My 1967 Belvedere Convertible Plans and Restoration (aka - Mad Scientist Build)

[hunt2elk]

I ended up using a small needle scaler on a lot of my undercoating. Worked great.

 

[tallhair]

PUTTY KNIFE AND A PROPANE TORCH really makes it easy if you want to call it that. I feel for ya 67, that job really sucks but it's gotta be done "at least the car is looking good downstairs".

Thanks 747

Thanks 747Mopar . . . but I have to admit, I'm getting pretty tired of looking at the car from a creeper underneath it ! ! ! I would REALLY like to see what my car looks like as most of the world is going to see it ! ( LOL ) . . . But I do want the bottom to have that "clean" look too . . . so it's all part of the job.

Since I started doing a lot of this work in the heat of the summer, the use of a propane torch was "not" that appealing to me ( LOL ) . . . so I tried it without the torch and got really good results - so I just kept at it with the scraper. Now that it's getting colder outside - I might have to reconsider the torch option ! ! ! Help with warming up the shop at the same time.

Since I have not tried the torch scraper method - I can't provide any insight, positive or negative, to the results or ease of removal.
( is this where I have to say "Your results may vary" ) ( smile )

Thanks for the pic above I've used the stiff scarper and it does seem to work well on what little I've done so far. I wonder if it'll be more brittle and make chip off easier in the cold he said hopefully

Be careful with the torch and don't light something on fire like the undercoating or yourself

 

[conv67bdere]

I ended up using a small needle scaler on a lot of my undercoating. Worked great.

H2E . . . HF has some at their store for - compact version $30 and full sized $60 . . . thought about picking it up to see how it worked - but my work is almost done. Might still go and pick it up, maybe it'll last long enough to help me finish up the job ? ? ? ( sigh )

- - - Updated - - -

Be careful with the torch and don't light something on fire like the undercoating or yourself

Roger that . . . but it would be a way to warm thing up in a hurry ! ! ! ( smirk )

 

[tallhair]

I ended up using a small needle scaler on a lot of my undercoating. Worked great.

Damn if it speeds up the work and don't cost too much that's well worth it!

H2E . . . HF has some at their store for - compact version $30 and full sized $60 . . . thought about picking it up to see how it worked - but my work is almost done. Might still go and pick it up, maybe it'll last long enough to help me finish up the job ? ? ? ( sigh )

Not bad!

 

[hunt2elk]

H2E . . . HF has some at their store for - compact version $30 and full sized $60 . . . thought about picking it up to see how it worked - but my work is almost done. Might still go and pick it up, maybe it'll last long enough to help me finish up the job ? ? ? ( sigh )

That small one HF sells is the one I bought. Figured this will probably be the only time it gets used so no sense buying a "good" one. It held up just fine.

 

[conv67bdere]

That small one HF sells is the one I bought. Figured this will probably be the only time it gets used so no sense buying a "good" one. It held up just fine.

Thanks Hunt2Elk . . . I'll take you reccommendation and I'll run with it ! ! ! ( smile ) . . .

Gonna see how it works . . . walked in the door of HF at 5:57 - the guy tells me they're closing in 3 minute . . . I said "OK" . . . got the scaler, paid for it and walked out the door before the guy even had a chance to lock it . . . I think he was shocked ! !

Heading out to the shop now to see what this thing can do . . . I'll get pictures and report back shortly.

 

[conv67bdere]

Needle scaler - test one . . . What is this and what can it do ? ?

THANKS H2E . . . all I can say is - let's take a look a sample test of this thing . . .

Here's an example of what this thing can do . . .

First, here's what a Needle Scaler looks like ( I've never heard of it before )



So I shot a picture of a part of a frame rail that had some undercoating on it for a quick test . . .
This is the before shot:



Less than 1 minute later . . . this is the after shot . . . same area



I had meant to come back in the house and post this on the thread . . . but this thing works SO GOOD,

I just spent 2 hours tearing into the remaining undercoating left on the trunk area of my car and have this to report . . . The spare area - I was wondering "how" I was going to get into these areas to clean them up . . .

This is the before shot . . .



And they were not even a challenge for this tool . . .



Trunk extensions . . . the before shot ( yeah, this is the driver side ) . . .



And after shot . . . on the passenger side . . .



This is the frame where the leaf spring shackle attaches . . . the before shot . . .



And the after shot - even all the cubby holes have been cleaned out ! ! !



Tomorrow night - and a couple more hours of work and I'll be able to wrap up the undercoating removal ! ! !

Conclusion - For $30 ( plus I used my 20% off coupon ) this tool is WELL WORTH it ! ! !
And it makes the job of undercoating removal "almost" enjoyable . . . I said "almost" . . . give me a break ! ! !

 

[roadrunnerman]

Ok, that tool is now on my wish list.

 

[conv67bdere]

Ok, that tool is now on my wish list.

Yeah Roadrunnerman . . . It's on my wish list too . . . the Wish I would have got it a LONG TIME ago list ! ! !

( SMILE )

 

[tallhair]

Yeah Roadrunnerman . . . It's on my wish list too . . . the Wish I would have got it a LONG TIME ago list ! ! !

( SMILE )

Gonna be gettin me one of those .. can't afford not to

[video=youtube_share;Xha4xY-dMrQ]http://youtu.be/Xha4xY-dMrQ[/video]

 

[tallhair]

I bought one at lunch with my interweb 25% discount coupon. Thanks for the tip Elk and the examples Conv67bdere

 

[747mopar]

Wow, I might buy one now. While we're on tools here's something else you will love if you don't already have one "Best thing since sliced bread". They will take a crummy looking part (painted, rusty, etc) from yuck to bare clean steal in no time without damaging the metal and leaving a perfect finish for paint, primer or whatever. Trust me if you buy one you'll wear it out and buy more. I buy the big ones for a 4" grinder 4"-6" one's work great but if doing smaller stuff with nooks and crannies the smaller ones get it done. They would take what you have now and really clean it up nice. http://i01.i.aliimg.com/wsphoto/v1/...nt-disc-cleaning-grinding-font-b-wheels-b.jpg

 

[tallhair]

Wow, I might buy one now. While we're on tools here's something else you will love if you don't already have one "Best thing since sliced bread". They will take a crummy looking part (painted, rusty, etc) from yuck to bare clean steal in no time without damaging the metal and leaving a perfect finish for paint, primer or whatever. Trust me if you buy one you'll wear it out and buy more. I buy the big ones for a 4" grinder 4"-6" one's work great but if doing smaller stuff with nooks and crannies the smaller ones get it done. They would take what you have now and really clean it up nice. http://i01.i.aliimg.com/wsphoto/v1/...nt-disc-cleaning-grinding-font-b-wheels-b.jpg

I can attest to those things and just bought another today while I was out picking up the descaler. Those discs also work excellent on gasket surfaces

 

[conv67bdere]

I bought one at lunch with my interweb 25% discount coupon. Thanks for the tip Elk and the examples Conv67bdere

Hey Tallhair . . .that didn't take long . . . I'll be curious to get your thoughts on the scaler ! !

- - - Updated - - -

Wow, I might buy one now. While we're on tools here's something else you will love if you don't already have one "Best thing since sliced bread". They will take a crummy looking part (painted, rusty, etc) from yuck to bare clean steal in no time without damaging the metal and leaving a perfect finish for paint, primer or whatever. Trust me if you buy one you'll wear it out and buy more. I buy the big ones for a 4" grinder 4"-6" one's work great but if doing smaller stuff with nooks and crannies the smaller ones get it done. They would take what you have now and really clean it up nice. http://i01.i.aliimg.com/wsphoto/v1/...nt-disc-cleaning-grinding-font-b-wheels-b.jpg

747Mopar . . . it would be $30 well spent in my opinion ! ! ! I've also bought some of those pads too and they do work great ! ! !


Ugh . . . it's cold outside ( and i my shop ) and I'm putting off going out there and freezing to remove undercoating ! ! !
Guess I better get moving. . . it's not going to get done all by itself . . . ( although I can hope )

 

[conv67bdere]

More undercoating removal . . . and bucket number 4 ! ! !

Finally got my behind out to the shop in the cold and started to work . . . got a fire in the fireplace for when I returned ! ! !

First thing . . . the core support I've been letting sit undone . . . is because it's got something that I'm not sure what to do . . .

Here's the setup for the core support : marked the holes with marker for reference:



There is a threaded hole on both sides that will be covered by the core support.
Any ideas what goes into the holes ? ? A lot of the car was disassembled when I got it . . .



Here's a nice example of a cubby that needed to be cleaned . . .



And the results of the work with the scaler - maybe 2 minutes total . . .



Cleaning the driver side I pulled these big chunks of bondo out of the side of the car . . .



Which was shoved into these holes and painted over to hide the damage . . .
No biggie . . . I'm going to get the thing fixed the right way this time.
Another thing - the scaler will let you know where you have weak metal too ! ! !



Had the mother load of undercoating in here . . . 1/2 inch thick in some places . . . it was THICK
But the mess has been all cleared out now - take a look ! ! !



And the load of undercoating that was removed . . . 1 1/2 hours work . . .



And . . . we've gotten a full bucket number 4 ! ! ! Almost time for the final weigh in ! ! !



Got about another hour of final touch up and clean up . . . and I'll be DONE with undercoating removal. The sad thing about it that this scaler would have probably cut my time on removal in half . . . if not more ! ! !

If you're removing undercoating, and you're even "considering" this tool . . . I'd highly recommend you get it and give it a try . . . you won't regret it.

 

[kb67mopar]

I have to apologize Larry. I knew about the descaler and have been using that exact HF model for over a year. Its an awesome tool for the money and works great. I did the whole under carriage of my coronet with it except I used it to flake off the loose coating only. Then I sealed with black paint and re undercoated the whole car with professional grade sound deadener/rust preventer

 

[conv67bdere]

I have to apologize Larry. I knew about the descaler and have been using that exact HF model for over a year. Its an awesome tool for the money and works great. I did the whole under carriage of my coronet with it except I used it to flake off the loose coating only. Then I sealed with black paint and re undercoated the whole car with professional grade sound deadener/rust preventer

No apology needed KB . . . I'm as much at fault . . . I read about it when I first got on this site but never heard of a needle scaler before - even went to HF and looked at it, but didn't get it. Still had no idea "what" it could do . . . Oh well . . . live and learn !

My goal was to show others what it could do and save them the doubt of what this tool can do . . . hopefully it helps others.

Best lessons ever learned are the ones that hurt . . . so I've learned ! ! ! ( smile )

 

[conv67bdere]

Rainy, cold, and wet outside tonight . . . YUCK !

Took apart the dash that I had in the house tonight . . . to see what I've got . . .

And I've got a mess where they "hacked" the radio into the dash . . .



Going to be an interesting task getting this mess cut out of the dash and replaced with good metal . . .

Guess we're going to find out about my "fab" work here . . . ( gulp ) . . . You are a tough group to measure up to ! !

- - - Updated - - -

HELP . . . I have no idea what this hole is for, but it's kinda in the way of my new core support.

Can anyone show me a picture of what attaches here ? ?



I've not attached the core because I don't want to lose these holes if they are needed . . .

They've got me baffled . . . anybody know ? ? ?

 

[747mopar]

Just guessing but given where they are "maybe a fender brace"????????? Most fenders have a rod connected to the bottom fronts to stiffen them.

 

[bink220]

Hello, I use Restoration Specialties out of Windber Pa. Some of the best rubber products I have used. They are a family run business and they are Mopar people. Eager to answer any question's you may have, very good to deal with. Good luck with your car.

I'm working on a 66 Belvedere 2 door hard top, 383 4 speed car. I've owned this car since 1967, 33,000 mile on the car. Anyway, good luck on your project. If I can be of any help, just ask.

Restoration Specialties
PO Box 328
Windber, Pa. 15963
Phone: 814-467-9842
www.restorationspecialties.com