At 8:13 AM 10/25/95, MACEDONIA wrote:
>In a couple of months I will have my '66 B completely stripped...no engine, no
>front end...just a shell. My first question is, what is the absolute best way
>to remove ALL the rust prior to doing bodywork?
>
>My second question is, what is the best welding equipment to buy to do my own
>panel replacements (ie, gas, arc, MIG)? Although most people I talk to say that
>MIG is the only way to go, the reference books that I have suggest using gas.
>Any opinions? Since this equipment is so expensive, I don't want to buy the
>wrong thing.
>
I have been working on my 74 Midget that I've stripped (nearly) to the
frame. For underneath, I strip off all the paint and that god-awful tar
undercoating and then wire brush the rust and paint with a paint called
Corroless that Eastwood sells. This stuff is reputed to bond to rusty
metal and stop the rust from progressing. It appears to work. At least it
sticks well and seems quite durable.
For the body panels that show, cut out bad rust and weld in new metal.
Sand surface rust to bare metal and prime. You can get primer that fills
minor imperfections quite well, so those surface rust repaired areas can be
smoothed out.
For welding, go with Mig. It'll take some practice, but gas welding body
panels is a bit of an art and can cause warping if you aren't good. That's
what I'm told. Also, go for the argon gas and solid wire combination
instead of trying cored wire - cored wire doesn't produce as clean a weld.
Glenn
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