GMC frame rust

[thomas g. warner]

I remember that Kanter Products had a material called POR 15 to redo car
frames with. I also remember seeing the successor to it the other day, will
have to look through my books and see where it is. Now comes in two parts,
part 1 cleans and neutralizes the rust, seeping in to the tightest cracks,
and part 2 puts either a gloss or semi gloss coating on the surface that is
purported to be as hard and tough as the steel. No chips, no runs, no
errors. Will try and find it tomorrow, since I intend to completely redo my
frame this fall and winter.

>Jim --
>Your caution to the group to take steps to prevent and correct rust on
>the frame rails is good advice, I'm sure. You mention that the frame
>should be cleaned and undercoated to forstall expensive and major repair
>work latter. I know Golby and others do "off the frame" restorations of
>the GMC and I can see how the suggested preventive frame maintenance can
>be easily done at that time.
>
>Short of the Golby treatment, how would you suggest guys with only a set
>of jack stands, a creeper, wire brushes and and eye goggles do a decent
>job ? Are there chemical treatments that are effective in the hard
>reach nooks and caranies of the frame assembly that you can suggest?
>
>Phil Stewart
>
>

 

[philip l. stewart]

Jim --
Your caution to the group to take steps to prevent and correct rust on
the frame rails is good advice, I'm sure. You mention that the frame
should be cleaned and undercoated to forstall expensive and major repair
work latter. I know Golby and others do "off the frame" restorations of
the GMC and I can see how the suggested preventive frame maintenance can
be easily done at that time.

Short of the Golby treatment, how would you suggest guys with only a set
of jack stands, a creeper, wire brushes and and eye goggles do a decent
job ? Are there chemical treatments that are effective in the hard
reach nooks and caranies of the frame assembly that you can suggest?

Phil Stewart

 

[jim bounds1]

Phillip,
Good question- There have been only a hand full of true "frame off"
restorations done simply because the job is so labor intensive thus
expensive. Don't wait till your next frame off resoration to do a frame
rail job, you will have a long expensive wait.

It's not quite as easy as it sounds here but you suspend the wieght of
the body off of the frame, remove the rear suspension and unbolt the
rail, one side at a time. Of course now you have to find a fabrication
shop with equipement big enough to copy the old frame rail, sometimes
you may need to replace the additional "C" channel at the boggies if it
shows damage as well. Finally, you have to give the coach a good 6
wheel alignment to assure everything is straight.

Next answer, to protect yourself from such a fate, you need to do 3
things:

1. Clean off the frame, remove any surface rust, dirt, rocks, beaver
nests or anything else foreign you find. I first degrease the underside
with a heavy duty engine degreaser liquid, the kind that eats a layer or
2 of skin if it stays on you too long. Next, I physically prod out any
left over doody with scrapers, screw drivers, air blower or portable
sand blaster if you have one and get the surface as clean as I can.

2. Stop the rust with one of several rust inhbitors on the market. I
use "OSPHO". Douse the metal good making sure you get inbetween the
double "C" channel at the rear suspension as good as you can. Rustoleum
spray paint is not enough!

3. Finally I gob on a thick coat of undercoating to keep out the
enemies. I have used a coating paint called "Hammerite" which I found
at my local hardware store that I first used on an old rust boat
trailer. It dries to a hard, almost baked on, finish that has done a
super job on the trailer! I use it on bad areas where the rust had
eaten into the frame and I certainly did not want it to go any further.

This job too is not as easy as it sounds here, but it is something that
needs to be done to protect your baby.

If I can be of more help, let me know.

Jim Bounds www.gmccoop.com

>
> Jim --
> Your caution to the group to take steps to prevent and correct rust on
> the frame rails is good advice, I'm sure. You mention that the frame
> should be cleaned and undercoated to forstall expensive and major repair
> work latter. I know Golby and others do "off the frame" restorations of
> the GMC and I can see how the suggested preventive frame maintenance can
> be easily done at that time.
>
> Short of the Golby treatment, how would you suggest guys with only a set
> of jack stands, a creeper, wire brushes and and eye goggles do a decent
> job ? Are there chemical treatments that are effective in the hard
> reach nooks and caranies of the frame assembly that you can suggest?
>
> Phil Stewart

 

[none]

Jim........A chemist told me the other day that OSPHO is basically nothing
more than phosphoric acid and you can save a gob of money by getting the
stuff from any chemical supply house. It takes lots of it to do a frame, so
there should be a savings there..............Jim Davis
- -----Original Message-----
From: Jim Bounds
To: gmcmotorhome
Date: Thursday, July 09, 1998 9:33 PM
Subject: Re: GMC: GMC frame rust

>Phillip,
>Good question- There have been only a hand full of true "frame off"
>restorations done simply because the job is so labor intensive thus
>expensive. Don't wait till your next frame off resoration to do a frame
>rail job, you will have a long expensive wait.
>
>It's not quite as easy as it sounds here but you suspend the wieght of
>the body off of the frame, remove the rear suspension and unbolt the
>rail, one side at a time. Of course now you have to find a fabrication
>shop with equipement big enough to copy the old frame rail, sometimes
>you may need to replace the additional "C" channel at the boggies if it
>shows damage as well. Finally, you have to give the coach a good 6
>wheel alignment to assure everything is straight.
>
>Next answer, to protect yourself from such a fate, you need to do 3
>things:
>
>1. Clean off the frame, remove any surface rust, dirt, rocks, beaver
>nests or anything else foreign you find. I first degrease the underside
>with a heavy duty engine degreaser liquid, the kind that eats a layer or
>2 of skin if it stays on you too long. Next, I physically prod out any
>left over doody with scrapers, screw drivers, air blower or portable
>sand blaster if you have one and get the surface as clean as I can.
>
>2. Stop the rust with one of several rust inhbitors on the market. I
>use "OSPHO". Douse the metal good making sure you get inbetween the
>double "C" channel at the rear suspension as good as you can. Rustoleum
>spray paint is not enough!
>
>3. Finally I gob on a thick coat of undercoating to keep out the
>enemies. I have used a coating paint called "Hammerite" which I found
>at my local hardware store that I first used on an old rust boat
>trailer. It dries to a hard, almost baked on, finish that has done a
>super job on the trailer! I use it on bad areas where the rust had
>eaten into the frame and I certainly did not want it to go any further.
>
>This job too is not as easy as it sounds here, but it is something that
>needs to be done to protect your baby.
>
>If I can be of more help, let me know.
>
>Jim Bounds www.gmccoop.com
>

>>
>> Jim --
>> Your caution to the group to take steps to prevent and correct rust on
>> the frame rails is good advice, I'm sure. You mention that the frame
>> should be cleaned and undercoated to forstall expensive and major repair
>> work latter. I know Golby and others do "off the frame" restorations of
>> the GMC and I can see how the suggested preventive frame maintenance can
>> be easily done at that time.
>>
>> Short of the Golby treatment, how would you suggest guys with only a set
>> of jack stands, a creeper, wire brushes and and eye goggles do a decent
>> job ? Are there chemical treatments that are effective in the hard
>> reach nooks and caranies of the frame assembly that you can suggest?
>>
>> Phil Stewart
>