Is it possible to do a $0 2F--3B swap in a 40? Follow along and see! (1 Viewer)

[lostmarbles]

My experience with hot-dipping is that the zinc always ends up avoiding certain areas. For instance it doesn't like "overlap-joins" (such as where crossmembers are riveted into the chassis rails) nor areas that you've plug-welded (where it somehow seems to detect that there's non-original steel there, no matter how good you are at welding, and chooses to annoyingly highlight the metallurgical-discrepancy by altering its surface texture).

Molten zinc also doesn't seem to like venturing fully into deep confined spaces.

But having said that, even with these defects, you still usually end up with life-long protection everywhere...

And if you don't mind the look of a galvanised chassis (and don't want to hide it with a black finish) I highly recommend simply hand-painting cold galvanising paint on any areas where the molten zinc didn't stick well.

I seldom use cold galv paint on bare steel (because I find it often tends to flake off after a few years) but if the steel has held had any sort of galvanised coating (even electro-galv) in the past and is now beginning to rust in a few places or simply has scattering areas where the galvanising protection is missing/worn-away, then I've noticed the cold galv seems to hold on far better and performs almost as good as a solid hot-dipped zinc coating.

Anyway ... what I really want to say is that the appearance of this chassis galvanising job doesn't alarm me. In fact I very much doubt my local hot-dip would do as well.

 

[MrMoMo]

Thanks Tom, I'm glad to hear that some of this is not unusual. Interestingly today when I picked up the small parts, the guy who had this done for me showed me a few of his trailers that had been done in different galvanizing shops... Seemed to be quite a noticeable difference, though really, as long as it is coated in zinc it's protected.

Anyway, here are a few closer shots, the rear bumper came out nice and shiny!

I picked up a can of cold galvanizer today so I'll try it out in some of the areas where the zinc just didn't want to go!

Front crossmember - happy with how this came out!

Rear bumper, gussets, spring plates... Very nice here...

And here is the rear end of the frame with the bumper (above). These were done at the same galvanizing shop, but in different batches. You can see how much more grey the frame is and how shiny the bumper is. In time, it will all fade to the grey.

And here you can see one of the areas inside the frame that didn't quite get galvanized, or at least not as well as the majority.... I think a good solid wire brushing and some cold galvanizing spray will take care of this....

On the whole, I think this was well worth it. That said, when I move on to the 45, I think I'll knock all the rivets out blast the whole thing and do each piece individually. I don't regret not doing that on this one, but I think it would give a more complete finish, and not really a whole bunch more work.

Now I just have to figure out all the taps that I need to clean out all the threaded holes, and which dies for the shock mounts!

Ordered a set of 4 of these greasable pins from Cruiser corps, great price and free shipping!

http://www.cruisercorps.com/suspension/fj40-greasable-pin.html

 

[kling-on]

WOW THATS COOL LOOKING

 

[Ambrew]

Nice work. I thought the closest hot dip to Ottawa was in Montreal.... And where the heck did you find a 45 in these parts? Jealous....

 

[JohnnyC]

Nice job so far... Would love to galvanize my frame... That will give many more years of rust free happiness

Is the frame number still very legible after galvanizing?

Didn't look into it much by me... In nys I'd probably have to do a second mortgage on the house to afford it... How much did it cost if you don't mind me asking

 

[MrMoMo]

Wow, Ambrew, just read through your build thread.... Start to finish... Sometimes I feel like I'm so close, when in reality I haven't even started the tough stuff yet! Hard to find motivation in the winter! I didn't realize there were that many 40 driving mud members in the Ottawa area...

Yeah, the GOOD galvanizers are apparently in Montreal.... I'm just outside of Kingston so mine ended up going to Cambridge with a load of trailers from Kingston. Found the 45 right here in town, I believe it came from your neck of the woods, but maybe "on da udder side of da river dere". Finding the 45 was how I ended up galvanizing my frame!

On a side note, I was at Lowes today and they have an awesome selection of galvanized carriage bolts.... Duh, why didn't I pick up the ones I needed to bolt the frame together??? :cD

 

[MrMoMo]

Nice job so far... Would love to galvanize my frame... That will give many more years of rust free happiness

Is the frame number still very legible after galvanizing?

Didn't look into it much by me... In nys I'd probably have to do a second mortgage on the house to afford it... How much did it cost if you don't mind me asking

Yeah, one area I need to work is the VIN, it almost disappeared under the galvanizing.

Surprisingly, it's pretty cheap, I may have paid a bit of a bulk rate by going through a regular customer of theirs, but honestly, it's much cheaper than painting. They do it by weight, so it depends on exactly what you are getting done - but I would be surprised if you paid more than $300.... I'm quite a bit less than that so far, including pickling.

 

[MrMoMo]

Ok, that's enough being lazy... Got back out in the shop after the past few days of being an arm chair Mudder..... Didn't get much done but anything forward is progress right? (Did order myself a shrinker/stretcher from Eastwood for the upcoming bodywork though).

Got the drills and taps out and went around chasing the threaded holes around the frame. Amazing difference in zinc thickness between some areas and others, some places I could just run the tap through, others were solid zinc and I had to drill all the way through first then tap. (Thankfully zinc is pretty soft and the drill just self aligns in the hole).

Fender mounting holes:

Put the new suspension bushings in the frame side then got excited thinking I could mount the new bump stops..... (One of these things is not like the other)

So, is the short one supposed to go on the passenger side front, or did I just get a wrong part in the box ;cD

Need to get me a hardware kit! Just can't put this stuff together with dirty bolts!!!

Did a quick test of the cold galvanizing paint in a few spots, a few different methods. I'll see what it's like tomorrow and then determine my course of action going forward.

 

[Ambrew]

IIRC yes, the one pass front is shorter. I had motivational slumps along the way as well..... I learned a lot about pacing myself and to truly enjoy every part of the restoration. Of course, getting to the big milestones is a huge boost. Judging by your shop this is not your first day at the rodeo.

Still jealous about the 45!!!

 

[MrMoMo]

Well got a bit more done today, but got a little side tracked with a sale at Princess Auto (AKA the Canadian Harbor Freight). Small blast cabinet (2' square) on for 50% off! (Wish the blast media was 50% off, it's damn expensive!). Cabinet comes fully assembled, you just need to hook up the suction in the bottom, fit the air line to the side and dump in a bag of blast media. (I got one 50lb bag of aluminum oxide)

Did a quick blast of a few bolts just to try it out - works great!

Now I just need to figure out zinc plating and I can do all my bolts... Seems pretty straight forward...

Anyway, after that distraction - I got my bump stops mounted using some of the old interior hardware (i.e. not corroded!) I stripped out of my 60.

Then I machined down some carriage bolts in the lathe -a la @buckroseau - and bolted the rear cross member back in place.

It's all one piece again!!!

Now I just need to roll the axles back and slap them on, pop the engine in, and drop the body back on (and then start ripping the body apart!)

 

[MrMoMo]

Had a little help today getting the new bushings into the suspension, and putting the axles back on the truck.

Yes, they are going back on all dirty for now, with the crap PO home brew shackles.

Plan is to get it back together and run it for a bit, then determine if I need to pull the axles apart and re-gear. At that point I'll strip and paint(/rebuild if needed) the axles, and either put a spring lift kit/shackles or tear these leaf packs apart and paint them.

He had just enough patience/interest/finger warmth to make it through the front axle (rear was already on) before having to come inside for popcorn and (BBC) Top Gear...

 

[MrMoMo]

So I decided to play around with electro plating... I have so many old nuts and bolts, and little clips that I really don't want to have to source again, that I thought it would be worth a shot.

FYI, the process is really simple. Does take some time, and I don't think I would try to do every single but and bolt, but for the special ones it's definitely worth the little bit of time.

So, first thing was to blast the parts clean... (These are from the steering joint, and a random fuel line clip)

Then suspend them in the electrolyte with the zinc anode (the flat plate in the back of the tub - (just a small plastic food tray, about 6" x 4"). An old cordless screwdriver charger @ 3.5VDC 250mA with positive connected to the zinc and negative on the wire suspending the parts...

The parts start to fizz, and after a while they go all grey looking. Take them out and wire brush them with a brass brush and toothpaste (yes toothpaste), clean off with rubbing alcohol, and dunk them for another round or two.

I have yet to finish the final clean on all the parts, but here are the two clips, a nice smooth finish and satin colour!

I followed directions found here, with a few exceptions...

http://home.comcast.net/~rt66tbird/website/zincplating.html

1) I didn't use any Zinc Sulfate because I didn't have any.

2) I didn't use Karo brand corn syrup - not sure we have that in Canada - I did use glucose stuff that I found at Walmart though.

I couldn't find a zinc anode easily (didn't go to west marine, I know they would have them there) but instead used zinc sheeting that comes in a roll at Home Depot - designed to keep moss from growing on your roof. It's 99.4% pure, so good enough for me.

Pretty happy with the results - I'll be doing a few more bits I'm sure!

 

[lostmarbles]

So I decided to play around with electro plating... I have so many old nuts and bolts, and little clips that I really don't want to have to source again, that I thought it would be worth a shot.

FYI, the process is really simple. Does take some time, and I don't think I would try to do every single but and bolt, but for the special ones it's definitely worth the little bit of time.

So, first thing was to blast the parts clean... (These are from the steering joint, and a random fuel line clip)

Then suspend them in the electrolyte with the zinc anode (the flat plate in the back of the tub - (just a small plastic food tray, about 6" x 4"). An old cordless screwdriver charger @ 3.5VDC 250mA with positive connected to the zinc and negative on the wire suspending the parts...

The parts start to fizz, and after a while they go all grey looking. Take them out and wire brush them with a brass brush and toothpaste (yes toothpaste), clean off with rubbing alcohol, and dunk them for another round or two.

I have yet to finish the final clean on all the parts, but here are the two clips, a nice smooth finish and satin colour!

I followed directions found here, with a few exceptions...

http://home.comcast.net/~rt66tbird/website/zincplating.html

1) I didn't use any Zinc Sulfate because I didn't have any.

2) I didn't use Karo brand corn syrup - not sure we have that in Canada - I did use glucose stuff that I found at Walmart though.

I couldn't find a zinc anode easily (didn't go to west marine, I know they would have them there) but instead used zinc sheeting that comes in a roll at Home Depot - designed to keep moss from growing on your roof. It's 99.4% pure, so good enough for me.

Pretty happy with the results - I'll be doing a few more bits in sure!

Thanks heaps for the link MrMoMo.

I've been thinking of electroplating for ages but getting hold of the materials in this tiny country has been the major obstacle until now...

Cheers - Tom

PS. Ordering chemicals in from afar has its own problems with "dangerous goods" and with authorities starting to think I may be a bomb-making terrorist too.

 

[MrMoMo]

Haha! It's really dead simple, I couldn't believe it :cD I knew I was keeping that old power supply for the past 9 years for something..... Other than the zinc and the power supply, you can get everything at the grocery store, and you must have a marine supply store or two there for a zinc anode if you can't find one for a hot water tank.

Also found a few videos on YouTube, if you decide to do larger parts, this one could be useful...

 

[MrMoMo]

And Tom, if I am able to provide a milligram of assistance to you I am very happy, for all the megatons of assistance you provide others!

 

[MrMoMo]

Yikes, over a month - what a slacker I am...

Ok, so its winter, I have no heat in my shop, and I've been out of the country for 2 weeks working... So thats my excuse!

However...

I have made a TINY bit of progress - in the acquisition of stuff...

Got a shrinker/stretcher tool from Eastwood - have not had a chance to play with it yet but I'm pretty sure its going to be really handy once i get into the sheet metal work on the body....

Also picked up a new/used bib, though im pretty sure this will only be used as a repair reference for the 40, and end up on the 45 - as the one on the 45 is pretty twisted.

Also got a new set of greaseable spring pins, as well as a box of goodies from Rock Auto that were on clearance (axle seals, wheel cylinder, brake hardware kits, oil pressure switch etc)...

Its currently -5C in my shop and not a very fun place to be. Maybe tomorrow I'll brave it for a bit and make some real progress, but for now, when I'm not out plowing the driveway I'm just being lazy, sitting by the wood stove and generally disliking winter...

 

[tonka8110]

It's only -5℃ what's wrong with you? Are you a Cruiser owner or a Nissan lover? Ha ha ha ha ha no seriously that temperature is only good for chilling a beer fast

 

[MrMoMo]

Hahaha, nope, no Nissans here!
(Though when I was younger it did think the 300ZX was damn cool, and the 280Z was also pretty slick).

Really sucks when all your wenches are -5C....

*edit - the above should say WRENCHES (i.e. spanner as indicated below). I do not have any wenches in my shop, let alone wenches at -5.....

 

[tonka8110]

Ha ha ha just put a spanner in your scotch instead of ice.

 

[franklin40]

love your thread. gets me more motivated to progress on my frame as I'll be doing a similar finish to what your doing. good info on your galvanizing process so I know what to expect.

as for the cold you should try getting motivated here in saskatchewan. -5 would easily be overcOME with mechanics gloves and a toque. I'm trying to get my shop that warm!! it's -35C out there right now!!