T-16 S/N 5399 T.D. 97377 Restoration

[Lynn Eades]

There are many products on the market that are based on phosphoric acid.
you paint the stuff on and it kills the rust. I'd do that, and then blast it.
Forgive me for preaching here, but what you have in the scout is unique, and needs a good job done of her. No half measures. If you do it well, you will be proud of her, and she will be worth a pretty penny.

[horsa]

Yep, I live by the wire wheel mounted on a 4” angle grinder as well. Even tried sections of the hull that way but found there were too many places it couldn’t get into and they were usually the most in need. Plus like I’d mentioned before, my floor was deeply pitted after air chiseling the top crust off and the wire wheel wasn’t very effective getting into the moguls without excessive pressure being applied which reduces the life of the wire wheel or wire cup, plus the motor on the grinder.

I experimented with phosphoric acid when trying to figure out a good way to get my tracks freed up. They had been rolled and stored for a long time before I got them and required a breaker bar to force unroll them due to heavy rust. I broke them into sections and made my own chemical bath to test two sections. Results were visible after a few days but it was going to take a lot of work to free up each link since they would need to be moved back and forth a bit and then soaked again. This would need to be repeated over and over until the section was good again.

After getting the two test sections done, I looked back at the stack of waiting sections and decided to seek out a more cost effective solution. The molasses trick is an old one that most people have had good results with. But I couldn’t find an affordable source for bulk molasses here in Texas, even checking with the cattle feed and supply stores. Basically it was by the gallon like the phosphoric acid and wasn’t cheap. Space and a way to deal with the mess was also a concern for me working in a residential neighborhood. The ideal thing would have been a large galvanized metal horse trough for placing both tracks in with the chemicals. Then they could be worked on and off while flipping them around inside.

[Alex Blair (RIP)]

Originally Posted by horsa

Yep, I live by the wire wheel mounted on a 4” angle grinder as well. Even tried sections of the hull that way but found there were too many places it couldn’t get into and they were usually the most in need. Plus like I’d mentioned before, my floor was deeply pitted after air chiseling the top crust off and the wire wheel wasn’t very effective getting into the moguls without excessive pressure being applied which reduces the life of the wire wheel or wire cup, plus the motor on the grinder.

I experimented with phosphoric acid when trying to figure out a good way to get my tracks freed up. They had been rolled and stored for a long time before I got them and required a breaker bar to force unroll them due to heavy rust. I broke them into sections and made my own chemical bath to test two sections. Results were visible after a few days but it was going to take a lot of work to free up each link since they would need to be moved back and forth a bit and then soaked again. This would need to be repeated over and over until the section was good again.

After getting the two test sections done, I looked back at the stack of waiting sections and decided to seek out a more cost effective solution. The molasses trick is an old one that most people have had good results with. But I couldn’t find an affordable source for bulk molasses here in Texas, even checking with the cattle feed and supply stores. Basically it was by the gallon like the phosphoric acid and wasn’t cheap. Space and a way to deal with the mess was also a concern for me working in a residential neighborhood. The ideal thing would have been a large galvanized metal horse trough for placing both tracks in with the chemicals. Then they could be worked on and off while flipping them around inside.

Dave..
Light a big fire and drop the track in to heat them up for an hour or so..Pour the coal to it and get them nice and hot.....Then Hook a chain to them and drag them around the back 40 for a while..That will loosen them up..
Comes with a money back guarantee...

[Lynn Eades]

I soaked mine in free 2nd hand hydraulic oil, for weeks. Then I used two pry bars, between adjacent links, to get them moving. Most freed up. The worst , I used the gas on, and sacrificed every 2nd link. It uses a lot of gas.

[pzrwest]

diesel oil(or furnace oil) mixed with used tranny fluid might work as well

[Snowy]

I haven't tried it but this interesting thread reckons Automatic Transmission Fluid mixed 1:1 with acetone makes a top-class penetrating oil, comparable to the expensive offerings:
http://www.lotuselan.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=14602

Steve.

[Philliphastings]

I haven't tried phosphoric acid yet for the simple reason that citric acid has shown no adverse aspects at all so far. The stuff is so harmless you could almost drink it and it certainly does no harm to plunge bare arms up to the elbows in when fishing out treated parts. It is apparently a by-product of the wine making industry...

Yes transmission oil works well where you need a lot of penetrating fluid. Very good for seized engines if poured into the cylinders and left to work it's magic and claggy gearboxes which have to be stripped down anyway.

Cheers

Phill