Ive recently picked up a 26 T Coupe that is pretty solid but 100% rusty and pitted. Do these bodies come apart?
How about acid dipping; Ive heard some bad things but what else is there that will get into all the places?
The belt line molding around the rear is pretty bad.
Any good sites to visit or books to read? Goal is a blown flatty on A rails.
Carl
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Carl
Automotive gold is everywhere; you just have to learn how to dig for it

Mr. Merc,
You say it is badly pitted? Inside and out? The problem here is, by the time you get the rust removed, whether by dipping or media blasting, the metal is going to be so thin you will have nothing left. I hope you didn't pay alot for the body, guy. It's probably not savable. Mark

It is pitted in a few places but not badly and nowhere deep enough to become swiss cheese. Except for maybe an inch of actual rot at a few places along the bottom and at the rear belt molding the body is suprisingly straight and true. The deal included fenders, running boards, splash aprons, hood, radiator shell, and doors that are in excellent condx, looks as if they were stored indoors for decades. Only the deck lid is missing.

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Carl
Automotive gold is everywhere; you just have to learn how to dig for it

Yea, it doesn't sound THAT bad... There is a neat series of articles getting started In Street Rodder. They are doing a Model A Sedan. I think you will find it is exactly what you need to know and do. I have a '31 Tudor Sedan that is it's own basket right now (the chassis is started). I will be pulling the body apart this summer. It's really not that hard and sure makes it easier to the body work... Just do one panel at a time! I will have mine media blasted and will prime with Dupont Vari-Prime. It will seal everything up till I get her back together and ready to finish. Mark

I'm sure it's salvagable. I had surface rust and pits on my Plymouth, and it came out fine. Real strong metal. If you remove it like I did, with an orbital sander, and cup wire brush, make sure there's no leaded seams, I learned the hard way. Make sure you seal it with a quality primer/ sealer. PPG K36 takes pits out with a nice build up and block sanding. Good luck with the project.
Bob

If you are into doing things yourself, you might consider what I did.

I got one of those cheap 40lb sand blasters from Harbor Freight for like $80. Then used playground sand (make sure to wear a good mask), and sand blasted my 32' down to bare metal. this provides an excellent surface to bond metal etching primer to. The pits will need some surfacer or stop putty, but if you don't mind spending a lot of time cleaning up, you can do it yourself for very little money.

No heat warping because the amount of pressure and abrasive material is too small. Feel free to ask me for more if you are interested.

Dipping gets acid in areas that might not dry out, so I am a little afraid of the long term corrosion factor, though the electrostatic primer some places offer is really good too.

you might want to try ospho . It works pretty good on rust. When I was commercial fishing ,we used it on steel on the boats. Company is skybrite co. 3125 perkins ave cleveland ,ohio 44114 RP peggys other half
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Peggy Diegan

I bought a frame from Florida that was covered with ospho. It did work great. I am not sure what needs to be done to prep that for paint. I will probably end up using metal prep and scotch bright, but getting in all the nooks and crannies is difficult.

I have been frequenting the bulliten board on www.autobodystore.com the people there swear by a product called Ras-o-Nil. Suposedly this product gets sprayed directly over the pits and surface rust, and it seals it solid. then you apply epoxy primer over that, and then use the filler primers to build up to a smooth surface.
They have done numerous tests on it and so far it has gotten very good reviews.
With the cost of sandpaper, and the amount of time it takes to bring a rusted surface down to bare metal, it sure makes sense to use it if it works.
Good luck
Jim Callaghan

All I can say is TNX for all the input and ideas. As I initially mentioned this is my first T and Im wide open for assistance.
I didnt know that the T was a bolt together car but it sure makes things easy.
Just came home with a 29 A frame.


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Carl
Automotive gold is everywhere; you just have to learn how to dig for it