Need to strip a K-frame

Has anyone stripped their K-frame of paint to weld the re-inforcement kit? I'd love to bring it to someone locally (Northern Ohio)to have tanked in whatever would work.

It's been painted recently by the previous owner and he did too good a job to try and weld without stripping completely.

Thanks, Joe

There may be a better way to do it, but I had mine glass bead-blasted. It came out pretty clean. You just need to hit it with compressed air, to blow out all the dust and media particles. Then clean the metal with some SEM pre-paint prep or similar.

Mine was blasted but dipping it in something would get in there...but then you certainly want to dip it to top coat it as well.

The down and dirty method is simple.

Get a can or two or engine cleaner, go to the local DIY car wash. Wear dirty clothes. Spray the K frame all over and let sit 10 minutes or so.

Load up the machine and blast away with their engine cleaner setting.

Rinse.

Hot tank (like an engine block) and sandblast works well. Hot tank gets the grease and paint off and sand blast gets the rust off.

Just avoid silica sand on weld areas. Or if silica is used, sand the weld areas. Silica residue contributes to weak porous welds.

i blast lots of k members but you cant get inside good enough to get all the grease out. hot tank is your best bet for perfect. i would tank, replair/weld then blast to prep for paint.

And don't be surprised if more cracks show up after blasting.

I had one years ago that was greasy as hell everywhere...it didn't rust at all but I never thought I'd get the oil off of it enough to weld it up and paint it.
Washed everything off as well as I could at the car wash and then ended up using a rosebud tip on a torch up through the middle and baking all the crap out of it...cleaned up a lot easier...
It still only has primer on it...I'm not painting it until everything is ready to be assembled...

I recently cut mine open and the amount off crud left inside after I had hit it with degreaser and pressure washer was eye opening, I cut it open to knock out dents, add a gusset and mod some scallops to clear my oil pan.

Take it to a radiator shop.

This frame is clean as a whistle, so oil/grease is not a problem.
The local radiator shop said they didn't think their tank would strip the paint.

Wow, Dodgy, I've never seen a frame dismantled like that, quite a job!!

Anyhow, I think I'll take to the sandblast place I've had do other large parts
and go from there.
I know they can't do anything about the the paint that migrated into the cracks around the perimiter, so welding on the seams will be problematic.

i'll resign myself to do the gusseting with the kit and leave it at that.

Thanks for all the ideas, Joe

Where you at in Northern Ohio . . I had my rims dipped in sandusky ohio

I'm East of Cleveland, CT, an hour away.
I'd appreciate a contact # , I'll give them a call and see...Thanks, Joe

American Quality Stripping / 419-625-6288
You can look up website http://americanqualitystripping.com/

Thanks CT, I requested a quote on line.
Appreciate the help, Joe

I had mine baked at the local machine shop all the grease and oil has burned off

Oven cleaner smokes the built up crud, just keep it off you and anything that has nice paint on it.