Jan. 6, 2005 - Whoohoo! Some progress at last! I started the new year out right...worked on the Ghia Jan 1st-5th. I finally completed stripping the undercoating (Primis Brake Parts Cleaner from Walmart worked like magic!) and attacked the rust on the floorpans. It was all surface rust except for the hole in the driver's rear wheel well that I already knew about. Most of the rust was around the welded-on braces like the seat and seat-belt anchors and the subframes. After stripping the undercoating, I used an abrasive paint stripping wheel to remove the paint and rust scale. Then I used Eastwood Restoration's Rust Converter to neutralize the rust, then another pass with the abrasive disc and another pass with the rust converter. Finally a good liberal wash down with the brake parts cleaner to get the surface clean for paint. I put on one coat of the Rust Encapsulator paint but it looks like I may need another before reassembly.
I can't say enough about the Primis Brake Parts Cleaner...I spent about 40 hours during last summer trying to scrape, rinse, power wash, and degrease the schmutz that was on my floorpans, and only got about 2/3rds done. The schmutz was a layer of undercoating with a thick layer of grease, oil, and road debris on top. Power washing and spraying with concentrated degreaser (Simple Green) just got me close to the undercoating. The areas that were the most oil-soaked were easiest to scrape the undercoating off of as it had stayed soft. But many areas were hard as rock, and would have needed to be chipped off which would have damaged the underlying paint. I was able to soften some really rock hard undercoating that I had not been able to scrape off previously by soaking the area with brake parts cleaner and covering with plastic wrap for a while. This took several attempts in some areas. USE GOGGLES TO COVER YOUR EYES as the spray goes all over!
Primis Brake Parts Cleaner is non-chlorinated, so its relatively safe for the environment, and its mostly Isopropal alcohol, so its relatively safe for the user. It evaporates really quickly (like any brake parts cleaner product), so its best in a situation where you can wet and wipe or scrape the surface pretty quickly. I did end up using about 5 cans of the stuff, but at $2 a can, it wasn't too expensive. I also used up about 6 rolls of paper towels and destroyed 3 plastic putty knives...on only about 1/3rd of the bottom. It was really clean when I was done though...where the paint had stuck to the metal and been covered by the undercoating, it was still glossy black.
So why remove the undercoating at all? It was hiding rust. Apparently the paint had failed and separated from the metal. The undercoating allowed moisture to stay in contact with the metal and rust formed. I wanted to make sure I found all of the rust, so I figured that all of the undercoating would have to go. See the pictures on the Restoration Pages for examples.
I still have some areas around the leaf spring front mounts that need cleaned and painted, but it will have to wait until I can remove the rear end, springs, and the spring mount reinforcing plates.
The next time I have an entire car to do, I think I'll use a rotisserie and media blasting!
Feb. 14, 2005 - Had a couple of good weekends...got the flywheel prepped for the new clutch, installed the rear shocks (KYB), and prepped some odds and ends on 2/6, and installed the clutch and pressure plate on 2/13. Next up is the bellhousing, clutch cable, throwout bearing, and clutch arm. Maybe even the transmission if I get ambitious this weekend! Friday I'm taking my Enkei and Enkei clone wheels to a local restoration shop to see if their wheel guy can do anything with them.
Feb. 21, 2005 - Another good day on Sunday...I installed the bellousing, clutch fork, throw-out bearing, and finally the transmission. Unfortunately, I left the crossmember and transmission mount at home (oh the joys of storing parts in one location and working in another...). I still need to attach the clutch cable and the starter to complete the transmission install. Then on to the driveshaft, exhaust system, and gastank.
The wheels repair may be a bust...the guy has a beautiful shop (Impatient Creations), and does really nice work, but doesn't seem to be set up for aluminum wheel repair. No problem...I have lots of parts I can send him for sandblasting and painting. :-)
Pictures are on the Restoration Pages