BX to be safe. The power has to run from the main source through the pressure switch, then to here. Still have to take the cover off the pressure switch to make those connections.


Also got a pressure regulator, bag of 30/60 glass beads, and a few other small things I needed. Can you say 'Goodbye 1000.00?" Tomorrow will likely be another 600 or so. The good thing about some of the purchases I've been making is I can always use them for more than just working on my car.

oldsguybry

Yeah , like working on my car perhaps

and as far as the electricity goes , have fun with your new electric bill

69442C

For the minimal hours this compresor will run per month I doubt he'll even notice a difference in the electric bill. I've had months where I ran my 6.5 HP compressor a lot and others where I didn't and if the bill vaired because of it, it was minimal. For the time savings and the ability to operate other tools like a blast cabinet, the cost to own and operate it will be money well spent. I know I gladly pay the minimal additional amount on my electric bill each month just for what a tool like this can offer.

Nice compressor Allan!

Brian