Читать книгу How to Restore Your GTO: 1964-1974 - Don Keefe - Страница 8
ОглавлениеWhen evaluating your particular car for restoration, be sure you have a realistic expectation of the project, your skill level, and your intended use. This assumes that your car will be restored as a weekend driver/ cruise night car and not necessarily for concours competition. Hence, you need to define the level of restoration you’re willing to take on. This decision also dictates just how far down you intend to take the car when disassembling.
Planning, Tracking and Budgeting
Use a ledger or spreadsheet to organize, review, and track the progress of your project. Track the parts you need to buy and the procedures you need to perform, and you can have the entire project broken down into stages. Therefore, it helps you complete a component-group restoration and reminds you of all the important steps, but also guides you through the entire process.
The proper disassembly of your GTO may well be a precursor to your success with the entire project. If you do it the right way from the start, it will save you a lot of time and frustration down the road. Take lots of photos, tag and bag parts, keep a journal, and make short videos to show how things go together. It may take longer to do all of this in the beginning but following these simple rules will help ensure a successful outcome. Fooling yourself into thinking you will remember where every part goes is asking for trouble. (Photo Courtesy Scott Tiemann)
For a spreadsheet, assign columns to priority, procedure, parts, projected cost, actual cost, project hours, and projected hours. In the priority column, assign a level of importance to each procedure in the restoration. In many cases, a restorer cannot restore every component or area of a car at once, so assign a level of importance to each task. Therefore, if you cannot afford paint right now, but sometime in the future, you should assign painting a 4.
However, say you want a strong daily driver, but the engine is blowing and leaking oil. You did a compression test and most cylinders are way down on compression. As a result, your engine needs to be rebuilt and that is a top priority, so you assign a number 1 to that project. In the procedure, you need to define what you’re restoring on the car, such as patch quarter panel, install new seat covers, rebuild rear differential, and so on. Next, define the parts for the part job, such as seat covers, quarter panel, or pinion ring and carrier parts. Once that is accomplished, determine a realistic budget for the parts and the procedures. If you are performing the work yourself, budget in the amount of time it will take and you can choose not to pay yourself. If you have someone else subcontracted to perform a procedure, such as priming and painting, then you need to allocate a realistic budgeted cost. That budgeted cost should come from an estimate provided by the body shop. Finally, fill out the actual cost and hours of a particular procedure once it’s been completed.
In reality, you will find out that the planned budget and schedule are often very different than the actual budget and schedule. Therefore, you may have a what you consider as a realistic budget and time schedule for completing the work, but you build in 15 to 20 percent more time and allocated budget. Why? Because even with the best-laid plans, there’s unforeseen work and circumstances that arise during a complex project.
When the time comes to disassemble your GTO project car, a few basic things must be taken care of before any wrenches start turning and before any mistakes are made. The idea is to plan ahead and make sure that parts coming off the car are not lost, damaged, or otherwise taken out of service. If they are broken or worn, that is one thing. If they are lost or broken because you didn’t properly manage them, that costs you additional time, money, and hassle. The idea of restoring a car should be fun, so make sure that what you are doing is helping that idea along, not hurting it.
Supplies to Help You Get Organized
Using a camera can make your restoration project much, much easier. It does not need to be expensive, one of those little point-and-shoot digitals is just fine.
Today, 12-megapixel cameras with a movie-making feature can be had for less than $150. Look for a small, durable camera with a built-in flash to take photos and video. These can be purchased anywhere, from Target to Walmart to Amazon.com. A contractor-grade camera would be a plus, as it can be knocked around more than a regular consumer version. Those are available at Lowe’s, Home Depot, and other similar retailers.
An inexpensive yet sturdy tripod is a good investment. They are available anywhere for less than $35.
As parts are removed, they can be photographed. You can also shoot a short video to record how something came apart. This can be helpful if the procedure was difficult or if pieces were missing. That way, you’re not spending a lot of time looking for something that wasn’t there in the first place.
Other items you should invest in are a notebook (preferably a looseleaf binder with paper), adhesive labels, tags, and Zip-Loc bags, in various sizes.
Parts should be labeled with a code or descriptive phrase, either on the part itself or on the plastic bag, which is then recorded in the notebook. The notebook identifies the part and the related fasteners, as well as how many bags or items there are for that system and any detail you need to remember.
For example, let’s say that the left front suspension has been removed. The procedure was photographed and there is a pile of parts now lying on your garage floor. By taking a few minutes to gather all of the main components, tagging the large pieces, bagging the smaller items, coding them with something like “LFS,” and recording in the binder when the items were removed and any pertinent details, the chances of problems arising because you lost or forgot something is greatly reduced.
There is no question that using this method of recording and cataloging adds time to the teardown of the car. However, the extra time you invest at the beginning of the restoration saves time and frustration when it is time to put it all back together. Taking a car apart is a lot easier than assembling it.
I am a very organized person and I know some great techniques for managing a restoration. I learned them all the hard way by not following common-sense procedures and doing all of the stupid things that people often do. My biggest lesson learned? Never rely solely on your memory! Here are four tips that will keep you out of trouble:
1. Photograph every part as you remove it.
2. Tag or catalog each part.
3. Do not mix components from one system with another.
4. Organize and bag smaller system components and fasteners.
From the list above, you probably get a pretty good idea of the focus of this chapter. The last thing you need is a bunch of mystery bolts or small pieces rolling around on the garage floor getting lost or damaged. The old joke about fixing a car and having extra pieces left over is no joke when it happens to you and you have no idea where those things are supposed to be. The goal of this chapter is to help you prevent these kinds of problems.
The location where your restoration project takes place should be a clean, secure area that does not get high foot traffic or unwanted attention. Ideally, it should be no smaller than a two-car garage. You need one bay for the car itself and the other for space to organize the removed parts and to do the actual work. The work area should have a bench and/or a sturdy worktable that safely holds heavy castings and other parts.
While it is true that people have successfully restored vehicles in smaller spaces and even outdoors, the chances of pieces being lost, damaged, or stolen go up dramatically. It is also beneficial to have a storage area for pieces not being worked on. A remote rented storage area can be helpful for storing larger components, though transportation and cost can become a factor.
The depth and detail of your project dictate tool purchases. Will you be doing your own bodywork and paint? If not, you can skip the body hammers and spray gun and put those resources toward items you will be using.
You need a full set of high-quality hand tools, including a full socket set with 1/4-, 3/8-, and 1/2-inch-drive ratchets. You also need a full set of screwdrivers, prybars, hammers, and a variety of specialty tools that can be rented or borrowed. In addition, use Craftsman, Husky, Rigid, or a similar brand that has a lifetime warranty and a reputation for high quality. You don’t need professional tools, but if you can afford them, why not? But remember, you’re going to be challenged through the entire restoration process, and cheap tools often do not precisely fit the fasteners and round off nuts, strip off bolt head, and make a mess off a job that otherwise could have been accomplished in far less time. A trim removal tool allows you to safely remove windshield moldings without breaking off the delicate retention tabs. A screwdriver used in this operation pretty much guarantees a damaged part.
You do need a quality socket set, screwdrivers, a torque wrench, various hammers and mallets for “massaging” jammed or sticking parts, metal or approved plastic containers for gasoline, oil, anti-freeze and other liquids, and draining pans.
A welder is an essential tool for completing serious bodywork projects. The most popular is a MIG welder because it’s easy to use. MIG welding is commonly used for thin-steel body panels because the heat can be effectively controlled to prevent warping the panels. In addition, MIG can weld aluminum and provides high-strength welds for frames, suspension, steering, and other parts. A welder is a handy item to have in your home shop but make sure you have the proper safety equipment and know how to operate it. It is very easy to burn through sheet metal with one. Operating a welder is a science and an art, and not something you proficiently learn in one day. So you may need instruction to learn how to effectively complete projects with it. If you need to learn how to weld, look for continuing education classes in your local school district or at a nearby community college. A perfectly-formed bead is a wonderful thing and is a skill well worth learning.
For power tools, a compressor is a wonderful and invaluable tool that saves an immense amount of time with most operations. Pneumatic lines, an air-impact wrench, sockets, and grinding wheels ease the burden of disassembly and help speed up assembly procedures. Your shop needs 220-volt electrical service, which may involve some upgrades to your wiring.
Other tools that make life easier include transmission jacks, an engine hoist, an arc welder, and hub pullers of various sizes. These are items that you can purchase, rent, or even borrow (from friends, relatives, or coworkers) as you need them.
Some fasteners are torqued with more than 100 ft-lbs and are difficult to remove. A compressor is essential equipment for many of the procedures performed during a restoration. A single-stage air compressor is adequate for many smaller jobs. If, however, you’re going to paint, you need a two-stage compressor with a large tank to maintain consistent air pressure for extended periods. It powers air wrenches, grinders, paint sprayers, and countless other items. Take special care when using an air wrench to loosen rusty bolts, as it can easily break off the heads, which is a frustrating and time-consuming operation to correct.
Some specialized tools are fairly inexpensive, but greatly assist you in your restoration project. A small assortment of trim-removal tools goes a long way to helping preserve the delicate stainless moldings, as they are often quite fragile and easily break if the clips aren’t properly releasing the parts. The fact that they are expensive and usually hard to find makes purchasing the right tool for the job a high priority.
This is a common sight during body disassembly and inspection. Water pooled up around the windshield and backlight and over time it rusted through. Pontiac GTOs are like most other cars of the 1960s in this regard. If you can see rust damage beyond the molding, there absolutely will be more hiding under it. To fix this problem, remove the windshield trim, windshield adhesive, and windshield. Once removed, you can see rust damage from years of invasive moisture. At this stage, you need to thoroughly clean out the area and remove the water, leaves, and whatever else is in there. Then media blast the area to remove all the rust and to get down to the bare metal. In some cases, an entirely new windshield mounting channel needs to be fabricated. (Photo Courtesy Scott Tiemann)
If your project becomes a body-off affair, a rotisserie is a good investment. Having the ability to take a bare body and flip it upside-down for repair and body-panel replacement is a benefit that is well worth the added expense. If you are especially handy and know how to weld, you can build one yourself. There are plans and kits available on the Internet and if you don’t want to spend $1,500 or $2,000 for one, this is a very viable alternative. Just put the phrase “auto rotisserie kits and plans” in your favorite search engine and find what is best for your project and budget.
The initial disassembly is likely to be a straightforward affair, though inevitably, there will be some slowdowns. Perhaps some bolts will strip or round out. Maybe some pieces will be rusted together and refuse to separate.
The best way to minimize those troubles is to use the correct tool for the job. That can mean something as simple as using the correct-size screwdriver instead of whatever is close by. In addition, it means using a six-point socket instead of a sloppy, adjustable wrench or a trim tool instead of a screwdriver to remove a delicate windshield molding. Be sure to use a good penetrating oil on rusty bolts (such as exhaust manifold bolts or other engine fasteners), particularly if they have been subjected to heating and cooling cycles. Several good products are available at any auto parts store. Some restorers have their own recipes for penetrating oil, using automatic transmission fluid and kerosene. I have had great success with a product called Blaster. I don’t know what the exact formula is, but it has worked better than anything I have used in the past and made easy work of loosening corroded and frozen engine fasteners.
As part of making a specific task list for the restoration process, carefully inspect and evaluate the body. From this list, you can compile a parts list and then develop a cost estimate for completing the restoration project. In the case of this 1964 GTO, body filler was used to repair this rust hole, but it was done incorrectly. This time around it will be done the right way, with the addition of a sheet-metal patch. In this particular restoration, it was important to retain as much of the originality of the car as possible, so the original fender was retained and repaired. (Photo Courtesy Scott Tiemann)
You are sure to find some surprises during the disassembly process. With a car that is 40-plus years old, it is very likely that some areas will be in worse shape than expected. Old collision damage may reveal itself, as well as some substandard repairs. Hidden rust-outs on the inner body structure or frame may be revealed as well. Cracks can also be seen, particularly around engine mounts or suspension mounting points. Also, if your GTO spent time in the rust belt, don’t be surprised if your car has a good deal of body filler. Being from Upstate New York, I have seen many cars that appeared to be straight end up having substantial amounts of filler in them. The Northeast is full of skilled Bondo sculptors, so bring a magnet.
If your car came with a vinyl top, expect a significant amount of corrosion damage. It is pretty much inevitable that a vinyl-topped car from that era, GTO or otherwise, will need some rust repair, usually around windshield channels.
Unless you are planning on a correct, as-built restoration, my recommendation is to remove the vinyl top, store the trim pieces in a safe place, and finish the car with a steel top. Alternately, the car could also be finished as a two-tone, using the vinyl-top trim. If you are going to all the trouble of repairing the roof, welding in new window channel, prepping and painting, why set yourself up for another rust problem later on?
It’s true that body-off restorations are what you typically see in car magazines and at the large collector car auctions. However, your decision to pull the body off the frame and perform a ground-up restoration should be dictated by the condition of the car, your individual situation, and the intended use—not by what everyone else does. Remember, you are the one doing the work (or most of it) and financing the project. You will also be reaping the rewards of your labor, so decide what is best for you and your GTO. If you are restoring the car as a weekend driver, the “necessity” level drops considerably.
If your car happens to be a rust-free example from the Southwest or is not in need of a significant amount of rust repair and/or weld-in panel replacement, skip separating the body from the frame and refurbish them as a single unit. I have seen cars from California, Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico with completely worn-out interiors, suspensions, and drivetrains, but they were in completely rust-free condition.
Successfully finishing a complete GTO restoration is no small task, and when taking on that task, you need to organize and document the entire process. Simply going off memory when disassembling the vehicle and its many components is a recipe for disaster. This book provides detailed instruction and the factory manuals have detailed parts schematics, but you need to document how complex components are disassembled. I strongly recommend that you take extensive notes in a notebook or an Excel file, so that when disassembly commences, the process progresses steadily and smoothly with a minimal amount of hassle. In addition, I also recommend using a digital camera. For a resto job, a small point-and-shoot camera, with both still-photo and video capabilities, is an invaluable aid in the documentation of your restoration. You can even record short movies showing how some of the more complex assemblies go together. These feature-packed little workhorses are in the $150 to $200 range and the quality just keeps getting better.
One car in particular still had the paper tags on the exhaust system after decades of exposure to the elements. Of course, the paint was fried, the drivetrain was worn, and the interior looked like Godzilla’s playpen, but every bolt came off without damage and the only rust on the entire car was light oxidation where some paint had worn off.
With cars in this condition, there really isn’t any reason to pull the body off. But if you need to replace trunk, floorpans, and quarters, a body-off restoration is the better route, and chances are you will save time with a rotisserie.
Focus your restoration for a particular goal. Not all GTOs are created equal, meaning super-rare high-performance GTOs will always be worth more than the run-of-the mill cars. There are many levels of restoration—from functional non-original transportation to the 100-point concours car that looks the same as the day it rolled off the showroom floor. Most owners restore a GTO somewhere in between these two extremes. These Goat lovers end up with a highly authentic GTO that’s restored with some original parts, but also with many reproduction parts. In addition, these cars often have updated disc brakes, modern shocks, digital electronic ignition systems, and other bolt-on parts that don’t affect value. Once you develop a goal for your particular restoration, this gives you a clear restoration target to achieve. To arrive at that goal, you define the time, materials, and appropriate parts for restoring your particular GTO. In addition, you are able to develop a realistic budget and invest a wise amount of money in your project and don’t overspend.
A rare Ram Air-IV Judge commands prices of $75,000 or more, and therefore, most owners want to restore the car to factory-original condition because it retains its maximum value in that condition. Hence, a car of this pedigree demands professional-caliber body-off restoration if the body needs extensive work. A top professional shop should be enlisted to restore it, especially if it’s going to compete in shows. A novice restorer isn’t capable of restoring a car to 100-point concours condition.
Many first-time restorers do not attempt a frame-off restoration, and for good reason. A full frame-up restoration is at a level of complexity beyond most first timers. However, the most thorough and highest quality restorations are rotisserie restorations. The body is essentially mounted on a jig, where you media blast, cut out the bad metal, install the good metal, and do all the finishing work necessary. A rotisserie goes a long way to speeding panel replacement. The ability to spin the body shell upside-down speeds replacement of the rockers, quarters, and floorpan. (Photo Courtesy Scott Tiemann)
On the other end of the spectrum, a common 1970 GTO 400 2-barrel automatic car was built in the thousands and does not have the collector cache as the rare Ram Airs, Tri-Powers, or Judges. As such, this vehicle is the perfect candidate for a first-time restorer because it doesn’t need the highest degree of originality, and the restoration shouldn’t come at enormous expense. Critical mistakes with a pedigree car can cost tens of thousands of dollars. With the time, patience, research, and the ability to develop and enhance mechanical and bodywork skills, restoring a high-performance and reliable GTO is well within your reach.
Fasteners, bolts, and nuts that haven’t moved in 40 years and have been exposed to road salt, grime, grease, and all types of corrosion don’t want to move. In many cases, it’s a battle to remove the body parts, suspension, brakes, and so on. During this process, penetrating oil and WD-40 are your friends, and you use a lot of them. Spray the fasteners 24 hours before you plan to start disassembly. Treat the fasteners just before you start. In cases where heat can be applied, use a propane torch so the threads break their bond and can be removed. A good penetrating oil goes a long way to freeing rusty fasteners and speeding up disassembly. I have had very good luck with Blaster brand penetrating oil, which comes in an aerosol can and can be purchased at most auto parts stores.
Your level of restoration also determines the parts you will use for that restoration. If you’re restoring a rare Goat to compete on the show car circuit, you must carefully select and use parts that are accepted by the particular organization judging the car. In these cases, many restorers use NOS parts. Finding and buying these parts adds a level of expense and complexity to your restoration. These NOS parts may be three or more times expensive than reproduction parts. If you’re building a daily driver, high-buck NOS parts are simply unnecessary, and therefore high-quality reproduction parts are the wiser choice. But keep in mind that GTOs are different than Mustangs and Camaros. Many reproduction parts including body, interior, suspension, steering, and other parts, are readily available for the GTO. But some common parts, such as full quarter panels, are currently not offered as reproduction parts. So if your rare pedigree or pedestrian GTO needs full rear quarter panels, you may have to fabricate two panels into one. Once again, that is professional metal-work skill that few budding or beginner restorers possess.
As parts come off your car, make notes about their condition. Can they be cleaned, repaired, painted, and reused or will you have to locate and purchase replacements? Sometimes the decision to repair or replace is not always obvious. If the crankshaft comes out in two pieces, your decision has already been made for you, but it usually isn’t that easy. Try to work with what you have whenever you can, even if it means using some creative methods to save the items.
For example, is it better to patch repair the lower section of a front fender or replace it altogether? The answer depends on the severity of the rust damage, the overall viability of the original panel, and the cost to repair versus replacing with a rust-free used piece or a reproduction. If you are handy with a welder, chances are you can save a few bucks by repairing what you have, though the quality of the repair needs to be high enough to ensure the proper appearance and/or function. You may also save some time with body panel alignment by keeping your repaired original fender versus buying a reproduction, though the quality of the repair also plays a role in that operation.
A body-off restoration is the most complete and thorough restoration for a GTO. When separating the body from the frame, you have full access to the frame rails, chassis, and body. The body can be mounted to a rotisserie for media blasting and painting. But most importantly, when the body is separated from the frame, you can cut out all the rusted panels, and replace them with fresh sheet metal for the highest level of restoration. (Photo Courtesy Scott Tiemann)
Another area where the decision may not be very easy is with trim pieces. As long as you don’t actually break the pieces as you remove them, they can likely be repaired. This is one area where reproduction pieces aren’t going to fit quite as well as originals. While reproduction parts are an option when pieces are missing and unobtainable through used parts channels, they should be used only after all attempts to fix the originals have failed.
The damage to this lower windshield molding is not enough to warrant replacement. Once the windshield has been removed from the car, the dent can be removed with some delicate hammer work on the back side of the trim piece. It can then be polished back to its original luster, even removing the steel-wool marks. (Photo Courtesy Scott Tiemann)
On the bright side, a professional trim repair shop can effectively repair stainless steel, pot metal, and aluminum trim pieces—even those that most restorers might think are beyond saving. Get on one of the Pontiac-oriented message boards and look for advice on finding a reputable company that provides good results for the money.
The truth is, plans change, and sometimes for the better. As you are disassembling your car, you are learning a lot. You may well be learning things you don’t want to know, and the scope of the restoration may end up changing. What may have started out as a repaint and interior freshening may end up as a body-off project if a substantial number of surprises pop up.
It is okay if your initial plan for the restoration needs some modifications or even a complete rethink. While it may take some extra time to change course or line up some additional specialists to get the job done, the idea here is to take it in stride. Don’t get upset about the initial easy plan that becomes a major job. Most importantly, don’t become discouraged, even if you feel you were misled about the condition of the car when you purchased it. With the availability of reproduction sheet metal and the power of the Internet to find just about any used part, most problems can be worked through. Keep your composure and your eye on the prize: a successful outcome.
It’s Really a Parts Car–Now What?
If you find the worst-case scenario has happened and your restoration project is not a viable candidate, but rather is a parts car, you still have several options. Above all else, don’t fall in love with it. Falling in love with a parts car is like falling in love with a really bad girl. Both will leave you disillusioned, heartbroken, and of course, financially drained. Fall in love with the idea of owning a GTO, not necessarily this particular parts car. If you need to break up with this GTO, consider thes options:
• Sell this GTO as a parts car. This works best if the car hasn’t been significantly dismantled.
• Buy another GTO and use your current car for parts. This can actually be your best plan, particularly if the second car is in need of pieces that are still good on your donor car.
• Part it out and use the proceeds to purchase another GTO. This is a good option if the GTO is no longer a complete car but a huge pile of parts. Chances are you can make some money to find a better car and aid others in their projects by going in this direction.
Trying to restore a parts car is almost a rite of passage. Resisting the urge to restore a parts car is a sign of wisdom.
The restoration is well underway in this photo. The front clip has been removed and the cowl is exposed. You need to determine the level of restoration to your GTO. If you’re restoring a car to be judged, then a full body-off restoration is warranted. If your car is this clean and doesn’t require much body work (and more importantly if it will be a daily driver), you don’t need to disassemble it down to the frame. Therefore, if you believe that you will save time in the long run without compromising the quality of your driver restoration, leave them together. (Photo Courtesy Scott Tiemann)
One area that I cannot stress enough is the use of quality jackstands and related equipment. This is an area where cutting corners can literally kill you. Spend the money to get quality equipment because there is nothing worse than a tragic outcome.
Also, proper ventilation is a must. While many cars are sprayed in a paint booth for professional results, some restorers paint their cars in their own shop. If you are going to be painting in your shop, be sure to have the proper masks and filtration. Some paints are ridiculously toxic, and even welding galvanized metal creates very dangerous fumes. Be sure to check with your paint manufacturer for guidelines to the proper use of their products. Different types of paint require different precautions and procedures.
Make sure you are doing everything the right way; nothing slows down a restoration like hospitalization and lengthy recovery times.
Electrolysis: The Greatest Rust Removal Idea Ever
As we all know, there are a variety of processes to remove rust from metal. Some of the more common are sanding or sandblasting, wire brushing, acid dipping, and chemical stripping processes. While these methods are effective, they can be expensive, messy, and some run the risk of damaging the metal, either by wearing through it or making it brittle and difficult to work with. Concentrate the stream coming out of a sandblaster on one spot of a fender for a few seconds and you’re going to put a large hole right through it.
Also, what can be done to free an old engine that has been locked up due to the piston rings rusting to the cylinder? You can fill the cylinders with automatic transmission fluid or drop the short block in a barrel of oil for a few months. Maybe it frees up and maybe it doesn’t. What if you don’t have a few months to wait—is there an alternative?
Electrolysis is one of the most effective ways to remove rust, and it allows the part to shed its rust while retaining solid metal. Hence, you’re not stripping away good, useable metal in the process of reconditioning the parts, and sandblasting can remove good metal as well as corroded metal. Performing this procedure is also fairly simple; all you need is a plastic wash tub, a box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda, and a battery charger (I use a 4-amp 12-volt trickle charger). This tub is the perfect size for a exhaust manifold. Rubber gloves are also a good idea, especially if you are prone to skin irritation or prefer not to be mildly shocked. You should also conduct this rust-stripping process in a well-ventilated area because it gives off fumes.
A possible answer to the problem in these instances is electrolytic rust removal. Electrolysis is nothing new. Actually, it is a very old concept and has been successfully used by antique tool and tractor restorers for decades. For some reason, it is not as well known in the automotive field, but has incredible potential to help engine builders and auto restorers inexpensively get rust off their parts and out of their lives.
The process is ridiculously simple: Electrical current is run between the part to be restored and an electrode. The part is submerged in a liquid solution (electrolyte) that conducts electricity. Electricity frees electrons from the electrolyte and adds them to the metal part, returning it to the original iron or steel. Where other rust-removal methods take away rust and possibly even good metal, electrolytic rust removal takes nothing from the metal. Unrusted metal is untouched, as is plating in good condition and most kinds of undamaged paint.
While this process does not restore the lower 6 inches missing from your rust-eaten fender or remove the pitting from your exhaust manifold, it does completely remove the rust still present. Best of all, it is a very simple process to set up and you probably have most of the equipment you need already. If you don’t, everything is easily obtainable and dirt-cheap.
Equipment
• Plastic container large enough to completely submerge the piece to be de-rusted. Plastic construction is necessary to prevent shorts, which could produce a fire or shock hazard. The plastic container can be as small as a household bucket for small items or as large as a kiddie pool for engine blocks, rear ends or other large components. If your item is too large for the container or sticks out of the solution, one side can be treated and then flipped over to finish the entire piece.
• Ordinary 12-volt car battery charger. This unit provides the electrical current necessary for the process.
• Box of Arm & Hammer washing soda. Add one tablespoon of washing soda per gallon of water used. Adding more won’t really help with conductivity. Fill the container with water, mixing up the solution to dissolve as much washing soda as possible. Washing soda helps the water conduct electricity and as a side benefit, provides a mild degreasing effect. You can also add some laundry detergent to further degrease your parts. Others have used lye or baking soda to achieve similar effect, though lye is more hazardous to work with, is a skin and eye irritant, and attacks aluminum. Baking soda is not as effective. Washing soda does the best job without being caustic.
• Scrap piece of iron. The electrode delivers current needed for electrolysis. Avoid stainless steel or galvanized steel; toxic fumes can result. The ideal electrode is a length of metal that can be bent around the submerged object and be tall enough to clear the waterline. If that isn’t readily obtainable, it’s no big deal. In my own experiments, I have used small pieces of steel tubing and even a discarded iron brake drum.
• Rubber gloves to keep hands clean and provide a little electrical insulation, as you can give yourself a small jolt if you touch the electrode or the item to be cleaned while positioning things in the water. It’s low enough voltage so it’s not going to injure you, but you’ll know you were zapped.
For demonstration purposes here, I used an old brake drum from a Chevy Lumina as the sacrificial anode. The part I am removing rust from is a vintage Pontiac V-8 exhaust manifold. Always make sure the positive lead on the battery charger is connected to the electrode and the negative lead is connected to the part to be cleaned. If the connections are reversed, the part is quickly eaten up by the process. The negative lead can be submerged with the part, though the positive lead must remain above the waterline or it is eaten up by the electrolytic process.
Getting Started
Follow these four steps for a problem-free procedure.
Step 1
Be sure to perform this procedure outdoors or with adequate ventilation, as small amounts of hydrogen will be released. Fill the plastic container enough to completely submerge the item. Mix one tablespoon of Arm & Hammer washing soda per gallon of water.
Fill your washing tank and mix the proper amount of washing soda to create the required amount of wash solution. Measure out the number of gallons or use a Sharpie to mark a certain level on the container. Add one tablespoon of washing soda per gallon of water used. Adding more washing soda doesn’t really help with conductivity.
Fill the container with water. Use a large serving spoon or other utensil to stir and thoroughly mix the washing soda with the water. The washing soda should dissolve in the water to make the washing solution. Completely submerge the part in the tank.
Once properly set up, the process starts and stops automatically. It is best to be at 4 amps or above. If you’re having trouble getting to that level, try moving the electrode closer to the part, clean any corrosion off the electrode, or change to a stainless-steel electrode. In my own experiments, I was able to pull more than 7 amps with a stainless electrode, which dramatically reduced the cleaning time and sent a strong and steady stream of bubbles to the surface.
The rusty foam on the top of the water is a by-product of the process, as is a small amount of hydrogen gas.
Note that the positive terminal is above the waterline, while the negative terminal is below it.
Be sure to have adequate ventilation or perform the operation outdoors.
Step 2
Connect the battery charger’s positive lead to the electrode. Be sure that the positive lead connection is above the waterline, or it too becomes consumed by the electrolytic process.
For the purposes of demonstration, I used an old brake drum as the sacrificial anode. I am stripping the rust from a vintage Pontiac V-8 exhaust manifold in this electrolysis process. Always make sure the positive lead on the battery charger is connected to the anode or sacrificial part and the negative lead to the part to be cleaned. If the electrical leads are reversed, the process essentially disintegrates your part in the solution. The negative lead can be submerged with the part, but the positive lead connected to the anode has to remain above the waterline or the electrolytic process eats it. Take my word for it, I found out the hard way!
Step 3
Connect the battery charger’s negative lead to the item to be cleaned. If necessary, the negative lead can be submerged, as it is not damaged by the process. Remember, polarity is very important. If you put your rusty part on the positive lead, it is eaten up in short order. The electrode always gets the positive lead, and the part to be de-rusted always gets the negative lead.
Make sure the part and the electrode are close together for maximum effect, but not touching, as that will short it out and possibly damage the charger if it doesn’t have internal circuit breakers.
Attach the negative lead to the exhaust manifold and place the positive lead on the drum brake. Place the manifold and the negative lead in the solution; connect the positive lead to the drum and keep it above the waterline. The electrolysis process quickly starts a stream of bubbles. It is best to be at 4 amps or more. If you’re having trouble getting to that level, try moving the electrode closer to the part, clean any corrosion off the electrode, or change to a stainless-steel electrode. Warning: Do not, under any circumstances, use stainless steel as a sacrificial anode, as it generates some very toxic fumes. The rusty foam on the top of the water is a by-product of the process, and a small amount of hydrogen gas is released. Note that the positive terminal is above the waterline, while the negative terminal is below. Be sure to have adequate ventilation or perform the operation outdoors.
Step 4
The process begins when the charger is turned on. A fine stream of bubbles begins rising to the surface, indicating the rust is being converted. Getting good contact is a necessity for this process to work. Depending on how good the contact is, the system draws up to 4 to 7 amps, and complete rust removal is achieved from a few hours to a few days, though an overnight session is most likely adequate for most purposes, especially if the system is pulling more than 4 amps.
When the rust is completely gone, the process stops automatically. Electrolytic rust removal is self-limiting and does not “overclean.” The formerly rusted areas are black in color, though pits and other surface imperfections may be present. The part is very susceptible to rusting again, so be sure to completely dry off the part off with an electric hairdryer or heat gun and immediately prime and paint or spray with oil or silicone spray.
The OEM manifold for the Pontiac V-8 has a lot of surface rust because the high-heat paint has burned off and moisture allowed the rust to form on the surface. Since there are no cracks or major flaws with the cast-iron manifold, it is worth restoring and electrolysis returns it to like-new condition.
Though the electrolyte becomes very cruddy with dirt and rust, it never loses its effectiveness. Evaporation and the electrolytic process lower the water level so you probably need to top off the container periodically. Add only water; additional washing soda is not needed. If the solution becomes too disgusting to deal with, it can be discarded without negative environmental impact. You may wish to strain out the rust particles so it doesn’t clog your drain, though. Be sure to contact your local municipality for disposal compliance information.
The electrolytic process is the gentlest way to remove rust. With a little care and even less money, you can return your vintage GTO parts to their former splendor or get that seized-up engine apart with a minimum of hassle.
The electrolysis process removed the rust from the surface of the manifold. Essentially, the process plates the part with iron, reversing the oxidation process. Now those broken studs will come out out easily.
After removing the rust from the cast-iron exhaust manifold, the sacrificial anode part (in this case the brake drum) looks like this. The half of the brake drum that was submerged gave up electrons and quickly oxidized.
Shop Manuals on Disc
The computer has really made life easy for those looking for information. If you haven’t found a copy of an original Pontiac shop manual for your GTO, there is a very attractive alternative that saves time and money.
Detroit Iron Information Services now offers officially licensed copies of Pontiac shop manuals that cover all years of GTO production through 1973. They are reproduced, page for page, on CD in an Adobe PDF format, which most computers can read.
These manuals are especially handy for a number of reasons. First, you don’t have to search and scrounge for an original, which have become collector items and carry a premium price. Second, they take up virtually no space. Finally, you can just print out the pages you need for a particular job and if they get lost, ripped, or covered with grease, you can just print out another one.
