GTD restoration-chassis query

I’m in the process of stripping my GTD right back to the bare chassis to have it blasted and powder coated. This means de-riveting and removing all the panels.
the GTD chassis was (I believe) zinc coated before being powder coated.
The thing is, the chassis is going to be full of (hundreds of) rivet holes when it gets blasted and I don’t really want a chassis full of sand/blasting media. My idea was to grind off the powder coat on the chassis members myself then tape over the holes so the blaster can work round them…..whaddya think? Any other recommendations?
Thanks people

Acid dip the chassis?

If you have your chassis soda blasted, some of the baking soda may be left inside the tubing but that should not hurt anything. Plastic blasting media should be harmless as well. VERY soon after the chassis is finished being blasted, wipe down everything with MEK or acetone and spray paint with a good two-part epoxy primer. If you let the bare metal chassis sit, it will immediately begin to rust.

Hmmmm….I wonder…

Simon
how will you get all the “Rivet Noses” out of the chassis tubes?
It could end up like a huge baby’s rattle.

Of course with a loud enough exhaust all is good

Ian

I’ll squirt some “chassis wax” through the holes to protect it, hopefully they’ll all get suck to it rather than all sliding down the front on braking…..

GTD chassis were usually zinc galvanised. If you have it blasted you will lose this very effective rust prevention. I would clean the crap off with a cup brush in an angle grinder and paint with POR15. Welding up the rivet holes won’t work with a zinc layer and the same will apply to any brackets which are welded on - the zinc must be removed prior to welding. I guess the choice is to make up a drill hole pattern in thin plastic sheet and use the same holes or grind off the zinc on the relevant chassis faces. The rivet and rattles can be removed by drilling holes at each end and blowing them out with compressed air or gluing them in place with waxoyl or similar. I would remove them as later welding with oil crap in tubes will be fun.
Cheers
Mike

Simon,
I did this same process to my GTD when I got it. I did major modifications to mine, I ground off the Zink where needed to weld and added holes like Mike talked about to remove all the old rivets. The whole chassis was then chemically dipped and powder coated . I just used rubber body plugs for the added holes! I never had any problems, and according to the new owner it still looks like new, that is what little of it you can actually see!!

"I guess the choice is to make up a drill hole pattern in thin plastic sheet and use the same holes..." If you are replacing the panels, simply use a rivet hole duplicator to drill holes that match the existing holes in the tubing.


Any chemical dip must be neutralized after that process or the remaining chemical residue left inside the tubing will rust or corrode the tube from the inside. You are unaware that is process is slowly progressing until the thing collapses. Not good!

My 50cents. Leave the panneling on and skip powdercoat.
Get it blasted if you wish, and spray an 2pack etch primer direct after it.
Final paint with a 2pack DTM in the color and shade of your choice.

There is no panelling in the tub, just a glassfibre insert.