Myotis1134 Posted July 17, 2010 Report Share Posted July 17, 2010 Resurrected my car today. Despite an engine mount from NAPA that didn't quite fit, sub-frame bolts from the Chevy dealership that weren't quite long enough, and the many, many trips to Home Depot, CSK Auto, Fred Meyer, and Auto Zone, I got everything put back together, and it runs just like it did before. Slightly disappointing. Upon closer examination, I discerned that my OEM sub-frame hadn't rusted through at both mounts on the passenger side (as I originally thought), but it looks like the bushings themselves failed. First the rear passenger, which caused the front passenger to break. So you all got to see the new/used sub-frame I picked up after I ground it clean, but then I wanted to de-grease it in a dunk-tank, but nobody does that in AK anymore, so I had to build my own. I'm putting up pics of the process, and the finished product (POR-15 coating). As a disclaimer, I absolutely do NOT recommend that anyone do this project. Not only was it a pain in the ass, but I could have bought a kiddy-pool and enough solution to fill it for what it cost me to do this. Still, it was definitely a learning process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Addicted to eaton Posted July 17, 2010 Report Share Posted July 17, 2010 whats up with the wooden sub frame thing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GP1138 Posted July 17, 2010 Report Share Posted July 17, 2010 LOL Wow, that's creative! Kudos! Anthony, he reinforced that so he could soak the subframe in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White93z34 Posted July 17, 2010 Report Share Posted July 17, 2010 Did you acid bath it? I sandblasted mine, damn it looks nice though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Euro Posted July 17, 2010 Report Share Posted July 17, 2010 Wow, that's some nice work. I didn't even notice that you were in AK, I bet things are way tougher to get up there as far as these parts and stuff? That's a fine looking subframe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Fury Posted July 17, 2010 Report Share Posted July 17, 2010 Ingenious! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy K Posted July 17, 2010 Report Share Posted July 17, 2010 WOW! You're nuts!!!!!!!!!!!! <---- that's a compliment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myotis1134 Posted July 17, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2010 (edited) It turned out that doing a POR-15 coating was my cheapest option. I priced out getting the thing sandblasted and then powdercoated, but sandblasting alone started out at $299/hr, so I said "hell no" to that. I built the tank because I wanted to clean and coat the insides of the new frame, and nobody here does anything like that. The POR-15 process is 3-stepped- degrease/clean the object with Marine Clean (an all natural degreaser that leaves no residue), etch the surface of the object with Metal Ready (which also neutralizes any rust, and leaves an alkaline finish on the surface for the POR-15 to stick to), and apply multiple light coatings of the POR-15 paint. It's some tough shit, but it's sensitive to UV. Not that it mattered, being under the car and all. The trick to cleaning out the insides really good was to mix near-boiling water with the marine clean. Apparently the thermal-action of the hot mixture encouraged the crud to come off easier, although it was a gamble since I didn't know how much heat the plexiglass and silicone could take. So for the degreasing, I soaked it. For the metal prep, I got one of those 2 gallon weed-sprayers and hosed it down. For both of those steps I had to rinse everything off (thus the valve which was the only thing that leaked). After the prep was done, most of the tank went in the dumpster out in the parking lot, and I used the table under it for the painting part. To anyone who decides to POR-15 anything (and there are a lot of auto parts that it would work on), I recommend that when you get to the actual painting, you put on very, very light coats. I went a little heavy in some places, and it ran like a bastard. Edited July 17, 2010 by Myotis1134 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Euro Posted July 17, 2010 Report Share Posted July 17, 2010 That's cool man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOT2B GM Posted July 17, 2010 Report Share Posted July 17, 2010 Thats hardcore right there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AL Posted July 17, 2010 Report Share Posted July 17, 2010 You are a genius Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertISaar Posted July 17, 2010 Report Share Posted July 17, 2010 WOW.... i need this kind of motivation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GnatGoSplat Posted July 20, 2010 Report Share Posted July 20, 2010 Holy crap! That's a helluva lot of work for a W-body subframe. I can't imagine going to that much trouble for... anything! Not even if it were a classic car worth $100k. Amazing work! I wish I had that kind of drive and initiative. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy K Posted July 20, 2010 Report Share Posted July 20, 2010 i did a frame with Chassis Saver paint: http://www.magnetpaints.com/underbody.asp seems to be = to POR 15 I could not really get the inside the frame, but I actually took it into the bathroom and stuck it in the shower and did a maximum scrub out of everything I could. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GnatGoSplat Posted July 20, 2010 Report Share Posted July 20, 2010 I could not really get the inside the frame, but I actually took it into the bathroom and stuck it in the shower and did a maximum scrub out of everything I could. If you had a wife, she would have killed you for doing that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertISaar Posted July 20, 2010 Report Share Posted July 20, 2010 i did a frame with Chassis Saver paint: http://www.magnetpaints.com/underbody.asp seems to be = to POR 15 hey, my dad sells that! it is not UV proofed either, but some clearcoat does wonders. supposedly, you can paint right over rust with it and it will still work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slick Posted July 20, 2010 Report Share Posted July 20, 2010 If you had a wife, she would have killed you for doing that. Which is also why there is a 100% probability that he will never be married! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrett Powered Posted July 23, 2010 Report Share Posted July 23, 2010 damn I have been cleaning on subframes all day. should have went to your house! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RareGMFan Posted July 25, 2010 Report Share Posted July 25, 2010 Wow! Someone as psychotically detail oriented as me!! I know it took a lot of time and money, but the results were phenomenal, so it would be worth it to me. supposedly, you can paint right over rust with it and it will still work? I thought that was the whole point of POR-15. Stops rust right on the spot by simply painting over it. I know they have several products/versions, but that was the main sales pitch originally for the product (and from people I've talked to over the years who have used it, it's true). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitaloutsider Posted July 26, 2010 Report Share Posted July 26, 2010 That is amazing work. Awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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