BobbyFord Short Bed

[ultraranger]

Freshly refinished parts always look nice.

I've used muratic acid before but for the most part, for years, I used to have to borrow/rent someone else's bead blaster. A bead blast cabinet is a nice tool to have. However, most of the other people's blast cabinets I've used had compressors that were too small for continuous blasting. --You blast a couple of minutes, wait 5 minutes for the compressor to catch back up, blast, then wait.....

I said that some day I would have a good blast cabinet and a compressor big enough that I wouldn't have to wait on it. That day came in December 2006.






I got this 48" wide bead blast cabinet about 4 months later.



I made a modification to the cabinet to be able to attach/detach a 30-gallon drum to the side that would extend the width to over 6 feet. --perfect for blasting rear end housings, drive shafts, etc. --the following picture quality sucks but, you can see the drum attached to the side.



Interior view of extended cabinet.



1960 Ford T-Bird 9-inch rear end housing inside cabinet.



When I don't need the added length, the drum can be removed and the hole capped off with a drum head.

This is the equipment I've used to blast all the front disc brake suspension parts, power steering brackets, tilt steering column, etc. that I've been installing on my truck the past few weeks.

[BobbyFord]

Damn, that's a nice addition to the cabinet. My buddy has a cabinet at his house. I've only had access to it for the past few weeks, although I have not used it yet.

[Heirloom]

Nice cabinet and modification, Steve. Your smile isn't big enough for that 80 gal compressor tho

[BobbyFord]

I got the column reassembled and installed.

This will look better once the firewall is Grabber Blue.

[ultraranger]

Damn, that's a nice addition to the cabinet. My buddy has a cabinet at his house. I've only had access to it for the past few weeks, although I have not used it yet.

If I didn't have a bead blaster and was friends with someone that offered to let me use their cabinet, I'd jump on it.

It's a lot faster than muratic acid, leaves a cleaner finish and isn't nearly as messy or potentially as hazardous.

--I once soaked a 9-inch rear end 1330 driving pinion companion flange in muratic acid over night. The next day when I went to take the yoke out of the bucket, the cast iron had been turned into mush. I wasn't too happy about that.

[ultraranger]

Nice cabinet and modification, Steve. Your smile isn't big enough for that 80 gal compressor tho

Thanks, Josh.

I thought it was a pretty slick modification myself.

I had waited and dreamed for years when I would finally be able to buy something like that and a large compressor. I was pretty happy that day and every day I've had them at my disposal since then.

[BobbyFord]

You never want to leave metal in muriatic acid for longer than 1/2 hr. for the purposes of dissolving rust.
I have a guy within 2 miles that can blast doors, hoods, engine parts, etc. He even has the ability to blast entire car bodies. No warping, no nothing. Reasonably priced and local.

[BobbyFord]

I finished installing the rest of the steering column, got the p/s hoses installed and now I'm ready to bend some brake hard line. I've decided to relocate the proportioning valve from left of the master to underneath the master cylinder. If nobody sells the type of bracket that I have in mind then I'll make one. I'm just waiting for brake line supplies to arrive from UPS.

[ultraranger]

I finished installing the rest of the steering column, got the p/s hoses installed and now I'm ready to bend some brake hard line. I've decided to relocate the proportioning valve from left of the master to underneath the master cylinder. If nobody sells the type of bracket that I have in mind then I'll make one. I'm just waiting for brake line supplies to arrive from UPS.

That's where I located the combination valve, when I ran the brake lines on this '56 Chevy Belair.



Maybe your brake line supplies will arrive just in time for the weekend.

[BobbyFord]

...That's where I located the combination valve, when I ran the brake lines on this '56 Chevy Belair...
...Maybe your brake line supplies will arrive just in time for the weekend.

I found a bracket online but I'm going to reinforce it a bit before I install it.

[BobbyFord]

Just sitting here waiting for parts to arrive
In the meantime I ordered a flaring tool for the brake lines. I already have hand held flaring kits but they suck.
So I bought this...> http://www.ktoolinternational.com/KTI/C ... =KTI-70081

[ultraranger]

Just sitting here waiting for parts to arrive
In the meantime I ordered a flaring tool for the brake lines. I already have hand held flaring kits but they suck.
So I bought this...> http://www.ktoolinternational.com/KTI/C ... =KTI-70081

The tube flaring set will be a lot nicer than manually hand flaring the tubing with a flaring bar and yoke.

This is the hydraulic tube flaring set I have. It made quick and easy work of double flaring the lines I recently made for my truck.

http://www.tooldiscounter.com/ItemDispl ... w=MAS71475

Maybe by next weekend your brake tubing supplies will arrive and you can finally get underway fabricating your lines. --I hate waiting for stuff too.

[BobbyFord]

Very well made tool. I'm impressed. Can't wait to use it.

[BobbyFord]

I've been helping a buddy restore some cars during the week and yesterday. Today I finally go to work on my stuff.
I got the universal, bottom mount prop valve bracket, but of course it needed modification to fit my set-up.



I got a chance to use my new flaring tooland new tube bender. Excellent tools. This is my first attempt at brake hard line. I made the master-to-prop valve lines first.
It took me 3 hours to set up the tools, modify the bracket and make the two master cylinder lines.

I made the left front hard line next. I put Armorgaurd on the line where it runs along side the steering box and along the frame rail.

I need to adjust the hard line and secure it to the frame. The left front and rear line will be quicker to make, now that I'm familiar with the tools and process.

[ultraranger]

Very nice work, Bobby!

I guess this means you're no longer a brake tubing virgin.

The only thing I see that you MAY have a problem with is the large line fitting on the rear of the valve. You may have a problem running a line off it, since it looks like it's in tight confines. If you can bend a line off it, It may be difficult to get your line wrench on the fitting to be able to tighten/loosen that fitting.

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd3/ ... 6f1e0d.jpg


I had a 180-degree bend coming off the rear of my brake valve and I just barely had room to get the line wrench in to tighten that fitting. --and this was without the valve bracket being located behind this fitting or with the MC sitting right on top of it.



Hopefully, it won't turn into a big problem requiring modifications to the bracket or valve mounting location.