Hey guys, i am beginning my restoration with the engine bay. I have the motor taken out now I am addressing rust issues in the bay. First of all, what is a DA? (type of sander i guess?) I do not have a sandblaster and my budget is tight because I am currently in college. Is there another way to take it down to bare metal short of grinding for days on end? Maybe a good paint stripper or even a chemical strip. If I use a chemical strip, do i have to dispose of the waste or is it okay to just wash it off the driveway with a hose (probably not)? I REALLY need some advice because this will take FOREVER with a wire brush on a drill. Thanks, Soup.

 

uses aircraft remover, a very good paint stripper. I'm pretty sure u can wash it down. If not, who's gonna stop you?

 

oven cleaner and a late night at the car wash works petty good too! just dont get caught or they will YELL like hell at you for doing that....just dont get either products on the paint if you dont want it to come off with the wash

 

Thanks guys. Am I to understand that oven cleaner will remove rust as well? And how sood do I have to get POR-15 and/or primer on it?

 

DA stands for Dual Action sander. It's usually a pneumatic driven sander that both spins and vibrates. Aircraft stripper works good...it is strong stuff so follow directions.

I don't agree with using the car wash. That is bad for the environment to wash chemicals down the sewer system.

Another (cheap) method is to get a cheap grinder.. the $20 kind you see at Harbor Freight and get the big wire wheel cups to go on it. That will knock off lots of material quickly.

 

How much POR-15 shouldI expect to use for a "typical" job (Pint, Quart, Gallon). But keep in mind I still have the whole car to do. Should I just go ahead and pay the $130.00 for a gallon and that will do it?

 

Why do you believe you need POR15? I'd recommend a good rust converter, like OSPHO, then prime and paint. Save yourself some bucks

 

sweet, good input. Thanks alot

 

Go down to your local automotive paint store and ask around for what you need. There are several products out there that are better then ospho and do not require much effort. You will need to get the rust off and you need to treat the bay like you would the outside of the car if you want to do a good job. On the other hand if you do a good job on the surface of the car you may get away with shaker cans for a final finish but that means stay away from any grinders and any heavy grit papers. Otherwise you will be primering over and over after sanding for days. Thats not bad but it is a pain. I would go with the stripper idea(chemical not female) and (hmm now why did that last put a smile on my face) then I would clean it good. BTW there are hundreds of books on how to do this at your local library and Hot Rod Magazine has several issues out now that tell you how to do it step by step. My bay is stock but still looks new. When I get ready to add the headers and do the heads I will pull the motor and go in and do the entire job including hoses and wires. You should ask about doing the job so that no wires or vacuum hoses are exposed in the finished product. Its harder to do but it looks so clean.

 

I'll checkit out,thanks again.