A little something to keep me busy

[steve briance]

Thats odd. I took my entire shell to bare metal with 5 discs. Thats on paint only but did a good job. They would clog up though if used on any sort of underseal.

[Tractor Dave]

I did try a poly disc and it only lasted 5 minutes

[steve briance]

You are spot on re the mess - grit gets EVERYWHERE! I made a dolly to get
The saab outside and it was done on the driveway in June...there is still grit turning up today!

Have you tried Clean and strip polydiscs? They are really good at prepping the bare steel once wire brush has pulled off the rubber coating.

They get the metal fairly 'bright' but without removing material like an oxide disc. They are available in various grits - 80grit is a great key surface.

[Tractor Dave]

Before putting the brace bar back on I needed to attend to a leaking pipe that goes to the oil cooler for the pas fluid.
It's a pig to get at.


Deep in there. The leak is at the other end. The hose had a split in it.


New Gates oil hose.


Unfortunately someone used red hydraulic oil so everything will need flushing with the proper Green mineral oil.


It's was difficult getting the new pipe back on but after a bit of cursing and cut hands, it's done.


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[Tractor Dave]

Hi Steve
That a great job. Trouble with Audi's of this age is the very thick rubber underseal. The sandblaster tends just to bounce off. The other problem is the mess it makes and I don't fancy that in my garage
Wire wheel is doing a good job. Just takes time and effort and of course a few wire brushes.

[steve briance]

You are probably not in the right phase of the project now as its mostly built up but, mobile grit blasting was my revelation of this year.

My other project car (saab 99) had engine bay and underside blasted back to bare metal and it cost £375. It took the guy about 2.5hours including tea breaks. The guys trailer mount compressor was a 4L diesel and It was mighty impressive, all nooks/crannies/corners were properly rust free.

Took me longer to clean the grit out of places it shouldn't have been!

Ive previously used a spot blaster with reasonable results - it may be more appropriate for your project and with a good air supply on hand, it would get some sort of cleaning and, make a good key for epoxy right in the corners.

Pic is the spot blaster doing a job on some deep rust pitting.

[Tractor Dave]

The tank had a coat of Bilt Zinc then two coats of Bilt epoxy. I don't think it will rust again for a while.


The front crossmember was rusty and needed a clean.


It got a coat of zinc and then epoxy.


Then this evening I spent a couple of hours under the car again. I'm getting there slowly but it's really hard work with lots of nooks and crannies.




Still a bit to go on this bit.


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[Tractor Dave]

That is a great tip re the boot!

Cheers Steve. I forgot to add that as you wind (push for front) the piston in, the top seal pops nicely into it's groove. A little red grease on the piston first helps everything slide in nicely.

[steve briance]

That is a great tip re the boot!

[Tractor Dave]

After dinner and nothing on the tv I decided to re build the calipers.
The easy way to get the rubber boot into the caliper is to place it on the piston end. Insert the seal into the groove before seating the piston.








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[Tractor Dave]

Love that SP10 degreaser - it is excellent and remains undefeated in my car cleaning history so far. It destroys baked on thick deposits no problems at all

They do some really good stuff. I also like their techshield underseal.

[steve briance]

Love that SP10 degreaser - it is excellent and remains undefeated in my car cleaning history so far. It destroys baked on thick deposits no problems at all

[Tractor Dave]

Tank sealing day.
The epoxy has had two days to fully cure.

First it's necessary to clean really well.


After a good clean with the above, you have to rinse really well with fresh water. Then get it dry. I used my heat gun on a low setting until I was happy it was bone dry.
Then onto potion 1.


This stuff is poured in and the tank moved around so all sides are coated. I concentrated on the seams and the area where it had been leaking. It's quite a thick fluid and I was able to keep it away from the basket holder.
Then, after twenty minutes you move the tank around again. You do this twice more then leave for three hours. Then potion number two goes in and the same thing happens again. I guess potion two is the fixing agent.

Anyway, while all that excitement was ongoing I found time to oven bake the rear brakes and swap the parts over from the old pistons.


Now it's time for dinner and a beer.


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[Tractor Dave]

I left the pistons in the calipers whilst sandblasting to protect the bores.
They took some pressure to pop out.


And one side needed extra help.


Then after a really good clean and de grease, into the solar powered spray booth. Grin.


The two rear suspension parts got thrown in as they got left behind from the powder coating pile. I wanted to make sure bushes were available before I stripped them. I ordered a full Verkline set yesterday.


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[Tractor Dave]

They came up well Dave. Having lots of ventilation really does help on the cabinets.

I copied yours