Frame cleanup

[Toms51]

Hello again... looking for a couple of tips on cleaning out the boxed front frame rail sections on my 51. Access from the front is limited because of the cross member. I’m completely sanding, cleaning, por15 ing, and painting the entire frame and feel it will be incomplete if I don’t address that spot. I do find myself asking though how much does it really matter? No one, including me will never see it.
Thanks

[gmwillys]

Toms51,
There isn't too much that you can do to get all the crud out of the cross members, short of dipping the frame and doing an electrolysis on it. Then you wouldn't be able to fully coat the cross members in paint, unless it was dipped again.
What I like to do is reach in with a needle scaler and get as much of it as you can see. Take a scrap piece of steel an clamp it to the cross members. Run the scaler over the piece of steel. The vibration will knock a lot of the rust loose. Blow out the dust as best you can.
You can go as far as drilling a hole in the cross member and use an undercoat gun that will be able to reach the interior of the cross member.

Another process that I haven't tried yet is to use a product called metal restoration. It is a liquid that you dip rusty metal in, and it cleans it down to bare metal. I've been wanting to check it out.