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| C4 Corvette Chassis |
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| 1957 Corvette RestoMod Project - Page 8 Sanding & Polishing Suspension This Corvette project is not supposed to be a show car quality customization. I want to drive this car as much as possible which means rocks, tar, and other road hazards will eventually have their effects on the undercarriage and body. But there is also an old saying that I was brought up to respect: If you are going to do a job, do it right. In this edition of my Corvette project, I will show you what can happen after disassembly of the old 1957 parts and the restoration of the newer C4 parts. More than merely cleaning these parts, many times they need to be brought down to bare metal. Other re-usable parts need to be media blasted, sanded, and polished. Specialty tools are required for almost all of these restoration techniques. |
| Let's look at the cast aluminum control arms from the 1996 Corvette Grand Sport donor. In previous pages, I told you they were in pretty good shape, except for a few road dings and weathered areas. Now I could touch up these parts with a little sanding and they would look and function okay. But that would not be doing the job right in my eyes. So I'm going to the next level. Read on and see how I make these lifeless pieces into BLING! |
| For most all fine metal work, a set of small hand files are needed. Picture above-left, these can be bought at any hardware or home improvement store for a very reasonable price. A Die Grinder also comes in handy and is pictured above-right. Using compressed air, this die grinder can be fitted with various attachments that alter the metal's surface. Pictured here is a Dremel Flap Wheel that sands the surface of any metal pieces. Flap Wheels come in different grits and this one is a fine grit of 120. Because the control arms are aluminum and therefore a soft metal, more aggressive grits are not needed and may even damage the part - so be careful. |
| If you are doing any substantial restoration of old parts yourself, you would be well-advised to buy specialty tools needed. The alternative is to take your parts to a vehicle restorer and pay them to do this work. I can tell you after building a 1972 Pontiac LeMans station wagon a few years ago, and mostly using restoration shops for much of the process, the labor charges choke the life out of your checkbook. The work is done extremely well, but I always had a hollow feeling in my gut when writing the checks. My book on this 1957 Corvette RestoMod project lists all the tools you need to duplicate what I have done. Air tools are definitely on that list. A media blast cabinet is also very useful, as well as, an electric power buffer/polisher. |
| Larger blemishes or gouges require a file at first to smooth out the area. Be careful when using the file. Files are the most aggressive remover of material and its easy to misshape the part. Next was the die grinder and flap wheel. This takes off a tiny bit of the surface and smooths it. Then the aluminum was sanded with 220 grit sandpaper by hand. On the flat surfaces, I used a block of wood wrapped in sandpaper. Finally, sanding pads starting at 220 grit and going up to 320 grit were used. Be sure to sand all the control arm surfaces - even those that look okay. |
| Pictured left, the lower control arm's sway bar bushing mount had numerous dings. One way to file these areas is to coat them with a magic marker, then file. As seen on the right, the low spots keep the marker's ink. This lets you know by sight where the low spots remain. Again, file carefully so you don't ruin the part. |
| Once the piece has been sanded completely and all surface imperfections have been eliminated, it's time for the buffer/polisher. At left is what looks like a bench grinder, but look again. The arbors are extra long and stick out far away from the motor. This allows parts to be easily moved around the turning buff wheels. Buffers are not toys and can be very dangerous. The buff pads turn at very high RPMs and if your technique is faulty, it will rip any part you are polishing right out of your hand. |
| High-speed buffers can be very dangerous, so I consulted a book and video on the subject. Then, I slowly practiced. In fact all the stainless trim pieces for the previously mentioned LeMans Wagon were restored and polished by me. A good reference book is How to Restore Metal Auto Trim by Jeff Lilly. I'm sure it's available at online bookstores. TP Tools and Eastwood sell all the buffers, stands, buff wheels, compounds and accessories you'll need to perform this really interesting, but tedious, work. Below are the results... |
| The above-left picture shows both lower control arms - the top one after sanding and the bottom one before any sanding. The smooth surface of the sanded arm gives off a satin-type shine. The above-right photo shows the upper control arms. The left arm is sanded only and ready for buffing. The right arm is after buffing. Notice how the right arm almost looks like it has been chromed. My wife calls this "man jewelry"! |
| A media blast cabinet is a fairly expensive tool to buy. Pictured left, this one came with all the accessories needed to start blasting parts right away - except the blast media. Your alternative is to take your parts to a media blaster and pay the man for his labor - which will be about 2-3 times more expensive than buying the tools! Pictured right is an original leaf spring retaining plate from my C1 Corvette. You can see half the part has not been blasted and still has surface rust and crud. Blast cabinets and all the trimmings can be purchased online at TP Tools in Ohio. |
| Some people may say that sanding and polishing the aluminum suspension pieces is a waste of time - especially when the car will not be a show car. I say, blast conventional opinion! In fact, the front and rear suspension pieces will all be restored and polished in the manner described on this page. Why? Because it's my project and I want to do the job right. Even if no one sees the "man jewelry" in the chassis, I will know it's there! |
1957 Corvette RestoMod