Grumman Olson aluminum body truck, oppinions please

tuscarora dave

tuscarora dave

"Luck" Residue of design
I recieved a call from a regular client today who said, "Tuscarora Dave do I have a job for you!!" He then told me what he had and I went over to have a look. I did a test section using Poorboy's World Pro Polish and purple foamed wool pad on the Flex. The sheet aluminum test section came out pretty nice and he was very happy with those results.

Where I need the oppinions here is on the cast aluminum corners and other various cast parts. I want a clean look on them and not polished. What my vision for the cast is, the cast aluminum clean with the pours as clean as I can get them. Beside that polished up sheet aluminum I believe that will look pretty neat. Also what do you all think could be used to protect this thing from rapid oxidation?

Question for Beemerboy,(or anyone who knows) Is this sheet metal a place where you would use the baking soda or corn starch after polishing?

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Its my understanding that these are clear coated just like a Airstream.


How did the rust stains come out?




SR66:bigups
 
slowride66 said:
Its my understanding that these are clear coated just like a Airstream.


How did the rust stains come out?




SR66:bigups
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This one is not coated with anything. The last picture is the test section that I did. I set the job up to be started next wednsday so all I did was the test section in the last pic. Any thoughts or ideas on what product or process to use on the cast aluminum?
 
maybe try a little ssr 1 on a cast section and see how that comes out?

I hear that truck is for Ale.. is there some left inside? i could go for some nice ale...
 
tuscarora dave said:
...Any thoughts or ideas on what product or process to use on the cast aluminum?
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Where is the cast aluminum located? I've used a brass bristled brush before to get into the "pores" of the piece, but I've never polished. My initial thought would be to try a purple foamed or wool pad and see if the nap of those pads would get into the "pores/depressions". The removal of the polish residue would seem to be a good use of a foam pad covered with a MF bonnet.
 
Gus-Gus said:
maybe try a little ssr 1 on a cast section and see how that comes out?

I hear that truck is for Ale.. is there some left inside? i could go for some nice ale...
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I had a feeling you would comment on the for ale on the window. The client had just started removing the for sale stickers as I showed up.

The cast parts on this thing are very porous, (large deep pours) I am concerned that a polish like one of the SSR line or Pro polish would get down in the pours and not come back out. I am hoping someone could recommend a solvent or acid based product that would clean them and not make them look all white.

Maybe steel wool would do the trick with something like PB S&R? Hopefully Steve will chime in on this one.
 
Mr. Clean said:
Where is the cast aluminum located? I've used a brass bristled brush before to get into the "pores" of the piece, but I've never polished. My initial thought would be to try a purple foamed or wool pad and see if the nap of those pads would get into the "pores/depressions". The removal of the polish residue would seem to be a good use of a foam pad covered with a MF bonnet.
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Thanks for the Ideas Mr Clean, The cast parts are on the front, the front fenders and hood are riveted to the cast corners and just below and foreward of the side view mirrors and on the top front and rear corners of the box.
 
Re: Grumman Olson aluminum body truck, opinions please

ME {Keep in mind I am Old School }

I would see if there was something that would attack the rust stains with out marring the surface.

I would check with the local detail supply to see if he has something for the trick {me not being a aircraft aluminum expert}

I would even see if my Hull cleaner would attack the rust.
On & Off Hull/Bottom Cleaner - Gallon from MARYKATE

This is nasty stuff use thick gloves, Full coverage eye protection & do not breath the fumes!

Test in a really inconspicuous spot.

You will know instantly if you get it on you.

It literally smokes on heavy rust stains.

It works really well on removing rust stains & crud off fiberglass.

I would contact the manufacturer just to make sure it will stop working when hosed off of the metal.

Did I mention its nasty stuff?


I would use this Only if I could not use a cleaner wax to remove the rust stain.

I would 1st attempt use cleaner wax & then a harder wax for a lasting protection {most cleaner waxes don't last long but go on thick & leave a lot of depth}

2nd way I would find a aluminum polish .I am a big fan of FLITZ but that would probably cost a lot of ca$h.

One of My Local detail supplier is a Mom & PoP operation & he mixes his own chemicals.

He has this one product called " the Dreaded Red" that Does a great job on Aluminum & I use it to bust those acid rain streaks off my Haulmark enclosed trailer.

What did you use on the test area? Looks really good from here.



SR66:bigups
 
Re: Grumman Olson aluminum body truck, opinions please

slowride66 said:
...2nd way I would find a aluminum polish .I am a big fan of FLITZ but that would probably cost a lot of ca$h.
...
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I love Flitz also. Never without a tube around the house.

With this recommendation, the Flitz buffing ball might be an even better option that the foam pad/MF bonnet option for buffing/removal on the cast parts.
 
:hmmm: :idea :hmmm::idea let's see, I would probably use APC and let it dwell a while on those parts .. maybe even use the wool ball like Bill used on his truck ... I'll put a call into Coastal Eddie for a second opinion as I'm sure he does trucks like that quite often ... check back with me tomorrow ;)
 
I did an old Airstream one time years(20+) ago. I polished it with a medium grade rocks in a bottle compound. That thing turned out shinier then a new nickle, but the swirls were horendous :wow:

The owner was very happy and so was I(when it was completed) I spent 2 days and 15 pads on that thing. I believe I charged $150 for around 18 hours of hard labor + those pads were never right again :redface:

You might wanna check with a Airstream Forum and see what those guys are using in this new modern age :bigups
 
I know for sure my 1969 Airstream is clear coated...or was ..well still is where the Florida Sun has not burned it off.

My Plans for it will be to strip all the clear off Polish it & degrease & spray it with a good clear coat.

I still am unable to post pictures.

Maybe after my post count is over 25?:confused:



SR66:bigups
 
Flitz Aluminum Pre-Clean


Aluminum Pre-Clean

Organic Salt formula. Non-flammable. Safer than traditional acids. Instantly removes heavily-encrusted corrosion, rust, calcium, lime, tarnish, grease, oil & water stains. Unmatched for its performance on aluminum (will not dull or haze aluminum), it is also safe for use on painted & fiberglass surfaces. Dot Classifications: Non Regulated.

Safe on:
Glass, Aluminum, Fiberglass, Stainless Steel, Painted & Enamel FInishes, Tile, Brass, Copper, Acrylics, Plastic

Perfect for use on:
Fuel Tanks, Mag Wheels, Alcoa Wheels, Diamond Plate, Framing, Step Plate, Engine Parts, Rusted Steel, Car Wash Bays and Walls, Snowmobile Tunnels, Fiberglass Boats, Outboard Engines, Outdrives, Water-stained Windows, Concrete Equipment & Truck.

Not for: Chrome, Marble, some Granite, Jura, Travertine & Terrazzo.
Click to expand...



SR66:bigups
 
holland_patrick said:
Well you got enough on cleaning it for protecting it I would use poorboys wheel sealent...
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Thanks Patrick, I was thinking that might work. Thanks to all you guys who gave suggestions. I am leaning towards straight APC and a stiff nylon brush. If that don't work then I'll go with the Flitz pre cleaner.
 
slowride66 said:
I still am unable to post pictures.

Maybe after my post count is over 25?:confused:



SR66:bigups
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Are you hosting your pics through photobucket or another hosting site?

I use Photobucket and after uploading the photos copy the IMG code and paste it in the reply text box here along with the written text.
 
Your Welcome.

I wish I had a Quarter for each time I have plugged FLITZ I'd have enuf for a tank of gas!.


SR66:bigups
 
Back in November of 07 I polished my aluminum canopy. I used a bunch of sand paper because it was rough but finished it up with Poorboy's SSR's and PP. It was a lot of work but the results were pretty good. Check my post on November of 07. I got rid of the truck and canopy for an HHR in 08. Very time consuming and dirty work.
 
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Poorboy said:
:hmmm: :idea :hmmm::idea let's see, I would probably use APC and let it dwell a while on those parts .. maybe even use the wool ball like Bill used on his truck ... I'll put a call into Coastal Eddie for a second opinion as I'm sure he does trucks like that quite often ... check back with me tomorrow ;)
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Yeah I think APC, heavy dilution would be a good starting point. Get the surface wet first, apply it evenly from the bottom up, let it dwell for at least 5 minutes, then blast it off preferably with a pressure washer. Dave, if you're worried about compounds getting "stuck" in the pours, a pressure washer is the way to take care of that problem to.

If I was doing this job, I'd use an aluminum brightener, followed by a good aluminum polish (or not), with a wool pad on a rotary, but a Flex is a solid 2nd choice. It's a dirty word in most forums, but my go to brightener in a situation like this is hydrofluoric acid, and would play with the ratio until I had it dialed in for the job.

BTW, alkaline neutralizes acid, so a 2 step process with APC would work as well. Good Luck
 
Dave,

Like Coastal Eddie said if you go with an acid solution start at the bottom and work up. This is very important because the acid will streak if you start from the top. It will surely make a mess and you might have a chore getting those area's corrected. Also you might want to wet the area first with water, just in case your mixture is a little strong.:inspector: :bigups :howdy
 
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