Shop Truck refurb, code name Chaser

[Jonboy]

I don't know about you, but just the smell of single stage takes me back. That, and old single stage IMRON. I loved shooting that stuff (and am probably still full of isocyanates from it, too).

[RandyP]

I've never shot enamel that was 8:2:1 before, ever. I bought some cheap DuPont Nason for this. All my enamel experience (back in the day) was Delstar basically. I might have shot a few things with Centari. I mixed this stuff 8:1:1 and it still felt thin to me. I used some old DP90LF mixed up as sealer, so I had a nice black base to start with, so I'm not really sure how it covered. I just know I mixed up about a pint and shot until the gun said it was empty.

I got another radio in today. This one works, but the LED's on the front are either weak or just about worn out. It looks like it says 1777 when you hook it up, when it is wanting to say 1000. After leaving it hooked up for 30 minutes or so, the display starts working fairly well though, time will set and hold and presets and all that. I guess I just need to hang on to this one and find a radio repair shop. My other alternative is spending $400 on the one and only 'new' one I found. This will teach me to want stock I guess.

Got my tow hooks in today as well, bought them from a board member. Will probably toss them on this weekend and carve up my lower deflector. I'm still sorta liking that grille guard on there, just worried now about the function. I'm really liable to need to push a car with it long before I need it to be purty.

JohnC, you don't think I've given the truck a 4x4 stance? My wife has to get a running start to get in it....

[RandyP]

Got one radio in from a salvage that played, but the display was messed up. Sent it off to a local place for repair and VIOLA!!! I got a nice factory radio now with only one knob missing, the Treble knob. I'll have to start looking around for one of those when I go out to the pull a part.
Now I'm ready I think to tear in to the dash one last time, got the speedo, radio and speakers all ready. Also got some tow hooks to paint and put on, finish out the 4x4 look with any luck. Also got new cab bushings, bought the kit from LMC with core support/cab/bed bolts and everything needed. Might get the 1/2 inch back I need to make the cab line up to the bed perfectly.

[JohnC]

The speedo and radio look nice man.

[RandyP]

Got slow in the shop this week, so I had time to go ahead and start on my dash (again). Got it all apart, and was reminded how we had to weld in a new piece where the radio was, and decided it looked ugly. Even though just one little area barely showed with the bezel in place, it bugged me. So... I'm having my painter shoot my dash real quick today. Really not that big of a thing with the dash disassembled. I also went ahead and grabbed another gauge panel and painted this one white. The one I did in the chrome spray paint, we tried to clear it (thought it might make it deeper/brighter), but all that did was basically turn it a dark silver, not what I wanted.

[Stitch]

Cool. Hopefully I'll be to this stage by the end of the day

[Jonboy]

That's odd. My guys see my truck and start groaning. Especially the parts guys.

[RandyP]

I had to sweet talk my painter in to it. But, it is basically either work on my clunker for some cash, or stand around and watch the clouds roll by today.

[Jonboy]

Yep. I keep telling them that my truck is going to need paint someday, and everyone keeps changing the subject.

[justpball]

Looking great randy!

[RandyP]

Got the dash shot, only one hiccup. The glove box door lifted for some reason or another, will let it dry over night and smooth it out and do it over. Got my headlight buckets painted and the headlamp rings painted. I'm eager to see the new core support in it. Mostly because that means we're done with the new engine install.
Would have had the dash and parts painted earlier today, but the guy who rents space from me here in the shop needed in the booth this morning to clear some parts. He does custom motorcycle stuff and usually clears between designs and what not. Plus I have metal flake all over the place now, hate it when he uses that stuff.

[justpball]

man that red pops nice, is it the stock color? did it lift where there was bare metal?

[RandyP]

It is the factory 72U red, was obviously single stage before but is base/clear now. I had a fairly good scratch on the glove box door, I feathered it all the way out and down to metal. We did put some etch primer on it (have to with our paint, can't go over bare metal) and yes that is where it lifted. Usually two coats of sealer prevents that, but it bit him this time. Since he pulled it out when he noticed it, it's already dry enough to sand on and he's darn near got it reshot and ready to clear it looks.

I really hope none of that metal flake floated around and got in it. Did I mention I hate it when he uses that stuff in my booth?

[Stitch]

I got some 2K Primer Surfacer from PPG that the paint shop said to use over my bare metal. Will that primer be fine for going over bare metal. Here's a pic.

[RandyP]

Never used it, but.... from what I just read on the data sheet, it needs etch primer under it for bare metal.

JP202 2K Primer Surfacer
Primer
JP202 2K Primer-Surfacer
Reducer
JR505 Fast, JR506 Medium, JR507 Slow
Hardener
JH301 2K Undercoat Hardener
JH302 2K Undercoat Hardener - High Temp
Compatible Surfaces
Cleaned, sanded, and etch primed steel, galvanized
and aluminum. Sanded and cleaned body filler, cured,
cleaned and sanded OEM and refinish coatings
JP202 may be applied
over:
JP202 may be overcoated
with:
JP215, JP301, JP371,
JP375, JP377
JE, JB, JBP, JAU, JP385,
JP315

Looks like JP215 is the etch primer to use on bare metal, did a little light reading on the ShopLine stuff.

JP215 Etch Primer
Primer
JP215 Etch Primer
Catalyst
JH2150 Etch Primer Catalyst
.
Compatible Substrates
Properly cleaned and sanded steel, galvanized,
aluminum. (Not Recommended over fiberglass or
bodyfiller)
JP215 may be overcoated with:
JP202, JP233, JP252, JP285, JP315, JP385
Note: JP215 must be over primed before topcoating

[Stitch]

Damn it. So do you think o should take this back or just go get some etch primer also? The guys I got this from are top notch. Everyone goes to them. My paint and body buddy also said that it was fine and he's been doing it like 35 years or something. I'll ask again tomorrow and see what they say. I would imagine that if they thought I need etch primer they would have sold it to me. It's more revenue for them. And I specifically told them that it was going over bare metal. I hate being new at doing something and having no experience with it

[joe231]

I read somewhere recently that etch primer is an old technology....
Sorry
I don't know squat

[Stitch]

I think if you use epoxy primer then you don't need the etch. Maybe I can take the primer I have back for epoxy primer or maybe it is epoxy primer. I dunno what would be best

[RandyP]

Only epoxy primer/sealer I know is from my deltron days with PPG. The DPLF series was a direct to metal primer (or sealer if you reduced it more). We stopped using DPLF stuff a looooooong time ago, even though still using the deltron line. That is actually the last primer I ever remember using that was ok over bare metal. The K36 primer it seems we used some sort of wash that helped etch (was a liquid we just put on a rag and wiped on the metal, waited a few minutes and wiped it off, then primed).

We do not mix up our real PPG etch primer every time we have a little spot of bare metal showing, they actually tell us it has to be bigger than a quarter to even matter. For small stuff we used a spray bomb of generic etch primer, then prime over it. If we're doing almost 1/2 a panel or more, we mix up the real stuff.

I'm just going by what I read on the data sheet there Chuck, according to it you are not supposed to go over bare metal. At least the way I read it. The last few things I've done and wanted to 'one step' it, I used DPLF. It is not a high build primer though, I actually always spray it as sealer. It just saves a step and I've been lucky so far and always been shooting black (DP90LF is black). Like my core support.

If I were buying and wanted to keep the cost down a little, I'd probably look at the Omni MP epoxy primers, they are direct to metal it looks. Omni is supposed to be cheaper cost, used by a lot of used car work type shops and such. But for jambs and such, would be fine.

[RandyP]

Originally Posted by joe231

I read somewhere recently that etch primer is an old technology....
Sorry
I don't know squat

Etch primer is not the old tech, the epoxy primer is the old tech.

[Stitch]

So if I go pick up some etch primer in a rattle can that'll be fine right? I think that would be the easiest the firewall is where I went through the most. And I think a can of etch would cover it and the little spots on the jambs. Now that you mention it being in a can I remember using it at work before on some bare metal. That's what I'm gonna get. Thanks alot Randy. Once again you save the day

[RandyP]

For the jambs and firewall, it would be just fine to rattle can some etch primer on it. Just remember you're not putting the etch primer on to fill, you're putting it on for the primer/sealer to have something to bite in to. Also, etch primer is not meant to go on over body filler, you can overlap from bare metal to filler, just don't hose it on the filler.
That's a major reason body shops started spreading the body filler out over the painted area. In the old days you ground off a big area, much larger than where you applying body filler, and the painter feathered it out and primed it all. Now a days when the painter gets it, he scuffs out a little further and primes. A good body man gives work to a painter with no bare metal showing, to save him time.

To this day I find it funny how a repair method that was laughable and unheard of except from 'hacks', is all of a sudden the preferred method 10 years later. But I also remember when you hated being the first painter in a shop to prime something that day, because you had to open the primer gun and stir it before using it. These days you leave primer in the gun and you're buying a new gun.

[Stitch]

Once again buddy I really appreciate the insight and the guidance. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. My trucks just gonna be a nice driver but I don't want the paint lifting on anything especially the firewall lol. Thank you.

[RandyP]

Ok, back to what I need to get done on my beater.

Tomorrow looks like a slooooooooow day for me. My body man is off for a short vacation, and I told my painter he might as well stay home since there really won't be nothing for him to do. It will be me and the shop helper keeping each other company. If by chance he runs out of stuff to do, I think I'll have him start pecking some dents on Chaser. We might get gutsy and weld up some holes on the top of the bed (where the bed rails are).

I plan on getting the radio back in and wire up the speakers I took out of the parts suburban. I thought about buying some new 3.5" speakers, but I really think those Infinity speakers are just fine. I have no clue what good brands are on speakers, but the logo on them looks fancy so I am going with they are a good brand.

After the stereo is all in, if I have time I'll try and get the new speedometer hooked up and go for a quick test spin while it is all exposed. I do not recall when I drove it home the first time, but I don't remember the speedo 'bouncing'. I changed the speedo out with one I got from the salvage (set to all zeros, wanted to see if I remembered how!) and it bounces like a bunny rabbit until you get to about 35mph, then it acts normal. If I still have a bounce, guess I might need a new cable or something. I'll figure that later I guess.

I know as soon as we tear in to the truck for body and paint, the shop will get super busy. That's the way it works. But, I need to do something, it was scary slow this week. But, I gotta get mine painted before Joe gets his painted.

[Stitch]

Don't worry Randy I'll have mine painted before Joe. And mines not getting painted for another couple of months