ConcoursMustang Forums
Restoring - General discussions that span across many different groups of years and models => Processes, Products & Techniques => Topic started by: midlife on February 21, 2016, 01:48:21 PM
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One of the problems refurbishing an underdash harness is that the fusebox clips corrode and lose continuity. For the past 8 years, I have bead-blasted them successfully to remove the corrosion, but what to do to prevent it from returning? I've used dielectric grease and q-tips.
The other day I saw an extended video on Boeshield products, and the claim was made to wear gloves as it is acidic. When doing more research, that seemed to apply to the cleaner and not T-9. But...the webpage for T-9 says it is OK to use on electronics as it is non-conductive. If it is non-conductive, how could one get continuity between the fuse and the fuse clip? So...I decided to buy a can of T-9 and test it. I first sand-blasted a used fusebox and applied the T-9. I wiped the excess off and let it dry.
An hour later, I came back and put in new fuses and tested wiring that crossed the fuses. Lo and behold: I got continuity! Woohoo! This seems easier than applying dielectric grease. Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?
So...another endorsement for Boeshield T-9.
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Thanks for sharing. Nice to know no harm will come to my electricals because of contact with the B9. One thing though; it's my experience the B9 needs to be refreshed rather frequently to the other surfaces I use it on. Brian
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Yes thanks for sharing and being the test d****y on this one ;D
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Thanks for sharing. Nice to know no harm will come to my electricals because of contact with the B9. One thing though; it's my experience the B9 needs to be refreshed rather frequently to the other surfaces I use it on. Brian
I fully understand where you're coming from. Most of you use Boeshield on parts that are exposed directly to the environment and possibly driving in wet or humid conditions. The fusebox is located in the passenger compartment where the rate of rusting is much lower than on the outside of the body unless the damn cowl leaks. From my experience, 75% of the fuse boxes have "patina" and minor corrosion over the past 50 years, most likely due to the application of factory metal coatings. Once those coatings break down, the steel (or beryllium copper in many cases) is now more susceptible to rust. I'd like to think that Boeshield will hold up for a good 10-20 years given the care most people take with these vintage cars. For daily drivers, yes, an annual or biannual shot of Boeshield might be in order. Of the over 400 fuse boxes I've beadblasted, I've only had one returned due to oxidation, and that car lived outside in humid Florida.
I'd recommend that it also be applied to the large ring connectors on the starter solenoid, horn and headlight connector pins, which are notorious for rust.
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Oh SURE! Now that I have mine all GREASY with dielectric and all snapped back together! :o It's cool though 8)
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Didn't the original fuse clips have a plating? Like zinc or something else?
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Didn't the original fuse clips have a plating? Like zinc or something else?
Yes.
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Soaking in evapo-rust might be another option as it will not remove all the plating, just the rust.
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The Evaporust process removes rust from steel (and iron) but is also leaves the steel susceptible to future rust. You may have up to two weeks to figure out what you are going to do to protect the exposed surface. The conductive grease may be a solution if it is moisture resistant. Re-plating is almost impossible. Conductive paint may be a choice. Boeshield looks good.
Jim
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I'm soaking a very rusty fusebox right now in Evaporust. It's been about 1.5 days now, and about 50% done. I'm curious if it will work on the oxidized beryllium copper oxidation or not. Some rust is very crusty and the Evaporust doesn't seem to be working really well. I'll post the results in a few more days.
What also bothers me about Evaporust is that it will wick up into the wire insulation, and my experience is that it will take days for it to wick back out, even in the presence of a heat gun. For my work (different than concours restorations where time is not critical), I need to clean up fuseboxes within an hour or so.
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I'm soaking a very rusty fusebox right now in Evaporust. It's been about 1.5 days now, and about 50% done. I'm curious if it will work on the oxidized beryllium copper oxidation or not. Some rust is very crusty and the Evaporust doesn't seem to be working really well. I'll post the results in a few more days.
What also bothers me about Evaporust is that it will wick up into the wire insulation, and my experience is that it will take days for it to wick back out, even in the presence of a heat gun. For my work (different than concours restorations where time is not critical), I need to clean up fuseboxes within an hour or so.
After three days of soaking, I washed off a lot of crud, and put the fusebox back in the Evaporust. After six days, I washed the box well, used compressed air to begin the dry it, and then used a heat gun (which started the box to smoke a bit, so I turned down the heat). I stuck some paper towels in the backside to observe if any Evaporust wicks out of the wires.
This box was very rusty, and I would never have attempted to use it. Some clips still had some plating on it, so Evaporust appears not to affect the clip plating. What was left was severely pitted and corroded clips, which could have been cleaned down to bare metal with bead blasting in less than 5 minutes vice 6 days. I've had problems with Evaporust taking a long time to do its thing; perhaps my jug is too old and needs to be replaced. Six days is somewhat unacceptable.
Overall, I would not recommend Evaporust for fuse box clips, unless there is only a layer of patina and not true corrosion. Even then, you'll need something to protect the bare metal from future corrosion.
Other materials for cleaning that I've run across is Molasses and vinegar (not together!). I have used Diet Coke for a quick dip/cleaning, and that seemed to be OK on just dirty boxes with just patina.
So...that's the story from hereabouts. I hope you enjoyed the entertainment. Now back to your regular programming.
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Grape cool aid also is a rust remover but somewhat weak. It wil do in a pinch. I always keep a packet around for a emergency . ;)
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Oh boy! Does doing things concours mean drinking the cool-aide? ;D
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Oh boy! Does doing things concours mean drinking the cool-aide? ;D
life is full of comprimise. :D
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Oh boy! Does doing things concours mean drinking the cool-aide? ;D
If it removes rust and corrosion - sure.
Jim