New Tools, Clean Heads

Well, I went out an bought some new toys...erm new tools for my project and workshop.  I've been thinking for some time about a few tools that I need to add to my workshop in order to tackle the upcoming jobs related to the body.

New air compressor...too small

The first thing on my list was a new air compressor.  I've got a pretty comprehensive set of hand tools, but I really don't have any power to do more difficult jobs like sandblasting, cutting, grinding and sanding.  I've got some good electric tools too, including an angle grinder/cutter and a die grinder for the bigger wire wheel jobs.  I have a bench grinder/wheel and a shop vac, but other than those basics, it's not much.

New air compressor...right size

Nor do I want much more, but I do want to take advantage of air power for the rest of this rebuild, so when I had a few hundred dollars saved up, I bought an air compressor.  of course, the first one I bought was too small, so I went back a couple of days later and traded up for a larger model.  It actually has the same motor and pump, but the tank is bigger, which allows for a longer use of a tool at any one time.  Since some of the jobs are fairly long, I need all the tank I can afford.  For now, this will do, but if I had in mind painting the car (which I don't) then I'd need the next size up at least.  As it stands, this compressor and tank is quite adequate for my immediate needs.

Sandblasting gun and abrasives

My blasting 'booth'

One of those needs is sandblasting, so one of the first tools I bought to go with my new compressor was a sandblasting gun.

It looks like a paint gun and operates the same way, essentially.  You fill the container with abrasive, attach it to the air compressor hose and blast away.

I look like an insurgent

Blasting away

Actually, it's not as simple as that.  I bought a bag of sand from Home Depot on my way back from buying the compressor and blaster, only to discover when reading the directions that "Sand may not be used as a blast material."  It turns out that a special abrasive is required.  Fortunately they sell this at Harbor Freight, where I bought the compressor and blast gun.  It is expensive, but it is worth it, I think.

It's not powerful but it works

The worth is in the ease and amount of time it took to blast my first few items.  Once I got it set up and covered myself adequately (I discovered that the blasting is equally back at the operator--a matter of physics) it turned out to be quite easy to use and not as powerful as I thought it was going to be. This is actually a good thing, because I was afraid it would simply blast away all the metal if I pointed it at one area for too long.  While this may be the case with more powerful units and certainly there is some degradation when it's directed at a single spot for too long, but it's hardly even powerful enough to take the skin off my finger.  I know because I tried.  Not deliberately of course, but I do know just how powerful this tool really is, and that's not much.  It is just powerful enough to take off paint, some surface rust and aluminum oxidization, which is really about all I need.

Rusty handbrake lever...

Transformed...nearly.

The first thing I blasted was the handbrake lever I recovered from the junkyard a week or so ago.  The blaster took off all the paint and some of the surface rust without even scratching the steel at all.

Aluminum cleans up nicely

The manifold is nearly done

My next test was on the manifold, which is made of aluminum and steel.  The blaster cleaned up the aluminum without degrading it, and took all the built up grease and grime off the steel tube with no problem.  I do have to stop every ten minutes or so to allow the compressor to recharge the tank, but this is a minor inconvenience.  I'm actually glad to stop after a few minutes because the abrasive really gets in everything in spite of goggles, a face mask, a hat and a long sleeved shirt buttoned up at the collar and sleeves.

These fins are hard to clean

The carbon buildup in the heads

The last thing I did with blaster was to clean off the heads.  I had cleaned them up about 90% of the way, but had no way of cleaning in between the fins and in all the crevices, not did I want to scratch the inside of the heads where the carbon buildup was the most extreme.

All clean after a blast

Put away till it's time for them

Enter the blaster.  This did both jobs, and in just a few minutes I had a clean set of heads, ready to install on the engine.  I put them away in a box as I start the next task of tearing down and rebuilding the engine.

My little shop

Not big but effective

Oh, and I treated myself to another toy.  Not a tool exactly but in the same category.  I bought a new tool chest.  This one is more than just a tool box.  It's an actual five drawer chest with deep drawers and rollers.  With my little old red box on top, I now have a place to store most of my tools, including all the new air toys..erm, tools.