Nut & Bolt Restoration………Literally

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This truck is apart and off to the media blaster to get the seemingly 40 layers of brushed on blue paint off. There were lots of nice surprises when disassembling this truck………proper Series 2 parts, no rust, and lastly most of its original British hardware.

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Just a sample of what was coming off the truck……..rusty, painted blue of course, and original…………..so, I saved it all. Northeast rust-belt trucks usually have a mix of hardware store course thread who knows what stuff, not worth keeping, and the British Standard hardware is long gone…………..not so much with these desert trucks.

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Enter Eastwood vibratory tumbler. I talked with a local gent that does Amelia Island, Pebble Beach type restorations on old Porsches……..to the level that all the bolts have to have the correct markings on them……….crazy details. He has a vendor that coats the hardware once prepped……….the tumbler will do the prep work.

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Just a photo for size reference. The container accepts up to five pounds of media/hardware.

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Before / After

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Boxed up hardware on the left after a trip in the tumbler, hardware on the right waiting to go in.

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Samples

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The process is time consuming and messy……….what isn’t. Each tumbler load takes about four to six hours of tumbler time, then rinse, separate from the tumbler media, and dry. After I finish all of this trucks hardware I’ll ship it off to the pro for a final polish and then coating………it will come back looking brand new!!

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