Truck Resto Rant

You can appreciate then the the corrosion sufferers from the far north who use a roller and put bed liner on thick, up to the door handles.

I'm thinking about doing that to my hood and top of cab [in a different color] as they are sunburned. Only car enthusiasts would realize what happened.

Desert derby guys would probably give me a knowing nod accepting me as one of their peers. Some things arn't worth doing.

I was so anal I sandblasted my small fleet of construction rigs down to bare metal and did the bondo route, jeez what a waste of money and labor.

I went out of business with prettier trucks.

I went to a bunch of equipment auctions, did you ever notice they paint over grease? haha, they do!

I'm convinced nothing will work regarding corrosion. If you're talking far, FAR north, maybe. Up where they don't use salt. Wyoming is salt free, and I saw tons of 60 and 70 era vehicles. They were all beat up, and the paint was nasty. It looked like what you're probably describing, that blazed, peeled look resulting from the pounding of desert sun. But the metal itself was solid, moreso probably than my '05 truck is right now.

If there's salt, you're fucked. Simple as that. I give mad props to Chevy. The more I peel this thing apart, the more I see the effort. The plastic shields in the wheel wells give maximum coverage. They come all the way to within an inch of the edge of the wheel well, and block almost the entire engine compartment. There's basically just a slot for the control arms and axle to pass. It evens covers up the opening at the front of the rocker panels. And if you peel it away, there's a foam insert plugging the front of the rockers (bless their hearts). It has certainly stopped a metric ton of material from collecting inside it, and is probably why I've been saved the labor of replacing them so far. But they can't block liquid, and unless you do, you're just delaying the inevitable.

I've no quarrel with bed liner. There's actually a few in the rat rod scene who do their entire car in it. If I had my own personal color it would be flat black, so no complaints here. But you're only protecting the outside from chips that will let in the rust. It's doesn't do jack all for the inside, and that'll get you sure as the sun rises in the east. And since it's so thick, by the time you realize there's a problem, there's no saving it.

I dunno, man. Today scared me. I haven't lost control in years, and I haven't lost control to this extent since probably 1997. I took my bike and got a new gun and respirator, but I couldn't do anything. I just feel crippled. Glad no one was home all day =/

Busy weekend so just got back on it today.

I buffed it the day my gun broke. The sealer that missed the metal would react and begin to harden in the air, falling as sort of a sticky dust. Once dried, it was stuck to the rest but loose. I just took a rag and sort of polished the loose stuff off before getting to work. This is probably the most impossible part, as getting everything perfectly dusted and lint free is hopeless in the Good Enough garage. If doing a proper job, you really need a proper booth that you can keep clean and paint in relative sterility.

The paint was my first obstacle, as I've never used this brand. My fears were not alleviated when mixing as I found it very watery. The overslop in the pot would run and it was so thin you could see the metal underneath. But as I began, I became a big fan. A great mist, super manageability, and it gave a large room for error. It was the Martin Senour (NAPA) brand in Coach Black, if anyone cares.

I thought this out before getting started, and I still dropped the ball. Due to the difficulty painting the hood and roof, I figured I'd begin there. I could not do either without leaning on the truck, so obviously the sides should come last. I began on the middle of the hood working back and out, and had no problem getting a fine first coat over the entire thing. But getting caught up in the present, I didn't want to leave the middle painted and the edges bare, fearing a weird break would develop as it cured at different rates. So I took the middle to the edge, then the edge to the fenders, and just kept on going lest I make a weird break. By the time I snapped out of the job I was doing, it was too late. The sides were painted and I could no longer reach the roof. Idiot =p

On the topic of boners, I've not much to say. As soon as I started the very first fender, it spit out a blip of liquid. I think it was water as there was no paint build up anywhere. I left it for a sec before trying to pick it up with a paper towel, but the tacky paint peeled off a bunch of fibres and it looked like hell. I came back with another paper towel soaked in acetone and manage to pick up the blobs while only lightly disturbing the finish. Another whack from the gun smoothed it all out and you can't even tell a mistake was made. The only other "issue" is there was one, small transportation silk from a spider that must have dropped off the cab. A few dots of paint beaded up on it, but not enough to drip or pull the strand of web down. Once dried, I'll be able to snap it off and again, no evidence will remain. And that's it. Not a single other issue besides the few bits of dust and lint that are impossible to prevent.

The rocker panels caused some worry as I couldn't paint them with broad, even strokes. But even haphazard bursts went on smooth and even; no zebra stripes, no runs, no wrinkles. Even if I slipped up and accidentally blasted a panel only 2" away, it went on in a perfect, even mist. I wish I had more hands, so I could give this paint four thumbs up =)



So that was it. It went faster and smoother than I could've ever hoped. From mixing to pouring to shooting to clean up, everything was done (except the roof =p) in 3 hours. Really my only complaint is something you can't get around - orange peel. The rest is just perfect. The more it cures the more the peel starts to fade, and I'm hoping the buff job to delint will help make it even more unnoticeable.

Quote: Face

Busy weekend so just got back on it today.

Can I bring my car over when it needs a respray? I'd quite like it in BRG....

Quote: TheCesspit

Can I bring my car over when it needs a respray? I'd quite like it in BRG....

Ha! That's quite a drive for a paint job, but I'd be happy to do it =)

Of course, you realize I'm an anorak so I can't in good conscience be putting BRG on a Saab 900. I'm not saying it has to be an E-Type or DB5, but the essence of the car has to match the paint ;)

I know when we were done painting ours with a roller using textured bed liner the orange peel was no problem.

The corrosion we had came from salt spray from the ocean.

It would be pointless to put salt on the roads but a sprinkling of sand or fine gravel was wonderful at times, that place is an ice machine.

The salt spray blowing in from the north pacific would build up on the power line insulators so bad it would short them out.

Good job Face. We will still mess it up taking it down Baha.

Quote: Face

Ha! That's quite a drive for a paint job, but I'd be happy to do it =)

Of course, you realize I'm an anorak so I can't in good conscience be putting BRG on a Saab 900. I'm not saying it has to be an E-Type or DB5, but the essence of the car has to match the paint ;)

Well, I'll take Boston Green as a close second that our German cousins have decided to use and not call BRG :). I'd drive British, but I can't afford one of those that's worth having, so I'll take the next best thing that suit my pockets.

But I'll keep saving for the Jag, but I'd probably have to it in deep red. Too much of a Morse fan....

Quote: Face

Busy weekend so just got back on it today.

I buffed it the day my gun broke. The sealer that missed the metal would react and begin to harden in the air, falling as sort of a sticky dust. Once dried, it was stuck to the rest but loose. I just took a rag and sort of polished the loose stuff off before getting to work. This is probably the most impossible part, as getting everything perfectly dusted and lint free is hopeless in the Good Enough garage. If doing a proper job, you really need a proper booth that you can keep clean and paint in relative sterility.

The paint was my first obstacle, as I've never used this brand. My fears were not alleviated when mixing as I found it very watery. The overslop in the pot would run and it was so thin you could see the metal underneath. But as I began, I became a big fan. A great mist, super manageability, and it gave a large room for error. It was the Martin Senour (NAPA) brand in Coach Black, if anyone cares.

"I'LL PAINT ANY CAR ANY COLOR FOR $99.95!"

Just breaking balls, nice work!

Face I may have just had a psychic moment? Where is the fuel pump on that thing?

I know on some the tank has to be removed, would it be worth it to change it while the bed is off?

Quote: AZDuffman

"I'LL PAINT ANY CAR ANY COLOR FOR $99.95!"

Just breaking balls, nice work!

LOL, I noticed I have you in my mind ever since doing the race car. Every time I go to cut a corner, I always remind myself not to be "Mr. Demon" XD

Except for the injury messing up the time frame, this is way better than a shop. A Maaco slop job runs about $400-$600, and that's just for a respray. A color change? All that prep work is gonna put it over a grand. Add in the body work for the rot and the dents and it would've been not only unaffordable, but not worth spending the money.

So far I'm in about $460, and that includes "consumables" like tape and sand paper. And I will have enough material left to paint my race car 5 times over. And no one but me would've taken the time to clean and strip the nasty bits of the frame, or condition the gate hinges, or maintain the spare wheel release, or...

Quote: petroglyph

Face I may have just had a psychic moment? Where is the fuel pump on that thing?

I know on some the tank has to be removed, would it be worth it to change it while the bed is off?

YES! Either drop the tank or remove the bed. And you're damn right I should do it now. 12X,XXX miles, might as well get a new filter and anything else that's "easy if not for the positioning". Good call! It'll be much easier changing now than it would have been in Ensenada ;)