Spent the weekend continuing to tear down the frame - almost done!
The only items left on the frame are:
- Brake lines on the rear
- Radius arms / trailing arms (bolts are frozen, stuck to the trailing arm)
- Fuel accumulator
- Shifter & linkage
- Steering rack
- Engine mounts
- All the little plastic clips and things
The suspension came off fairly easily, but there are a couple of stuck bolts. The bolts on the rear hubs that connect to the lower support arm - it's solidly stuck on both sides. My trailing arm bolts are also locked up, so I haven't been able to remove the trailing arms. Also, the flexible brake lines in the rear that connect between the frame and the trailing arms? Terribly rusted together and the little mounts for them just bend when I try to hit them loose. I got one on the frame side loose by smashing it with a hammer about a hundred times.
I'm hoping that I can get all of the remaining parts removed this week in the evenings.
Another thing I've been doing is reaching out to places to try and find options for getting the frame stripped of epoxy - either chemically dipped, sandblasted, or burnt, and then galvanized and powder coated. I found one place in Eugene, OR (~5 hours drive away from me, in Seattle) that does chemical dipping - and they are the closest option! I may send them a trailing arm or piece of the front frame extension as a test. For sandblasting and powder coating, I have tons of options - one place quoted me $120/hr for sandblasting and said it would probably take 4 hours if it works. I've searched high and low for some place with an oven, but there's nothing here. For galvanizing, there is a place about 30 minutes North of me, and another 30 minutes South, that I'm waiting to hear back from.