Today I grinded of most of the rust and paint of the latheral links to make it easier to choose
if I'm going to either sandblast them and re-use them or replace any of them. And I really
need you to let me know what you think, please? pretty please? :)
Another idea is to weld the inside of the edges but then it's a big risk that they will be crooked.
I also did some wet sanding on my fuel rail, it's far from done but it's getting there :)
Pictures:
The right set of latheral links
The right set of latheral links, close up
The left set of latheral links
The left set of latheral links, close up
My fuelrail after a bit of wet sanding, needs alot more
I had an hour to kill before dinner so I decided to begin sandblasting the latheral arms. I began with the left front latheral arm, I wanted to see what it looked like under the rust in the area about where the tie ends mounts.
Towards the end the air got alot of moist in it wich resulted in some waterdrops on the latheral arm = very little but very brown surface rust.
I still need to do some more sandblasting on this arm, but now it's confirmed that I can re-use them.
Today I made a nice little sandblasting house :)
It's made out of a cardbordbox, some duckttape, 2 garbagebags and plexiglass.
It worked pretty good, sandblasting in that, but I need to add some light in it. The Left Latheral links are almost done...they will be done the next time I get a chance to work on it. I have 2 exams coming up next week so there is very little time over for the car but once I have written them I will work on the car from morning til night.
Today I continued with sandblasting the latheral arms, but it took forever and the sand couldnt remove all of the rust so I decided to take another route. I took the acid highway ;)
I used hydrochloric acid which eats the rust (the oxide) fast then the metal itself and therefor it's rather easy to control.
The tricky part is to neutrilize the acid so that the process stops. One way of doing that is to wash it with water, but it needs to dry quick otherwise there will be rust again, it will be back in seconds. So one better way is to wash it with hot water and then dry it with compressed air.
And a third way is to use distilled water and then comressed air.
Since I only did some testing today I used a bucket with cold water and the wiped it of.
But the acid did work really well so tomorrow I will treat all the latheral arms to a bath :) And while they enjoy that I will be able to start working on the crossmember, RSTB and tiebar.
Pictures:
WHAT I HAVE RECIEVED UPTIL THIS UPDATE
...brake caliper paint
...from mazda
BACK TO TODAYS UPDATE
Special bushings from special Dutch
An latheral arm is taking a rust refreshing bath
Charging the battery
]
The left latheral arms still need some work but there are a lot less rust on them now
Since I started working a bit late today I couldnt use any power tools.
So the latheral arms got some acid treatment. Then I removed my throttle body to be able to clean
the ISC and I also removed the EGR valve to clean it.
Pictures:
Removed the Throttle body and then the EGR valve
Right latheral arms taking a bath while the left ones got point treatment
Throttle body
Left latheral arms
Right latheral arms
Sprayed the ISC and EGR valv with carburator cleaner
After school today I stoped by a store nearby and bought some good to have stuff.
Among these were a set of pliers for locking rings, 2l thinner, 2l hydrochloric acid and some brushes.
I needed the pliers before but then I managed with regular pliers and nails but this time I needed a purpose
built plier to be able to remove the locking ring inside the calipers.
So that was what I started with, disambly the calipers and make them ready for sandblasting.
The latheral arms got some more acid treatment and the battery got charged again.
Pictures:
Left latheral arms before
Right latheral arms before
Two brackets from the calipers before
Parts waiting to be sandblasted
Left latheral arms after
Right latheral arms after
Those brackets again, after
Parking brake wire holders waint for som sandblasting
I visited the junkyard today and got a bracket for the rear left brake caliper.
I have also built a tent so that I can work even when it rains :)
I had to go and do some skin diving, but I managed to squeez in some grinding time and
removed most of the paint from the tiebar, RSTB + brackets.
Today I did the final sandblasting and got the latheral arms, trailing arms, RSTB + brackets
and swaybar ready for paint. Now your probably thinking "Why the F*** is he painting brand
new trailing arms and swaybars?!??!". Well, due to their trip they had got some scratches
and so on. So to be on the safe side and to give all the parts atleast the same rust protection
and to have them in the same color.
The caliper bracket that I picked up yesterday had a troubling bolt, then one that holds
the slide pin so I let it sit in a bath during the night. The bath contained old brake fluid,
some hydrochloric acid, water and some drops of paint that was left in the can. Today I pulled
it out of the bath and washed it of. Then the bolt let go after a little massage with one of
those air pressure driven things you use to loosen nuts with (don't know the word for it?)
I also did some ordering so on thursday I will have a new fuel tank, the filterbag for the
fuel pump and two top mounts for the rear struts.
Pictures:
Rear swaybar and RSTB
All latheral arms, trailing arms and RSTB brackets
Today I continued painting. I painted all the parts twice to get a good covering layer.
The cylinders where the bushings goes got a thin coat of spraycan paint.
Since I had to wait about 4hours before putting on the second coat I started grinding
the crossmember and fuel filling pipe. I will have to sandblast some areas of the crossmember
before it's ready for paint, but the fuel filler pipe is ready for paint.
Pictures:
A little better picture of what was painted yesterday
Top coat is on, Hammerite metal paint
What my crossmember looked like
How I removed the brakeline from the connection on the crossmember
I started with going to the store to pick up my new parts: one fueltank and two topmounts
for the rear struts.
When I got home I primerd those parts and the fuel filler pipe.
Today I finnished the underside of the fuel tank and the fuel filler, they got the same final
paint that I used on the undercarriage.
That long "bracket" that holds one side of the fuel tank got primerd.
The topmounts for the rear struts got their final paint on, hammerite metal paint.
I also did some sandblasting and made the hubs ready for primer.
Pictures:
The underside of the fuel tank has it's final coating on
The fuel filler neck has its final coatign on and the bracket for the tank is primerd
Hubs are primerd, topmounts are painted with hammerite metal paint
Today I started with painting the fuel tank, so it's done now :) At the same time I fixed
some spots on the fuel filler neck and painted the "bracket" for the tank.
Then I took all the parts that have been painted with Hammerite Metal Paint out to dry in
the sun. This paint takes forever to dry.
I also acid treated the crossmember and the brakeshields, but they still need some work before
they are ready for paint.
Then it was time to start mounting things on my car :)
First I installed my fuel pump in its holder and then I installed my AWR trailing arms.
After that I took help from my mother. First we place the tank under the car and raised it
of the ground with some packing material so that I could get in under it.
The fuel filler neck was already mounted the the tank.
It then took me about an hour to get all the bolts in place :S
So the rear parts of the fuel system is now done.
Pictures:
The fuel tank is done :)
Had to paint some more on some spots on the fuel filler neck, but now it's done
The bracket for the tank is done
All the parts that have been painted with Hammerite paint are out and sunbathing
These parts needs some acid treatment
My new and stronger fuel pump is in it's place
The fuel tank and AWR trailing arms are in place :P
Today my goal was to get some paint on the crossmember so I started with acid treating it
and a couple of other parts. After that it was time for a final sandblasting.
And then the moment I hade been waiting on, I painted the crossmember with primer :D
This time I read a little more on the can and noticed that its ready to be painted over quiet
quickly. So after a couple of hours with an heat fan I painted it with Hammerite Metal Paint.
I also tried to get the calipers ready for paint, but what was left of the old paint were very
hard to remove so I only finnished sandblasting that little brake connection that mounts on the
crossmember.
Pictures:
The parts that I need to work on today
The calipers in their bags, ready for sandblasting.....atleast what I thought
Gues which part that is acid treated
Primerd crossmember with a 2kW heatfan in the background
Hammerite is on :)
Crossmember getting ready for Hammerite Metal Paint
...and now it can relax :)
The brake connection that mounts to the crossmember
