THE RIGHT WAY TO DO A FRAME OFF RESTORATION
FIRST YOU MUST DECIDE WHAT TRUCK YOU ARE GOING TO RESTORE. WHEN YOU FIND THE TRUCK YOU WANT TO RESTORE THEN HERE'S WHERE THE FUN BEGINS.

  1. TAKE EVERYTHING OFF THE FRAME, CAB, BED, FRONT CLIP, ENGINE, DRIVE TRAIN, I MEAN EVERYTHING. THE ONLY THING YOU SHOULD HAVE WHEN DONE IS A FRAME WITH CROSS MEMBERS, AND OTHER BRACKETS THAT ARE RIVETED ON. NOW GATHER ALL YOUR BRACKETS SUCH AS ENGINE TOWERS, SHOCK TOWERS, AND ANY OTHER BRACKETS THAT WERE BOLTED ON AND PUT THEM ON A  PALLET BECAUSE THESE WILL NEED TO BE SANDBLASTED.
  2. NOW BACK TO THE FRAME YOU HAVE SITTING THERE, YOU WILL NOW NEED A CUTTING TORCH, A LONG PUNCH, A 13 POUND HAMMER AND A LOT OF ENERGY AND STEADY HANDS. THE FIRST THING YOU WANT TO DO IS CAREFULLY CUT THE HEADS OFF THE RIVETS, DO NOT GET IN A BIG HURRY OR YOU WILL END UP CUTTING INTO THE BRACKETS OR CROSS MEMBERS.  YOU WILL NEED TO CUT THE HEAD OFF EVERY RIVET ON THE FRAME, ONCE YOU HAVE DONE THIS YOU WILL TAKE THE PUNCH AND START REMOVING THE EXITING RIVET BY USING THE PUNCH AND HAMMER TO PUNCH  OUT THE RIVET OUT OF THE HOLE. MAKE SURE THERE IS NO ONE ON THE OTHER SIDE BECAUSE SOME OF THESE RIVETS COME OUT AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED. NOW ONCE YOU HAVE REMOVE EACH BRACKET OR CROSS MEMEBER, PUT THE PARTS ON THE PALLET WITH THE REST OF THE PARTS TO BE BLASTED. NOW WHAT YOU SHOULD HAVE IS A BARE FRAME SITTING IN FRONT OF YOU WITH ONE CROSS MEMBER THAT IS WELDED IN THE FRONT LEAVE IT WELDED IN. NOW THE FRAME IS READY FOR THE SAND BLASTER. FIND YOUR SELF A GOOD SAND BLASTER THAT CAN HANDLE THE FRAME AND ALL THE CROSS MEMBERS, BRACKETS, SPRINGS. EVERY BRACKET, SPRING, OR CROSS MEMEBER HAS TO BE BLASTED.  NOW I WOULD NORMALY TELL YOU TO INSPECT THE FRAME FOR CRACKS OR RUCT THROUGH SPOTS BUT IT COULD BE PRETTY HARD TO FIND THEM WITH A DIRTY GREASY FRAME, SO HAVE THE FRAME BLASTED THEN YOU NEED TO GO OVER THE FRAME VERY CAREFULLY AND INSPECT FOR RUST THROUGH, CRACKS, OLD WELD BEADS THAT NEED TO BE REWELDED AND SOME ADD STRENGTH.  NOW IF YOU FIND ANY OF THESE NOW THE TIME TO REPAIR THEM. ONCE YOU HAVE DONE ANY NEEDED REPAIRS YOU NEED TO GET YOUR SELF A GOOD HEAVY DUTY DRILL THAT WILL HANDLE A 1/2" DRILL AND START DRILLING ALL THE RIVET HOLES OUT TO 1/2".  OH BY THE WAY YOU MAY WANT TO HAVE A DRILL DOCTOR ON HAND BECAUSE YOU WILL HAVE TO SHARPEN YOUR DRILL BIT A COUPLE TIMES. ONCE YOU HAVE FINISHED ALL YOUR DRILLING SIT BACK AND THINK FOR A MOMENT IS THERE ANY OTHER MODIFICATIONS I WANT TO MAKE? IF SO NOW IS THE TIME TO DECIDE AND DO THEM BEFORE YOU GET READY FOR PAINT. 
  3. NOW IF YOU ARE REALLY WANTING A SMOOTH FRAME RAIL FINISH,  SO YOU HAVE SOME PITS AND SCALING DUE THE RUST THAT WAS THERE, YOU CAN USE A PRODUCT CALLED METAL FILL TO FILL THESE AREAS IN AND THEN SAND THEM DOWN SMOOTH TO GET THE NEW LOOK FINISH WHEN IT CAME FROM THE FACTORY.
  4. NOW BEFORE WE GO TO THE PAINT STAGE YOU WANT TO CHECK AND SEE IF ALL YOUR NEWLY DRILLED HOLES WILL ACCEPT THE BOLTS, AND ALSO PREFIT ALL YOUR FRAME MOUNTED BRACKET TOO MAKE EVERYTHING IS GOING TO FIT BACK THE WAY IT CAME OFF. YES I KNOW WHAT YOUR THINKING THIS IS WASTE OF TIME. BUT IT IS NOT BECAUSE OVER TIME METAL CAN CHANGE A BIT, IT EXPANDS, CONTRACTS, BENDS. SO IT WORTH THE TIME TO CHECK THE FIT OF ALL YOUR PARTS BEFORE YOU MOVE TO THE PAINT STAGE.  LOOK AT IT THIS WAY YOU GO A HEAD AND PAINT THE FRAME AND THEN YOU FIND OUT SOMETHING DOES NOT FIT LIKE IT DID WHEN YOU REMOVED IT, NOW YOU HAVE TO MAKE MODIFICATIONS TO A PAINTED FRAME, NOW YOU MESS UP YOUR BEAUTIFUL PAINT JOB. CHECK TWICE PAINT ONCE.
  5. NOW YOU ARE AT THE PAINT STAGE OF THIS PROJECT. MY FIRST BIT OF ADVISE IS " DON'T GET IN A BIG HURRY" TAKE YOUR TIME !!!!!  THE FIRST STAGE IS PRIMER, I RECOMMEND A GOOD SELF-ECH PRIMER TO START WITH, LIKE DUPONT VARIPRIME. SHOT THE FRAME INSIDE AND OUT WITH TWO GOOD COATS. NOW YOU HAVE THE NEXT STEP TO DO WHICH IS SHOT THE FRAME WITH A GOOD EXPOXY PRIMER SEALER, THIS WILL NOT ONLY SEAL THE METAL OFF BUT PREVENT RUST AND CORRISION. YOU WILL WANT TO SHOT TWO GOOD COATS WITH THIS TOO. NOW WE COME TO THE FINAL PAINT STAGE WHICH IS THE COLOR PAINT, I RECOMMEND A PAINT CALLED CHASSIE SAVER FOR THE FRAME IF YOU GOING TO USE THE TRUCK FOR OFFROAD OR WORK. BUT IF YOU ARE GOING TO BUILD A SHOW TRUCK THEN YOU CAN USE A ONE OR TWO STAGE CLEAR COAT PAINT.