26 replies to this topic

[dc-65x]

Our friend and master painter Joe "Noose" Neumeister has a super-cool Tony P plate car that he still runs today. I believe it was made in 1978 and Noose would like it freshened up a bit. Here is the car with photos and comments courtesy of Noose:

These were the days that Tony HAND CUT the steel center sections (ouch!) It's a mild plumber with hinged batpans.

Here is the chassis I received:









The chassis was degreased and put into the tumbler with Cabela's ceramic media and Buffalo Arms liquid polish. This is the result of seven hours of tumbling:





It's a lot better but we're not "there" yet. Here's the before and after pictures of a problem area on one of the pans:





What’s up with that red crap-o-la? Maybe another seven hours of tumbling would get rid of it but I also had some thick rust on the steel. There are also areas the tumbling media can't get to so they will never be cleaned up no matter how long it tumbles. Here's another "problem" area after tumbling:



I'd better break this post up so there is more to come...

[dc-65x]

So my solution to these problem areas is elbow grease. I used a riffler file wrapped with 320 grit sandpaper on the rusted steel. I started with 1200 sandpaper wrapped around a 6" steel ruler for the brass pans:



I also used a Dremel tool with a wire wheel on the steel in areas the tumbling media won't reach:



Here the pan is coarse-sanded with 1200:



This is where the media won't get into the tight places on the steel center section:



And the center section after some sanding and wire wheel work:



Another tight spot the media won't get to but a small cotton swab and some metal polish will. Before and after:





I continued sanding the brass with 4000 through 12000 grit polishing cloth. Then gave the entire chassis a scrubbing with metal polish on an old toothbrush:



I scrub the polish off with a different brush loaded with dish soap under running water. The chassis is back in the tumbler now for a four hour finishing touch. The tumbler will blend everything together into shiny goodness .

Onward...

[68Caddy]

Another great restoration project, it's amazing how time flies by, I can hardly wait to see the final project.

After all, it beats the boob tube. I'm starting to look like that chassis. I need a tumbler.

Thanks, guys.

[Larry LS]

How about some type of sandblasting with fine glass bead media? It should get a lot of that stuff off there, Rick. Someone nearby may have the proper setup to use.

When I was doing gunsmithing I found that that method cleaned up a lot of crap off old, rusty, and old grease-encrusted guns that I was going to restore and re-blue. Left a nice smooth finish to work with.

[dc-65x]

I tried a typical high-pressure glass bead blaster and it actually distorted the chassis. I bet there is a combination of air pressure, grit size, and nozzle size that would yield a smooth finish without the typical "beadblasted" look. I should look into that .

[Jon Laster]

Rick, those old two-rail steel cars take me back, even ones that have been sliced into six rails...when we went to three rails (with the middle one with a slice!). It seemed the guide became more planted...

While still at Camen, we had a bench grinder with a wire wheel that was a good retro-active rust inhibitor! The finish of course wasn't near like yours and it wasn't good on brass; however it didn't spit out the wires near as quick as a Dremel wheel!

Best of luck with all your projects,

Jon

[Don Weaver]

Rick,

I used to use my high-pressure bead blaster at my shop to clean up chassis before I retired. The problem with warpage can be solved by keeping the work well away from the nozzle. It takes more time as the media doesn't cut as fast but the chassis doesn't take the brunt of the pressure. Also, if you blast too close the media will undercut the solder joint, as a friend of mine can attest to (his G7 uprights came off during a race!) I used medium glass bead and it did give the chassis a "matted" finish... maybe a fine glass media would give a better finish to work with. I suspect dry-ice blasting would be the best as it can be used to clean electric motor windings without damage.

[dc-65x]

It's out of the tumbler. Before I do the overnight WD40 soak I took some pictures:



Here are some before and after pictures:





The dark areas are pitting that is not going to come out unless you do serious metal removal.





What do you think, Noose?

[Horsepower]

Rick, how long in the tumbler and did you use the ceramic stuff?

[havlicek]

...looking at Tony P's work, I think I have some serious woodshedding to do. (decades!) I really like the idea of doing the slit-rails to add torsional flex, but the whole chassis is a thing of beauty. Really nice work on the restoration, Rick!

[Noose]

Wow! As always excellent work. Wait until Tony sees it!

[Jairus]

It would be fun to dig up seven more of those cars for a vintage race...
I have two that can be donated!

[Noose]

Hey, Rick, if you think it was in bad shape when you got it, I found this pic of what it looked like when I opened my box last year. Notice all that Tony P tape on it!

[dc-65x]

YIKES!

[tonyp]

Rick, Looks great. I take no responsibility for that solder joint on the front left pan hinge tube. LOL...

[TSR]

It ain't mine either!

[Noose]

It's one of Emott's when he fixed it at BIR in a hurry. After seeing it, he stopped scratchbuilding.

[GTPJoe]

Hi Rick!

You think your "laser guy" could cut some guide tongues and center sections so we could all have a go at building one of these?

Would anyone else be interested in this besides me??

Thanks!

[dc-65x]

Hi Joe,

I just dropped some .032" Blue Tempered 1090 Spring Steel off at the Laser Dudes. It cost me almost $30 with shipping for a 6" X 25" piece . Buying small quanties and making one or two of something is expensive . He's going to cut a center section and guide tongue for me. I can't help it.......I just gots ta have one .

[GTPJoe]

Rick!

.032" Blue Tempered 1090 Spring Steel cost $30

Laser Guy cutting center section and guide tongue cost $XX

Having a copy of Tony P's plate chassis... Priceless!!

[Bill from NH]

Joe, I have one of Tony's patterns that came painted on a piece of steel. I have one cut out, will never do another one. Let me know when you want to fire up the Dremel.

[tonyp]

Bill, after you cut out a couple of hundred they get pretty easy...

[GTPJoe]

Bill

Funny you should offer that, I just got two new packages of dremel discs!

Don't tell anyone I also got a diamond one, cuts thru blue steel...like budda!!

Maybe I could cut it one our milling machine, we got all kinds of carbide and diamond milling bits in super tiny sizes for drilling PCA tubing. Nice lunch time "government job." LOL!

Thanks!

[Bill from NH]

Joe, using anything other than a Dremel would be cheating! I got a couple Camen steel patterns you might me more interested in. Those, I know where they are.

[Jairus]

Come on Rick.... Let's race!