My '63 restore is underway

Share progress on your 356 related project or full restoration with others!
Message
Author
User avatar
Dean Tanner
356 Fan
Posts: 228
Joined: Tue Sep 11, 2012 9:30 am

My '63 restore is underway

#1 Post by Dean Tanner »

Hello to everyone that has been following my quest for a project car. If you haven't seen my previous posts, I had been looking for a few months and found a car in South Carolina. It arrived yesterday morning. I was a bit overwhelmed, but after being talked down from the ledge, I am ready to get started. My plan is to have it media blasted, is this the best route for me? I have never had any experience with media blasting, so I have some questions. First, if I have this done in my driveway, does it make a huge mess? Should I take it to the blasters? If so, I want the underside blasted because of surface rust and deep rust, how do we accomplish this? Shouldn't the suspension be removed, and to get the underside, it would need to be on a rotisserie wouldn't it?
So those are the first of my endless parade of questions. Thanks all, I am enjoying getting to know a few of you through these posts.
Here are a few photos.
Attachments
PB010012 copy.jpg
PB010008 copy.jpg
PB010006 copy.jpg

User avatar
Matthew Devereux
356 Fan
Posts: 1047
Joined: Sun Nov 21, 2010 11:36 am
Location: Alberta

Re: My '63 restore is underway

#2 Post by Matthew Devereux »

I think you need a restoration plan. This can vary from stripping it down bare to just getting it running. It really depends on what you want in the end, the cars current condition, your budget and time commitment. Before you start I would spend some time and mull over your options.
Matthew Devereux
'00 Boxster S
'58 356A coupe

User avatar
Vic Skirmants
Registry Hall of Fame
Posts: 9279
Joined: Tue Oct 27, 2009 5:02 pm
Location: SE Michigan
Contact:

Re: My '63 restore is underway

#3 Post by Vic Skirmants »

Media blasting will make a huge mess. And you will NEVER get all the media out of the car.

User avatar
Dean Tanner
356 Fan
Posts: 228
Joined: Tue Sep 11, 2012 9:30 am

Re: My '63 restore is underway

#4 Post by Dean Tanner »

If I don't media blast, how should I deal with all of the surface rust underneath?

User avatar
Dean Tanner
356 Fan
Posts: 228
Joined: Tue Sep 11, 2012 9:30 am

Re: My '63 restore is underway

#5 Post by Dean Tanner »

Matt, it has to be a total restoration, no other option. Every inch of this car needs some attention. I'm ok with chemical stripping the body panels, but all of he rust under the body concerns me.

User avatar
Matthew Devereux
356 Fan
Posts: 1047
Joined: Sun Nov 21, 2010 11:36 am
Location: Alberta

Re: My '63 restore is underway

#6 Post by Matthew Devereux »

Dean Tanner wrote:Matt, it has to be a total restoration, no other option. Every inch of this car needs some attention. I'm ok with chemical stripping the body panels, but all of he rust under the body concerns me.
Well a total restoration would require stripping the car right down in my books. You might find after further inspection that the floors and longs actually need replacing. There is no other way to get rid of rust except to sand blast it (or cut it out) which means getting the car up in the air or on its side. The sand will get everywhere requiring much cleaning which is why I wouldn't do it unless the car was stripped. As Vic and others say, you may never totally get rid of blasting media which will find its way into and behind every nook and cranny. It will pit glass or anything else it comes into contact with. You need a big compressor and a pot anyway so its best left to the pros. I do some small spot blasting in my back drive and it makes a big enough mess. Typically the pros use a combination of sand and soda or something less aggressive depending on the area of the car. Alternatively you can mechanically remove it from the underside with a wire wheel or angle grinder, if you can get at it, and use a rust converter or rust paint. I'm not sure if that would qualify as a full restoration but each to his own.
Matthew Devereux
'00 Boxster S
'58 356A coupe

User avatar
Phil Planck
356 Fan
Posts: 2030
Joined: Wed Mar 26, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: NE Michigan, lower penn.

Re: My '63 restore is underway

#7 Post by Phil Planck »

I did no complete stripping on my 63 when I started the lengthy restoration process. Why pay someone to blast rusted metal that will be replaced anyway and risk metal warpage. Also, if you strip the whole car now you may be overwhelmed with what you see and throw in the towel. A second also is that you will then have to recoat everything to prevent rust of the good metal and then remove that coating when you are ready to repair that area. My process involved using a wire cup brush on an angle grinder to find good metal in a certain area, such as the battery box and walls. Then I cut out the bad metal and welded in a patch or replacement panel, depending on the situation. Most areas of the car can be accessed with an angle grinder, either large electric or smaller air tool to find good metal or strip remaining good metal. Wear a mask as you will create lots of rust and paint dust. A 7/32 pilot point drill bit works great to remove spot welds if you want to remove a complete panel, such as the battery floor. You can also use other more expensive spot weld removal tools.

Hopefully by now you have bought Ron Roland's and Jim Kellog' restoration books and read them from cover to cover before you start. Also, many good posts on this site and a few others of 356 restoration projects. Join metalmeet.com so you can ask questions there when you get into welding and metal forming situations that you can't solve. Great site with lots of well organized info available and many very friendly, patient experts.
Phil Planck

User avatar
Dean Tanner
356 Fan
Posts: 228
Joined: Tue Sep 11, 2012 9:30 am

Re: My '63 restore is underway

#8 Post by Dean Tanner »

Thanks guys. The floors do have to be replaced. The logs have been replaced, just not correctly, same with the striker posts. Phil when I did my 912 that is the method I used, angle grinder with cup brush. I will probably do that this time around. Blasting sounds like a mess, an expensive one at that.

User avatar
Dan Kalinski
356 Fan
Posts: 774
Joined: Thu Mar 26, 2009 2:26 am
Location: Pacific Northwest

Re: My '63 restore is underway

#9 Post by Dan Kalinski »

Had all the work completed by a professional in terms of restoration, but can only say that blasting was the direction taken for my '63. I delivered that car completely stripped and ready to be media blasted. We blocked off every conceivable opening prior to blasting.

The pictures show the car on rotisserie with the floor pans removed. Still to come off are the L/R longitudinal structures. You can see the torque tube was closed off with some wooden plugs that were made. Clearly, the battery box will be replaced and if you look closely, the struts were also in need of replacement. Right door threshold had to be replaced as well as left front fender.

Image

Image

These were the most obvious metal replacements and there were other body parts to be replaced on this project, like the left door. Discovered it was actually a coupe door, but through the Registry, a cab door was obtained.

Felt blasting was the only logical way to proceed on this project to reveal the true requirements for body work.

Last picture is the completed shell.

Image

Dan K.

Dan Epperly
356 Fan
Posts: 1139
Joined: Thu Apr 01, 2010 4:35 pm

Re: My '63 restore is underway

#10 Post by Dan Epperly »

I am wrapping up the bodywork on a '62 VW bus that some bonehead sand blasted and as a result there is not a straight panel on the entire bus. As a result I will have to use more filler and sand-able primer then I prefer. Preston's paint sensor would likely implode if he ever got near it.
Anyway, I would never have a car media blasted. I use chemical strippers to remove the paint and if there is surface rust (as there was on the roof of my bus thanks to the bozo not top coating it after he blasted it) I had much success using old fashioned naval jelly, a putty knife and 50 grit paper on an electric sander. Low tech, messy and laborious but it got rid of all the rust with no damage to the metal ultimately saving me time and money on heat shrinking and material.

User avatar
Matthew Devereux
356 Fan
Posts: 1047
Joined: Sun Nov 21, 2010 11:36 am
Location: Alberta

Re: My '63 restore is underway

#11 Post by Matthew Devereux »

Lots of cars have been successfully blasted and restored. Media other than sand is preferred for the larger panels (soda, walnut shells,etc.). Large flat areas can warp when sandblasted. Sand is usually reserved for the undercarriage, smaller body areas and for the rust.
Matthew Devereux
'00 Boxster S
'58 356A coupe

Dan Epperly
356 Fan
Posts: 1139
Joined: Thu Apr 01, 2010 4:35 pm

Re: My '63 restore is underway

#12 Post by Dan Epperly »

Matthew Devereux wrote:Lots of cars have been successfully blasted and restored. Media other than sand is preferred for the larger panels (soda, walnut shells,etc.). Large flat areas can warp when sandblasted. Sand is usually reserved for the undercarriage, smaller body areas and for the rust.
I have heard that, too. But I would need sworn affidavits from multiple bodymen that a shop did not destroy their flat panels before I would ever subject a car to media blasting. For undercarriage, wheels, structural components, maybe even rounded panels that can handle the stress of the heat, pressure and ham fisted operators, ok, but doors, hoods, decklids, I don't think so.

User avatar
Jim Karaba
356 Fan
Posts: 1027
Joined: Sun Feb 22, 2009 12:34 am
Location: Lafayette, LA

Re: My '63 restore is underway

#13 Post by Jim Karaba »

Ham fisted operators is the key word. A good blaster should not warp panels no matter what material they use.

Kevin Wills
356 Fan
Posts: 501
Joined: Wed Jan 27, 2010 9:04 am
Location: Northern Virginia

Re: My '63 restore is underway

#14 Post by Kevin Wills »

Yes, bad operator is definitely an issue. My brother had a set of good motorcycle wheels blasted for powder. Shook like hell the first time he rode it after powder even though the wheel was balanced. Got it up on a fork stand and spun the wheel...yup, warped.

User avatar
Dean Tanner
356 Fan
Posts: 228
Joined: Tue Sep 11, 2012 9:30 am

Re: My '63 restore is underway

#15 Post by Dean Tanner »

Ok, I have actually started working on the car, man it feels good to be back out in the garage.
The replacement battery box floor, right side wall and fender support arrived two days ago. Tonight I started cutting out the battery box side wall and floor. (the left side of the box is solid) While working in this area, I have decided to extend my work a little further back and include the front suspension area. I want to remove the entire steering-suspension assembly. There is some rust in this area, it's not bad, but needs to be addressed. Any words of wisdom before I start the removal process?

Post Reply