Electrolytic Rust Removal

[MikeW]

She is 100% rust free inside and out. Cool, huh?

Very cool.

Is there a way to determine how much rust was removed such as using the weight before and after?

[Alfadog]

Chris, that is so cool!! So now it begins

[AWC]

How do you intend to hold off surface rust from the time the body comes out of dip to the time you prime it? My biggest worry with a full strip is that invisible surface rust will develop before I can get the car home and get a coat of paint on it.

[hls30.com]

Chris,

Looks like you had her chrome plated-not cleaned!

What a clean canvas!

TomoHawk, in my young and Gene pool challenging days, I pretty much did that with an electric shaver and a sink full of water(fortunately-the sink was fully glazed. Still woke me up and made me fly right!

I don't think I let it sit long enough to clean anything though!

Will

[Z-point]

Chris,

This looks superb. That’s what I call a fresh start!! Perhaps I over read it in the story but how do you tackle the hollow spaces of the chassis and the double layers which are welded. Is this bare metal as well?

I put my chassis in an (hot air) oven and it burnt everything off it. I think both ways are good but at the end you have to take another bath or something like that to protection the chassis again. Therefore I like to know what you are going to do about it?

oven

[Z-point]

Chris,

This looks superb. That’s what I call a fresh start!! Perhaps I over read it in the story but how do you tackle the hollow spaces of the chassis and the double layers which are welded. Is this bare metal as well?

I put my chassis in an (hot air) oven and it burnt everything off it. I think both ways are good but at the end you have to take another bath or something like that to protection the chassis again. Therefore I like to know what you are going to do about it?

oven

[26th-Z]

Hi guys!

I didn't want to seem like I was hijacking this thread. The electrolysis rust removal process SuperDave is talking about is exactly what I am doing to 26th and what 27th faces. Those shots were "just out of the tank" and the babe was still wet and full of bits of crap. Her Majesty sat in the tank for about three days however they pulled the car out and rotated it every day. Yes, all the rust in the hollow spaces and layers of metal is gone. These pictures just don't do this process justice. Its just amazing. Rusty areas are eroded like an achne on the metal. Holes are jagged with thin edges. Seams that had rust inside look like an explosion went off and even some holes look exploded like a bullet hole. Then, there are some really interesting things to see in the factory metal.

What I have decided to do is leave the car with welder Dale in Wauchula. He gave me a very optimistic estimate for the metal work and I think this is going to save me a bunch of time and effort as well as provide better results. Actually, I was shocked when he told me he didn't think it was going to take him more than a week. The car will be dipped again after the welding to get rid of the surface rust that is going to happen between now and the end of July.

Then with a clean shell again, there is about ten days time before surface rust. The car gets hauled back to Sarasota, two hours away, and we set the car up on stands to prime it right away. I have these long plastic wands to spray primer up inside the metal sections so that the end result is coverage better than what the factory did 36 years ago. Then, all the seams get sealed again with new sealer. Then the floor tar insulation goes down (I bought factory tar material from Chloe years ago). Then the car gets painted. Sounds like a lot of work by August, doesn't it? Well...I can dream.

Here are a couple of shots I have been sharing around. Factory stitch welding over the front and rear of the tunnel. This demonstrates the hand fabrication techniques of the time and shows how sub-assemblies were connected. The last shot of the front radiator gusset plate shows a welding rivet peculiar to the early body shells. Later shells have nice spot welds.

[SuperDave]

Thanks for sharing your dip results. It is simply astounding! I am insanely jealous.

[AWC]

So you will prime first, and then apply new seam sealer, correct? What will you be using for the seam sealer?

Thanks--this is all good information and the car looks great.

[26th-Z]

You are very welcome, SuperDave. You inspired me to get a plastic 50gal. drum and start doing this myself with my rusty parts.

So, another fellow Zfreak was asking me about paint, primer, and sealer products. I really haven't made any selections yet. I'm leaning towards PPG DELTRON paint but I am listening to my painter guru "beautiful body Rick". I was surprised with how good he thought my plastic wand spray idea was. It turns out that a truck restoration place up in Bradenton (Mother Truckers) is doing the same thing. I met those guys in Wauchula at the dippers. They have the same issues with truck bodies. I will use the best seam sealer I can find. And I'll post more as I go along.

[SuperDave]

...You inspired me to get a plastic 50gal. drum and start doing this myself with my rusty parts.

I can't believe I didn't think of using a drum! That should de-rust your part on all sides at once! Have you eaten through a drum yet? You should eventually. Can you post some pictures?

[Zedrally]

You're thinking of a metal bin, not plastic.

A metal rubbish can would work, I use a stainless metal bowl for electrolytic greese removal prior to plating and it's ok.