'46 Chevy Shorty

[somewhereinusa]

Really, super computer is going to have the vin for a 1946 ANYTHING? Can't wait to hear this conversation.

[Tango]

GE --- definitely a Wayne body and it appears to be in reasonable shape. But...$5K???. I paid a little less than that for mine but it was all there, assembled and running at the time. Somehow, most projects that get torn down never seem to all be there when it's time to put'em back together.

Somewhere --- LOL...the VIN in question was for the 1998 Chevy truck that my rebuilt Dana axle came out of. I do, however, have the serial number for my '46. I think that's about all there was "way back then".

[somewhereinusa]

OH,yeah, brain fart on my part.

[crazycal]

Originally Posted by ol trunt

Hey Tango, you're working too hard. Why not let water, baking soda and a few electrons remove the rust and scale--get the anode cathode thing working for you. Jack

A little something bobbing around in my rust removal tank.

Where can I get more info on this?

[thjakits]

Google up / youtube: ELECTROLYTIC RUST REMOVAL, GAS TANK

I'll post a few links later...

thjakits


edited for:

---- later:

IF you DON'T understand electrolytic rust removal after going through the links below - electrolytic rust removal MAY NOT BE for YOU....


http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=925997

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=477759

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=581870

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=645389

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showpost ... stcount=48

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rC6zoT4oWnA

http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f38/rust- ... 63065.html

http://www.instructables.com/id/Electro ... le-Gas-Ta/

http://www.stovebolt.com/techtips/rust/ ... usting.htm

http://www.rowand.net/Shop/Tools/Electrolysis.htm

http://www.instructables.com/id/Electro ... /?ALLSTEPS

http://web.archive.org/web/200708191527 ... crust.html

Knock yourself out!!

thjakits

[ol trunt]

CC, take a look at page 4 of my "1935 Chevy school bus thread about 1/2 way down the page at nomadicista.org under house buses and house trucks. It will give you a place to start. Jack

[crazycal]

Thank you both.

[Tango]

Taa-Daa !!! --- I got lucky and the wrecking yard where I got my axle was able to track down the correct VIN. As you may recall from a previous rant...Chevrolet dealers can't seem to find their a$$ with either hand these days unless that have the magic code that is apparently the VIN number. Really? Not only that, they couldn't even find their own TRUCK on their system.

"It's a 1998, Chevrolet, 1-ton C-3500 HD dually pickup".

Fer cripes sake...what else do they need!? Google can find it. Yahoo can find it. Even Duck Duck can find it with that information...and an actual Chevrolet DEALERSHIP can't even look it up on their own #@%&# computers!?

Sorry for getting off on that again, but once I gave them the VIN came the next shocker.

Lug nuts are $10.00 a piece through a Chevy dealer!

That means if I want fresh lugs all around it's going to cost me $300.00! I think I will be making more trips to wrecking yards.

The first 5 lugs ($50.00 worth)were needed to protect the bolt while I attempted to "adjust" it. One lug seemed to have gotten whacked enough that the rim would not go on so applied a couple of nuts ($20.00 worth)...then got after it with a big pry bar. Two tweaks and the rim slid on. Apparently the bolts a fairly malleable as it didn't take much to move it the 3mm it was out of alignment.

Anyhow, here is the result...a $70.00 rim that fits and will be held in lace by a hundred bucks worth of lugnuts. Im just glad that the front wheels only use 5 of the lugs.



Onward!

[ol trunt]

I've always enjoyed spending other people's money and I'd like to see you spend whatever it takes to get the same rims to fit front and back. I make that recommendation from experience. Back in 1967 when God was young, I installed a 1957 International transfer case and front axle in my then new Suburban. The Suburban had six lugs and the IH had five. I drove the contraption 100,000 miles that way (mostly in rural Mexico) and have lost track of how many times I busted down those split rims on the side of the road using screw drivers and a hammer thanks to having only enough room to carry one or the other spare wheel. I know I'd be ten years younger now had I not had to change all those tires .

OK, if that doesn't convince you, think about how strange your bus will look with non matching wheels.

OK, if that doesn't convince you, this will: The judges will take major points off for miss matched wheels!

Hope this helps Jack

[Tango]

Thanks for sharing your hard acquired wisdom Jack --- I totally agree. All six wheels will indeed be the same. 19.5 x 6 with tubeless tires. The only question/issue being what I wind up paying for them. Actually, the rims aren't that bad from the Chevy dealer. My main squawk at this time is with the damned ten-buck-a-piece lug nuts! Gimme' a break!

PS...I am soon going out to my friendly neighborhood industrial fastener supply to see what they have as an alternative. I'm guessing maybe sixty-cents a piece.

[sdwarf36]

NAPA has them. And an awsome thick catalog of wheel studs.

[Tango]

Thanks sdwarf --- I will definitely check them out.

[Tango]

sdwarf - thanks again! --- just verified them at $2.60 through NAPA. Outstanding! $65 bucks is a whole lot better than $250.00! Screw the Bowtie Guys!

[Tbart]

Very cool 46 Wayne/Chevy! Have you got your Cummins 4bt swap done? I would like to hear more about it. I have a 240 Silver Diamond in my 51 IHC/Wayne and it would have to blow up twice[ I have a nice spare] but I'd like to get 20 mpg anyway. Gets about 10 now and that's really pretty good compared to some. Heck, I had a ford van that got 6mpg. Hope to see your progress.

[Tango]

Howdy All --- got a little more done today. Now have all the newly fabbed interior wall panels in place on the starboard side. Too many steps to move very fast. Once cut & formed they have to be scoured to remove the scale (hot rolled steel), then a rust treatment applied to both sides, then a couple of coats of the HyTech insulating paint, then a layer of insulation bonded, then positioned and drilled (going through plenty of bits) then attached. At first I planned on self tapping screws but remembered I still had a ton of 1/4" steel pop rivets left over from my old Blue Bird. Much lower profile than any screws which will help when the final finish paneling goes on.

In the middle of all this, I realized I had yet another problem I had totally missed. My original Wane windows will not work after all. Major "DUH" moment. Since they are the drop down type...once I attach the interior panels then build on top of them (sofa/sleeper & such)...the glass could not be repaired without tearing the whole damn bus apart. Not a good plan. So now I have to spring for four custom builts that will allow for glass replacement without de-constructing everything else. What a dumb-a$$! Oh well, better to discover this issue now than later I guess, but I feel like a complete idiot for not identifying the problem sooner. Like a couple of years ago.


Passenger side interior panels riveted in place


The same panels from the outside. A little seam sealer and some butyl tape and the outer skin will be ready to go on. It is progress, but I really need to pick up the pace. Rebuilding this thing pretty much from the ground up makes me wish at times I'd just bought a newer, ready to roll unit and threw in some furnishings.

And I haven't even begun installing the engine, new rear axle, new brake system, new power steering system...etc., etc., etc.

Onward...sort of.

[ol trunt]

Tango, looks like super progress to me! Look at it this way, you'll be able to stuff more foam insulation in where the windows would have gone . Take a look at Home Despot at their series "100" windows. These come in dual pane tempered glass (1/8") with "e" coat and are very inexpensive. Best yet, they fit the wall thickness of these old buses perfectly. They only come in white finished aluminum but they are of top quality. They come in both vertical and horizontal slides with screens. They will even build to suit at no extra cost. You do have to ask for them though as they are not on display. You also need to ask for "block wall" windows or they will have nailing fins you don't want. They seem to be the only thing I bought for my bus that I didn't have to do over Jack

[Tango]

Thanks Jack. At least I'm putting stuff on instead of just pulling it off.

And, speaking of HD windows. I saw some recently that they called "Series 100" but they were vinyl not aluminum. These were by Anderson (who makes a decent window) but I just didn't want plastic. Will check again. Talking to one of the "experts" at Home Depot is totally hit or miss these days. Most of 'em don't seem to have a clue about anything hardware or construction related.

"Toggle bolts? Naw... I don't think so. You'll probably have to go back to the dealer you bought your toggle from for those".

[Tango]

Mill Scale...the bane of anyone working with hot-rolled steel!

Howdy All --- Spent the past coupla days doing the final attachment of two homebuilt window deletes and getting ready to weld on the first large body panel. All the steel I have fabbed is hot rolled, which means it comes with a nasty layer of mill scale that has to be removed before any welding or painting. It is basically high temperature rust that just happens to be black. I spent over three hours trying to clean up 18 x 24 inches as this stuff is seriously tough. Went through a lot of flap disks and managed to get it off but gouged the surface doing so. It is much harder than the steel underneath. And my new body panels are many times the size of that delete. No way I was going to go through that again for days so I wondered about chemistry. I have used acid to remove rust and clean metal before but never had cause to try it on scale. Went online and Googled the subject and low & behold...Muriatic acid is what the pros recommend. Gave it a shot and sure enough...it works!

Some of you folks probably already knew this, but, just in case I wanted to pass it on. Keep the surface wet with the acid for about 15 minutes then hose it off with plenty of water. After that, you can easily polish away any residue with a fine sanding disk or a stripping disk.

Just be sure to take all the precautions necessary when working with any acid...eye protection, long rubber gloves...and...serious ventilation. Muriatic is commonly used around the house to clean grout and concrete but remember...it is the real deal. Muriatic is Hydrochloric acid that has been diluted but it is still strong enough to blind you, eat your skin and fry your lungs. Like a lot of things, it is a great tool, but absolutely must be handled with respect.

Will try and get some pic updates within a day or so.

[claydbal]

dont forget to nuetralize it with vinegar water. have used it to remove aluminum from steel where pistons galled to cylinders!

[ol trunt]

While vinegar solution would make a good rinse solution, it is actually acidic. To neutralize the muriatic acid you would need to use something like a baking soda wash which is basic rather than acidic though I suspect that plain water would do well enough--especially hard water.