Cleaning up the frame

Well, I guess it's been a while and there's a lot going on with the project.  Below there is a series of pictures showing body removal, frame status, and stripped frame headed out for sandblasting and powder coating.


Sending the frame out for powder coating was quite the adventure.  Luckily, there is a shop close by but getting it there turned out to be a challenge.  The shop didn't offer any transport service so another means was required.  I called 2-3 wrecking companies to bring a rollback for transport.  They took my information and said they would call me right back...ok.  Well, no response back from those clowns.  Since it was the evening before my self imposed deadline to get the frame to the shop, I decided I would rent the local Home Depot flat bed truck since getting a trailer and towing behind our SUV would have been a logistical PIA.

So, I arrived at the Home Depot promptly at 6:00am Friday morning (4/10/15) since the trucks are first come first serve and I didn't want that to be an issue.  Completed the paperwork with the cashier and headed on my way.  This truck was certainly designed for hauling and not all around ride quality.  Every bump or ridge in the road could be felt which also lead to my coffee mug tipping out of the beverage holder and partially spilling on the floor (rubber mats, good).  There were really two contributing factors to my coffee woes.  First being the truck's Fred Flintstone suspension system and the second being a beverage holder meant for a 400oz cup.  Needless to say, I needed another dose before the morning was done.

Arrived at the house and positioned the truck to back into the driveway where I was promptly greeted with the alarm bellowing from the truck announcing I was indeed backing up, at 6:30am, with neighbors near by...I'm sure they'll understand.  Now, since this was a last minute approach to transport the frame, I didn't have any help enlisted to elevate the frame on the bed but surely it couldn't be that heavy.  Did I mention I was really sore from my marathon sessions of stripping the suspension from the frame for this step of the process.  Anyway I finagled it into position, grabbed the car jack and proceeded with elevating the frame through successions of lifting, propping, and then lifting again.  Finally, the front of the frame was at the edge and I proceeded to repeat this process at the back of the frame.  With one heave-ho, I slid the frame to the front of the bed without making a sound...yeah, right!

Anyway, this was most of the drama getting the frame out for coating.  The truck bed was the perfect size and I plan to use this method for the return trip.  All said, I still made it to work by 9:00am to continue my day's enjoyment.



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