Rust protection of the frame (1 Viewer)

[cruiser_guy]

I've located a rust free frame for my BJ60 here in Central America. It's got some surface rust in with flecks of the original paint! A great find in my books. My present frame has the usual '60 series problems and has had the occasional repair already. The rest of the truck is great and the price for the swap is very affordable down here.

What is the BEST way to prepare this frame prior to putting it under my truck in September? I'll be in the states and Canada this summer and can pick up specialty coatings there if that's required and the best solution.

I plan on keeping this truck for the long term (I've had it since 1989 so it's part of the family now. My wife wouldn't let me sell it even if I wanted to!). I want to do it right the first time so I don't need to do it twice. BJ60 frames are not too common, even down here.

What are the opinions?

Sandblast?
Acid dip?
Galvanize?
POR 15?
or a combination of the above?

 

[humper99]

Since the new frame will be easy to work on I would sandblast all the rust off and then por 15 the whole thing. Then have the inside of the frame rails/box section sprayed with rust proof. If the frame was still on the truck sandblasting wouldn't be as easy so wire brushing may be a better alternative.

 

[crustyBJ60]

well....

if the cruiser gods were merciful enough to bestow me with a bj60 or any 60 frame, clean and at a reasonable price.

i would acid dip and then galvanize that bad boy , if i wanted to keep it for a looooong time.

acid will get all the little corners and spots that sand blasting can't get. hot dip galvanize the same, protection wise.

but like anything... time and $$$$. and all the extra time to tap out all the threaded frame holes, clean up all the "tears" and sharp edges left buy hot dip, the cost, transportation, etc.,.. but those "rover" guys are on to something... i think (did i just say that? ) lol.

if i could do it..... most likely would.

but sand blast and por 15 would work good for a clean frame, plus alterations to the frame (and later repairs or ad ons) would be easier than galvanized.

crusty

 

[Rojo]

Another option for removing rust is to use a needle scaler. Quick, cheap, and no clouds of sand dust.

 

[cruiser_guy]

well....

if the cruiser gods were merciful enough to bestow me with a bj60 or any 60 frame, clean and at a reasonable price.

There's more (HJ60 frames) where mine (the lone BJ60 frame in the lot) came from. It all depends if you want to pay for the ride. Central America isn't next door to B.C.! I drove here from there so I ought to know!

 

[cruiser_guy]

Another option for removing rust is to use a needle scaler. Quick, cheap, and no clouds of sand dust.

Can you fill me in on what a "needle scaler" is?

 

[GLTHFJ60]

I would also like to know what a 'needle scaler' is.

Based on my current knowledge, I would go with what crustyBJ60 said. I would acid dip the frame and then galvanize it. That would work especially well in the northeast, where rust is all-too-common. Costs mucho dinero though.

 

[erics_bruisers]

why do anything?

are you in a high humidity climate?

just curious how the great frame has lasted great this long --



e

 

[cruiser_guy]

why do anything?

are you in a high humidity climate?

just curious how the great frame has lasted great this long --



e

I'm from B.C., Canada and my truck is from B.C., Canada, hence the rust issues. Not as bad as eastern Canada but bad enough that a good used frame, properly protected, will help my BJ60 make it to old age!

The "great frame" has lasted this long because it doesn't often snow in Central America so salting roads is unheard of. Most vehicles that have spent all their time here are relatively rust free (like Arizona). My '67 FJ45LV has less rust than my '82 BJ60 because it's been up in the mountains of Guatemala since new.

 

[import silvia]

Where's the sell it, cheap, to somebody in Arizona option? I bought mine from New England and all rusting has since stopped.

 

[cruiser_guy]

Where's the sell it, cheap, to somebody in Arizona option? I bought mine from New England and all rusting has since stopped.

There is NO "Sell it cheap to someone in Arizona" option! We're kind of attached to it having had it for 15 years. I KNOW it's not about to let me down.

I can get you a frame if you want though. It would be an HJ60 frame though.

 

[paulj]

How available are HJ 60s down there? Despite the lack of rust, they must live pretty hard lives in the part of the world, no?

 

[cruiser_guy]

How available are HJ 60s down there? Despite the lack of rust, they must live pretty hard lives in the part of the world, no?

They were generally considered expensive trucks and used primarily by the armed forces. Remember that the last '60 series rolled off the line in 1989 and there was still significant armed conflict here then. That tends to mean that they are driven hard and generally not cared for like we would care for ours. Also most folks in those days did not own their own vehicles (many still don't). Old timers tell me that the increase of vehicles primarily occured in the last 5 years or so. You can tell by the lack of driving skill that that's likely the case. Roads here are not the most gentle on vehicles either even in the city.

 

[lowenbrau]

A needle scaler is a horrible air powered tool that is frighteningly loud, an air hog, but quite effective. Its a bunch (15?) of 1/8" rods sticking out or a handle with a trigger. When you pull the triggger the rods jump in and out like tiny hammers bashing the heck out of the rust scale, clearing it away. Its a line of sight tool that can be very effective for getting rid of the rust you can see. I wouldn't call it fast compared to sand blasting.

I'd suggest finding the best coating you can and just painting the frame. Most of the rusty frames never got a wash until they started rusting. I've been aable to keep paint on mine for a long time now since I actually started caring for it. I blast it with a spray bomb or two about once a year. 60 frames are impossible to get into the inside of so dipping is the only way to treat and coat them were they need it most.

There's talk all over the net now about elecolytic rust removal. You just build a tank out of plywood, line it with plastic, toss in some old rebar and your frame, hook one end of your power supply to the fram and the other to your rebar, fill with water and washing soda and in a week you'll have a clean frame and some very rusy water.

In short, forget the expensive options, clean and paint it, fog a rust inhibitor into the rails, repeat anually

 

[GLTHFJ60]

I like that idea, lowenbrau. Cheap, effective, relatively fast. Sounds like the plan for me when I get to removing my frame myself, which unfortunately will not be for a long time. Is there anything that you can do to help while it is on the truck?

 

[Devils Paw 80]

I like that idea, lowenbrau. Cheap, effective, relatively fast. Sounds like the plan for me when I get to removing my frame myself, which unfortunately will not be for a long time. Is there anything that you can do to help while it is on the truck?

I like his idea too. You can do the same thing, more or less, with the frame on the truck. It'd be sweet to have the use of a hydraulic lift for the job, but it can be done without. At least the 60 series have ample room to crawl around underneath. In comparison, the 70 series are lowriders and a real pain

 

[cdngearhead]

I just bought the most rust free bj60 in the northwest from seattle, truck spent most of it's life in alaska on gravel roads, I've been pressure washing it for 4 days, I'm going to use por 15 on the frame to preserve it, I use por on my hotrods and love it, I'm going to dive into my bad motor this weekend, the plan is to make this my daily driver and weekend camper truck. I've had qiute a few people checking it out and asking to sell it and it's only been in my driveway for a week.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Yeah, I get that alot when I am driving around town, that is before it ventured into my garage.... How would one go about doing that while the frame is still on the truck? Submerge the entire bottom quarter of the truck in the stuff?