Cheap HF sandblaster doing work with "play sand"

[I Like Waffle]

Working on an OL4B manifold i got for cheap that looked like ****. Going on a mild olds 403 im putting together for my 1986 Olds Cutlass 442 that will be given to my GF. Unboxed it, then PB blaster soak for 10 mins, removed all stuck bolts/plugs EXCEPT that stubborn heater hose fitting in the back. Cant get a grip on it, and since its good ill leave it be. Has to have low miles as it has absolutely no corrosion in the water ports, no stripped threads etc. Someone had studs in it for a square bore holley, though :buttkick:

All this work took about 30 minutes and about 10 lbs of "play sand" that i sift to about 80 grit. (2.50/50 lbs) Ill be installing new plugs and vaccum fittings and possibly drilling/tapping the plenum for dual PCV setup. Im making a 4 hole tapered 1" spacer out of phenolic and will be using that on this manifold with an 800cfm QJ. Also will be painted a candy black with metalflake to match the bracketry and pullies //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

Got rained out today and couldnt use my paint booth (which is my old file cabinet moved into a sunny spot in the yard) //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/laugh.gif.48439b2acf2cfca21620f01e7f77d1e4.gif but ill finish it up soon and update.

Posting the pics in the order they were taken. They pretty much explain themselves. Note that it doesnt look the same as most bare blasted alum, but this is old school "sand cast" american technology at work. Lol. I probably couldve gotten it somewhat smoother but it will be painted anyway. I thought about grinding off the edelbrock logos for a sleeper look. Leaving all the 307 badges on the car as well since its hard to tell olds v8s apart without looking at the block good. Though the 307 is a wimpy little 160hp/220 tq V8 and this will likely be around 375/hp 500/tq, speaking conservatively ofcourse. Building it for down low stump pulling power. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/up2something.gif.dd110ecf3ae4b76050d87598f2f8de7c.gif

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[I Like Waffle]

FINISHED

:super:

 

[Imtjnotu 5,000+ posts]

damnn

 

[audioholic 5,000+ posts]

A bead blaster works even better on those alum manifolds.

 

[silvercookie 5,000+ posts]

link to sandblaster?

 

[I Like Waffle]

Here it is, its 20 bucks now, got mine on sale i guess. Ive used it probably a total of 6 hours since ive had it and had no issues. Only thing i changed on mine was pulling the tank off and drilling the inlet out from 1/8 to 1/4 so it would pull more sand. Works great too. Im actually going to buy another one and modify it to use an overhead gravity feed tank in my shop and it should be bad *** then.

21 Oz. Hopper Gravity Feed Spot Blaster Gun

 

[silvercookie 5,000+ posts]

what kind of play sand did you use. this could be a major break through for me as i am always painting **** and then wanting to repaint. my dad has a small blaster for when he does his dental work but it just isnt powerful enough.

 

[I Like Waffle]

what kind of play sand did you use. this could be a major break through for me as i am always painting **** and then wanting to repaint. my dad has a small blaster for when he does his dental work but it just isnt powerful enough.

Quick crete play sand from lowes is the best in general. Then i sift it with a selection of different size window screen material until i get it where i want it.

 

[silvercookie 5,000+ posts]

hmmm so i couldnt just pour it in and blast away?

 

[audioholic 5,000+ posts]

hmmm so i couldnt just pour it in and blast away?

Be sure to use sand intended for a sand blaster (or similar, like 'play sand). Otherwise you will get way too much dust.

Ive used those types of sand blasters many times. Works well for small jobs. Well worth the money for a DIY'er.

 

[I Like Waffle]

Be sure to use sand intended for a sand blaster (or similar, like 'play sand). Otherwise you will get way too much dust.
Ive used those types of sand blasters many times. Works well for small jobs. Well worth the money for a DIY'er.

Yea, you wanna use a good thick grain of sand. Sand is actually very dangerous to your lungs, so make sure you wear some type of breathing and eye protection. Like i said i find the play sand to be about a good 60/80 grit blasting sand once you sift it a few times. Id say out of every 50 lb bag i sift out about 5 lbs of waste sand and dust which is just too big to use IMO, dont wanna risk clogging it but sure you could probably use it straight. Sifting it also gets rid of alot of the dust. You can use buckets and a standard window screen or frying pan screen if you want. Very cheap.

 

[audioholic 5,000+ posts]

Gravity feed blasters like that are fairly forgiving when it comes to clogging, suction style tend to be a lot more finicky. But I agree, always sift the sand. Sometimes rinsing is helpful/necessary too.

 

[Joseph7195 10+ year member]

I have just made a list of tools from Harbor Freight my old lady is gonna get me for Christmas because I am forbidden to go inside(it's my crack and would spend all my money and end up with no rent money). But they are doing a huge January sale and I think they would have some things you would really like. I think if you sign up to their email club or whatever, you will get a coupon for an insane amount off your next purchase.

I used ot work at a lab in an Aluminum foundry and if you torch that piece to expand it to get it out, all you would have to do is put it in the oven at 400 degrees for a minimum of 3 hours to get it tempered again and it be safe.

 

[I Like Waffle]

the only thing thats actually clogged mine was a part of a leaf that ended up in there somehow. Other than that, no issues.

 

[silvercookie 5,000+ posts]

hmm looks like i will definitely be picking one of these bad boys up.

I never wanted to pay a shop to sandblast my rims to repaint but now i can actually do it. Thanks for the info.