F1 Project

[scarebird]

I think like that too but there are instances when my time is worth more than the task.

[FormTA]

Hung some plastic to create a temporary paint booth. Wiped the frame down and sprayed it with epoxy.  Time to order new suspension parts and clean up any usable stuff I have here.







After I get the front and rear suspension rebuild/replaced I still have to cut the frame in half and shorten it.... I probably won't do that until the cab and front sheet metal are installed and I'm happy with the front wheel location. I will then need to get a bed and find out exactly where I want the wheels.

[kentucky yeti]

"After I get the front and rear suspension rebuild/replaced I still have to cut the frame in half and shorten it.... I probably won't do that until the cab and front sheet metal are installed and I'm happy with the front wheel location. I will then need to get a bed and find out exactly where I want the wheels."

l can't even imagine me trying to do something like that.  You have my respect!

[ryeguy2006a]

Great work Luke!! Frame looks brand new. I was thinking to myself, why would he not put a top coat on if he's got the paint booth up, but then you asnwered my question when you mentioned modifying the frame.  Definitely in for the progress on this!

[FormTA]

I am thinking I may top coat it now anyway and just repaint the area I cut up when I shorten it.

[scarebird]

How much do you think this will need to be shortened?

[FormTA]

14" on the flat section behind the torsion bar mounts. Depending where I end up placing the front fenders will determine if I end up at the factory ford wheelbase or something different. I don't want to be in a situation where the rear wheel doesn't end up exactly in the center of the fender.

The bed sides have pre drilled holes to mount the fender so I can't fudge there and the running boards determine how far apart the fenders are so you can move the bed back or forward.

Shortening the frame is no big deal. I'll cut the frame half way vertical and the horizontal 10" or so and then continue vertical. I'll
also create a sleeve to slide inside and weld too. I will be a strong joint.

[scarebird]

Sounds like a plan.  Those must be some long torsion bars... is it a straight up rectangular section behind them?

[FormTA]

Yeah, it is a really nice and ideal place to section it. I think because this was a extended cab frame and the regular regular cab frame is almost perfect wheelbase but really hard to find (in good shape).

[scarebird]

I did not realize the 95-04 frames were so stout!  The 1982-94's were essentially modded A/G body frames.   

You cannot order a standard cab Canyon/Colorado anymore...   

[FormTA]

So today,  besides unloading the Roadrunner from my trailer, I media blasted one of the lower control arms for the ZR2 Frame.  I primed it with self etching primer by majic. They also private labe the tractor paint at the tractor supply stores. I top coated it with satin black rollbar paint by VHT. This is a paint you can get at orillys auto parts. This is a hidden wonder. This stuff sprays great and lays out beautiful. You can get it in gloss and satin. I think t is just as good atms the SEM trim black. You can tell when spraying ot it uses a good reducer that smells like your bodyshop type paints. It's definitely not your old oil based Rustoleum paint.

I would highly recommend it for trim or anything you want to paint black and it should be readily available.

[ryeguy2006a]

So today,  besides unloading the Roadrunner from my trailer, I media blasted one of the lower control arms for the ZR2 Frame.  I primed it with self etching primer by majic. They also private labe the tractor paint at the tractor supply stores. I top coated it with satin black rollbar paint by VHT. This is a paint you can get at orillys auto parts. This is a hidden wonder. This stuff sprays great and lays out beautiful. You can get it in gloss and satin. I think t is just as good atms the SEM trim black. You can tell when spraying ot it uses a good reducer that smells like your bodyshop type paints. It's definitely not you oild based Rustoleum paint.

I would highly recommend it for trim or anything you want to paint black and it should be ready available.

Thanks for the tip, I'm going to be pulling the fenders off my car soon and cleaning up the firewall. Sounds like the rollbar paint is just the ticket!

[FormTA]

Ya, I was thinking about mentioning it in the tips and tricks section to rebuild that. So far I am really impressed.

[FormTA]

The lower control arm bushings really put up a fight! Got one arm blasted, primed and painted.







Little by little.

[FormTA]

I received the lower control arm bushings and ball joints.  I also received my GM brake backing plates. I removed all the stickers and cleaned them and sprayed them with a clear coat of paint. I wanted to try to prevent them from the same fate as the originals....

[FormTA]

So, bolts and fasteners are pretty expensive, especially if they are unique. I decided I wanted to clean and zink plate some stuff.  I have never done anything like this before, I just wire wheeled and sprayed them with paint.

Well, today I did a quick, makeshift plating bath and tried plating a bolt. It worked amazingly well!





Dull zink plated bolt.



Quick polish.

[kentucky yeti]

That turned out good.

[roadking77]

That came out fantastic! Not only saved a couple of dollars, but I get a bit of satisfaction knowing I am saving an original part as opposed to just buying new stuff just because. What is the process you used?
I can imagine the gruff I would get if I were restoring bolts in my kitchen though, your wife must have been away, LOL. Mine had a fit when I threw some plastic stuff in the dishwasher for cleaning.

[FormTA]

She was away but when she came home and saw the "mess" she really didn't seem to mind. I think I might post the process I used in the tips and tricks section. We really need to rebuild that. Other than the zink plate and maybe the the sodium carbonate, most of it is household stuff. I even used an old phone charger as the power supply.

[5th T/A]

Beautiful job on the bolt restoration. I did something similar on a motorcycle restoration many years ago. They looked great right afterwards, but a decade latter a few of the bolts showed a little bit of rust. My thoughts are I didn’t give the electrolysis process enough time. I think I used a kit from Eastwood.

[FormTA]

Thanks for the info. I thought I'd try it out and see. Hopefully better than paint. Time will tell.

[ryeguy2006a]

That's really cool Luke. Please do make a write up and let us know your experience with them!

[FormTA]

Been busy, my son and I have been rebuilding a atv engine, no crank, connecting rod, bored cylinder. Splitting the case with all the transmission gears is a little scary. Also showed him how to lap valves. You don't see that much anymore. Also got him to help clean some truck parts too.

Cleaned, painted and resealed the front differential.

[5th T/A]

Luke, seems like you always have a lot going on. The differential really cleaned up nicely. That’s the only part underneath my car that I haven’t touched and it bothers me. Once the weather is a little warmer, something I can tackle outdoors.

[FormTA]

Ya, surprising what a little carb cleaner, simple green and brake clean can do.

The first part I have attached to the frame....

Hopefully I will have more going on it as I have been cleaning, rebuilding and paint

ing other parts in preparation of assembling the front suspension.

[kentucky yeti]

Ya, surprising what a little carb cleaner...  can do.

Carb cleaner- not just for carbs.  I've been killing wasps and spiders with it for years in the shop.   

[ryeguy2006a]

Luke, are you keeping it a 4x4?

[FormTA]

Yes, going to rock 31s and pushbutton 4x4.

And I too kill wasps and crawling things with carb cleaner and a lighter.  I caught my chicken coop on fire a few year back so be careful!

[FormTA]

Had a couple hours so I worked on pressing the 4 lower control arm bushings in. That was a challenge as on one side would fit in my hydraulic press so the other was done with precision adjustment tools and a ball joint press. I scratched them up a bit so i touched up the paint. Also installed one upper control arm.

[ryeguy2006a]

That looks brand new Luke, you are doing a top notch job. What is the process for doing that zinc coating?

[FormTA]

I will once I perfect it. Ha, ha.

Today I sanded, ground, primed and painted the torsion bars and one if the front axle shafts. They seemed tight and the rubber boots weren't leaking so I hope they last a bit. Trying to save some money where I can. New ones are like $500 for the pair. All of these suspension parts are really adding up. I have a ton of money in this frame....  Anyways I put all 4 A arms on and the rear torsion bar support beam with new hangers and bolts.

[FormTA]

It is amazing how many pieces, parts and fasteners go into a front suspension.  Sourcing the fasteners has been a challenge.  I have been turning to McMaster for many of them but the $$ is really stacking up. I have also been raiding the bolt box and jar I have from the 1998 Trans am I parted for my LS swap. That has turned up quite a few in the last few days. Now I need new bolts to hold on the front calipers, mine are rusted so bad I don't want to use them.  Going to check McMasters tomorrow at work.

Still adding new parts to the frame. Really looking cool to me. I feel like I'm building a new truck from scratch.... Too bad I am going to put a pretty nasty engine, trans and transfer case in it.... I'm going to do my best at cleaning it all up but I'm not going to nut and bolt it like the frame.

[5th T/A]

Looks too nice to cover up with a body!

[FormTA]

I appreciate the kind word and encouragement Larry!

[kentucky yeti]

Looks too nice to cover up with a body!

True words...

[ryeguy2006a]

Looks too nice to cover up with a body!

It's funny because I was thinking the exact opposite haha. What a great frame to be put under that killer patina body! I love the patina builds when they have the right parts underneath. You are doing it right Luke. I've been to some car shows where guys have literally taken a car that was sitting in a field and got it working barely enough to power itself and you are concerned about it being on the road with you. 

[FormTA]

I want to do the patina build but wife says it needs to be painted red.... we'll see how it goes. I want to start on the Charger so....


She wants it to look something like this.

[FormTA]

I put the rotor, caliper and brakes on the driver side. I cleaned my new tie rods and primed and painted them flat black because I didn't want to put raw steel parts on the frame just to rust in a week. I also had to media blast some other small brake line brackets.  My old harbor freight blasting cabinet is really getting a work out on this project!

Old parts



New parts (I must have mistakenly ordered drill and slotted rotors, hope the are ok)



Tie rods getting a coat of paint. They are only threaded together by one thread and then the exposed threads are masked off.



Replacing most of this mess.

[FormTA]

I cleaned some parts and rubber bushings in the kitchen sink with the wife's (old) toothbrush. By am I playing with fire...

Installed the sway bar, tie rod and upper and lower jounce bumpers I just got in today.

[FormTA]

The lower ball joints didn't have grease zirks but they had a boss where one might go. Me not trusting they put enough grease in and I like to service my stuff, I decided to add one.

Here I milled the boss flat.



Next I used a center drill to keep my actual drill from waking.





Here I drilled the hole with a #3 drill. I used my shop vac to reduce the amount of metal shavings going inside. I also used a feed rate that kept the chips as a string (or as we call the at the shop "danger noodles").




Then I hand tapped the hole 1/4-28, no power tapping today,  I didn't want to run into the ball and snap my tap.




Next I chamfered the hole. I have chamfer tools but these step bits work great for this.





Thead in the zirk and clock it correctly and then add grease.




I always find this type of work interesting and thought I'd share.