Hi Guys, long time no post. It's been a while since I posted here as I moved on to restoring a 1970 FM3 Satellite Conv to go with my 1970 FM3 Challenger. I've been posting the Satellite project over at forbbodiesonly.com.
The reason for my post here today, is that I am getting ready to sandblast the rear end for the car and can't make out the writing, which is highlighted in red below. The writing is stamped on it in yellow. Looks more like a word and not a part number. I've tried a few things, but can't seem to identify what it says. I know I have seen pictures of another rear ends with similar writing, probably here, but I can't seem to find any. I was hoping that maybe one you guys might be able to point me in the right direction. the guys at forbbodiesonly.com are really no help.
thanks
-Chris
Hold off on the blasting.
Build a box out of plywood and line it with plastic. Then fill the box with EvapoRust. It will remove the rust and leave all the paint (and paint markings) on the axle. You'll be shocked at how much paint is still on the rear end. It may not look like it now but there is still a lot of paint on that thing. I'd bet there are a lot of other hidden markings that will be uncovered.
Build the box as small as possible so there is very little extra room. You'll use less EvapoRust that way. I bought (3) 3.5 gallon containers of EvapoRust online through Walmart for $150 last year. Prices have probably gone way up but search for the best prices.
If you aren't interested in doing that, you could at least remove the cover and soak it in EvapoRust.
Even spraying that area with WD40 may make the letters show up more :alan2cents: , but I like the whole dipping idea :thinking:
Quote from: Burdar on June 24, 2022, 01:57:21 PM
Hold off on the blasting.
Build a box out of plywood and line it with plastic. Then fill the box with EvapoRust. It will remove the rust and leave all the paint (and paint markings) on the axle. You'll be shocked at how much paint is still on the rear end. It may not look like it now but there is still a lot of paint on that thing. I'd bet there are a lot of other hidden markings that will be uncovered.
Build the box as small as possible so there is very little extra room. You'll use less EvapoRust that way. I bought (3) 3.5 gallon containers of EvapoRust online through Walmart for $150 last year. Prices have probably gone way up but search for the best prices.
If you aren't interested in doing that, you could at least remove the cover and soak it in EvapoRust.
I agree hold off on the blasting and get some Evaporust . I was skeptical about this stuff at first , seemed to good to be true. but i was doing a restoration on one of my cars and was at the same point you are at , i wanted to know what the letters/numbers were so i could put them back on . Heres a few photos of a trans case before and after the evaporust bath .
Stuff works AMAZING
Quote from: johnshotrods on June 25, 2022, 11:15:55 AM
Heres a few photos of a trans case before and after the evaporust bath .
Stuff works AMAZING
Wow!! What a difference.
Probably should be completely serviced any way. Disassemble and then dip the cover.
Ordinary vinegar works just as good as the evaporust at a fraction of the cost...
The shock plates in the picture are fresh out of the bath and all looked like the other picture before a swim
in the pickle juice...
Wow that's incredible you guys have some great little tricks awesome.
I'm just wondering what kind of rear end that is & is it correct for a '70 B-body? :clueless:
Looks more like the 8.25 used in later B-bodies
(https://forum.e-bodies.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mopar1.us%2Frearspotter.jpg&hash=221286e4ea98fce14fcba7aad5bbff71bfc94fae)
Quote from: 7E-Bodies on June 26, 2022, 09:50:45 AM
@johnshotrods (https://forum.e-bodies.org/mlist/johnshotrods_15013) that is stunning! I may be putting a few gallons of that on my shelves for future use.
Kevin , I was really impressed how well it worked and the nice thing about it is its really safe to work with . I let the case soak for 24 hours submerged in a tub and when i pulled it out i did not expect to see anything but it only removes rust not paint . Then i was able to make stencils to duplicate the original paint markings . The stuff is a little costly so i may try the vinegar to see how that works also . Plus i don't really care for the texture that sandblasting leaves the steel .
Quote from: RacerX on June 25, 2022, 07:20:29 PM
Ordinary vinegar works just as good as the evaporust at a fraction of the cost...
More info on this please, just ordinary white vinegar?
Completely immerse?
How long?
QuoteOrdinary vinegar works just as good as the evaporust at a fraction of the cost...
Well, yes...and no. Vinegar will remove rust. It's an acid so it does eat into the good metal....just not very fast. You'd have to soak a part for a long time for it to erode in vinegar. It is however, harder on the parts then EvapoRust. Both have their place. You can soak galvanized parts in EvapoRust for 20 minutes or so and it will clean the part and brighten the galvanizing. I don't think I'd dip that same part in vinegar. It will probably remove the galvanizing fairly quickly.(EvapoRust will remove the galvanizing too if you leave it in too long)
I've also found that vinegar will remove underlying paint markings much easier then EvapoRust. Vinegar turns heavy rust into a loose sludge but you kind of have to scrub it off. It doesn't usually just rinse away when you hose it down. EvapoRust dissolves the rust and leaves paint markings intact. If you leave a part in EvapoRust too long the paint markings can loosen up and will wipe away. However it's much more forgiving then vinegar. Check the parts often and only soak them long enough to uncover the paint markings for documentation.
In my opinion, save the vinegar for heavily rusted parts that you aren't concerned about removing any possible paint markings.(not everyone is concerned about that stuff) Use the EvapoRust for more delicate parts and pieces where you want to preserve the original finish. :alan2cents:
One final thought...
Parts will immediately flash rust when they come out of a vinegar bath. That doesn't happen with EvapoRust. You can hose off a part soaked in EvapoRust and air blow it dry. It will stay clean with no flash rust for a long time.(depending on the conditions it's kept in) I've had parts sitting on a kitchen counter for weeks and no flash rust has formed. I've also used vinegar to derust the bulk of heavy rust on parts, then dip the parts in EvapoRust at the end to prevent any flash rust when they are removed. Both have their place.
thanks for the suggestion. It sounded like a really good way to do it, but alas it didn't work for me.
QuoteWondering how long they should be allowed to soak. I'd of course check them periodically during the process, but just curious if you recommend a certain time interval and if the stuff is used straight from the jug or diluted.
I'd start with 20 minutes. No dilution. If there are areas where there is some red rust, the galvanizing is already gone on those spots. You'll be left with a bare area where that red rust was. The rest of the galvanizing will shine right up and look new. Soak the entire part. Don't soak half of it and then turn it around to soak the other half. You can end up with an etched line across the part where the water line was.
Quotethanks for the suggestion. It sounded like a really good way to do it, but alas it didn't work for me.
That's unfortunate. It's probably going to be hard to find info on the marks you're looking for since it's an 8-1/4 rear. Most information is going to revolve around the 8-3/4 and the Dana.
Quote from: Katfish on June 26, 2022, 03:06:32 PM
Quote from: RacerX on June 25, 2022, 07:20:29 PM
Ordinary vinegar works just as good as the evaporust at a fraction of the cost...
More info on this please, just ordinary white vinegar?
Completely immerse?
How long?
Ordinary white vinegar. $2 a gallon at Dollar General. I did find some 9% acidity at our
local grocery store which does work a little faster but you need to be careful about the soak
time or it will start to etch the parts.
I use some plastic storage tubs from walmart. Six gallons of vinegar in one tub. Fully immerse
the parts. Come back later. I usually let them go overnight, but 4-5 hours seems to work for
light rust. Scrub with a small wire brush. The rust falls off like magic and leaves it looking new
underneath. Like the rust was never there. Some parts that were galvanized still show the
galvanizing. For heavy deposits that don't come off with the first scrubbing I will sometimes
return the parts to the bath for a few more hours. If you do not fully immerse the part any
areas that are not in the liquid will blacken. For this reason it is important to use tubs large
enough to fully submerge the part or it just adds some extra work to the process.
I am usually de-rusting parts that will be refinished and did not have factory paint markings.
Also, the parts I am working on have usually been so rusty that any factory paint is already gone.
I have a second tub with water and baking soda in it to neutralize the reaction of the vinegar.
Burdar is correct, the parts will flash rust quickly after cleaning. Usually not a problem as it
comes off easily in the next step which for me is media blasting. You could always hit it with
some phospho if you won't be blasting it.
It does take a long time to damage parts in vinegar. I look at the crisp, clear part numbers
on parts that you couldn't even tell HAD part numbers as a gauge of how the soak times are
not adding any additional wear or damage to the metal. I soaked a thin sheet metal splash
shield and it came out looking great... much of the galvanizing was still present except where
the surface rust was so severe that it had eaten through it. I don't have an "after" picture of
this part handy though...
For the price difference between this and evaporust for me it is a no-brainer. Vinegar wins
hands down.
YMMV
Wow that's impressive...I've used muriatic acid before, but that seems to do just as good of job buy way less toxic... :bigthumb:
Thx RX!
I'm sold, vinegar for the next project
Quote from: 7E-Bodies on June 28, 2022, 11:46:49 AM
@RacerX (https://forum.e-bodies.org/mlist/racerx_6096) beautifully written and illustrated reply. I'd LOVE to see the completion pics of that shield as I need to do my exhaust shields.
Here it is... The same rusty one in the picture above. I haven't done anything with it since cleaning it
so there is a little bit of surface rust coming back. But you can see the dramatic difference!
The black spots are not holes... they are undercoating overspray or grease blobs (I didn't look that closely)
Just need to be scratched off.
Pretty drastic difference. Thanks for posting. How do you plan to keep it rust free going forward?
Quote from: 7E-Bodies on June 29, 2022, 05:36:23 AM
Pretty drastic difference. Thanks for posting. How do you plan to keep it rust free going forward?
Looks like it was galvanized originally... I was just going to media blast it (glass beads) for
the final surface clean up and then paint it since I can't reproduce the original coating.
It is in a place that is not highly visible and it is not on a 1-of-1 show car so should not
be too much of a problem if it doesn't look 100% original.
For rusty parts I normally vinegar first then media blast. I find this produces a better result
than blasting alone. The vinegar is a chemical reaction and does a better job removing the
rust and leaving the original surface intact. Blasting alone to remove rust tends to leave a
rougher, more pitted surface as well as being significantly more difficult.