Hi Deve,
>I have the cab completely stripped of every nut, bolt, fastener, gauge,
>heater, etc..
>Do they have a special method of cleaning the cab of all dirt, rust and old
paint?
Deve, at this point, invest in an air compressor if you don't have one. It
is an enormous help in restoring an old car/truck. At this point in your
restoration, you could get a dual action air sander, which could take the
paint off the outside more comfortably than anything other than a commercial
dip. For the inside, you could use the sander and a cheap sandblaster for
all the crevices.
As a substitute, you can get wire brushes for an angle grinder which are
almost as good. In fact, I use all of these methods, depending on the
nature of the paint/grime and the surface it is on. I have doubts about
doing it with a drill. Not enough umph. A nice makita grinder is a good
thing.
You'll save a lot by doing the paint stripping on your own. You can get
automotive paint stripper from auto paint stores. I use it once in a while,
but I really don't like it because it burns your skin, corrodes your lungs
and peels your eyes. It is NASTY. And while it does a number on old paint,
it doesn't simply melt it so you can hose it off. You still have to do lots
of sanding/brushing/scraping. If you don't have more than three layers of
paint, I'd skip the stripper.
After you get all the paint off, the metal will quickly begin to corrode, so
before that happens, you should use your new air compressor to spray a coat
of epoxy primer. I like PPG's DP 40. It is not sandable, but the body
shop can spray sandable primer over it. There are some preparations that
you put on the bare metal first to make the paint bite. Talk to the guys at
the auto paint store. You don't need to be an expert painter here, because
everything gets sanded anyway. Shooting primer is easy.
Once you get the hang of it, you may want to go on to sandable primer, which
can be block sanded to make the base for that flawless coat of black you
want. Black shows every ripple, so you'll want to make sure the painter
knows his stuff.
>
>I wish I knew how to weld.
Trust me Deve, learning to weld will change your life. You won't be able to
learn soon enough to do much on this truck, but next time, you'll be ready
to go to town.
I learned a couple of years ago at the local community college on Saturdays.
I weld things all the time now. Very useful. I bought a good used mig
welder recently. I love it. Keep it by the bed in case I feel the urge to
weld in the night. Welding will make you a happier man.
Sounds like you're really going at it. Good for you.
Regards,
Grant S. gls@4link.net
oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
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