Thread: Could it be finally true??

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Believe it or not, this weekend we finally got some primer sprayed on my Son Dan's roadster pickup...........well, at least on part of the cab. He's been building this car in one form or another for 5 years, and he bought the Brookville body 2 1/2 years ago. He kept finding things to change or fabricate and it seemed we would never get to the point of actually applying some primer to it.

We got the new compressor motor installed Friday and Saturday he did his final prep work and he shot a coat of PPG etch primer on first, then top coated it with two coats of DP90. We were able to hang it from our gantry which allowed us to tilt it so he could first shoot the entire underside with the etch and DP90 primers, then we leveled it out and he shot the rest of it.

He plans of shooting small batches at a time, so things like the cowl cover, back part of the body, doors, and various brackets can be shot this week and next weekend. Lots of stuff still has to be powder coated, like everything under the dash (pedal mounts, steering column mount, etc) and we can now get those done too. This should really be the beginning of the end of this long build, once you get them into paint things start happening pretty fast. Plus, the entire chassis is pretty much done and the engine runs already.

Here are some pictures of what he got done yesterday. I may have to do them in two posts. You have no idea how happy I am to see this day finally come, and I know Dan is on cloud 9.

Don

Couple more shots. We also have a visitor that hangs out with us while we work. There is a family of cats that live near our shop and every night they stop by for dinner. They are getting less afraid of us and now the black one comes into the shop and stretches out. Last night she brought her new kitten with her and it actually came in too, but was too fast to photograph. I feel good knowing they go to bed with full bellies every night, poor guys have a tough enough life.

Don

Hooooorrraaayyyy!
I hope he feels good about hitting another milestone.

He does Bob. Lately he has been really down about all the time and dumping every spare cent into it and not seeing any end in sight. We all know how these long builds can take a toll on you. For the first time it looks like he actually may get the car on the road........hopefully for Turkey Run in November.

We also won't have to worry about touching bare metal and rusting it every time we move it or do something to it.

Don

Congratulate Dan for me too Don,well done and the end is in sight.
When he starts the assembly of it,he will get even more impatient.
You and your cats,mate, ain't we all softiness, but animals are great at giving unconditional love and are also great at judging a persons character.

You got that right Don; Down here in florida all you have to do is blink and a spot of rust will appear. I don't know how many times I have cleaned rust off my frame that I am working on. It's looking good to bad you guys had to ruin a good chain by painting it.
But if you want to sell them cheap I'll be happy to help you out of them, Oh I mean buy them ruined chains from you. HE! HE! HE! Just kidding Don, It's looking very nice.
Kurt

Great stuff Don, Your right about it being a big milestone, looks like i might well get my ride later this year

One thing though, I notice Dan is spraying without covering his flesh
I know its outside but 2 pack is pretty horrible stuff so tell Dan to throw on some paper overhalls, Its cheap protection.

Looking forward to seeing you all again real soon.

Thanks guys. Whiplash, you are right about animals, I have a soft spot for them. I really feel sorry for the little ones who are left to fend for themselves outside. This newest "family" consists of 3 of them who come by every night to get supper, the little kitten is the newest adddition. Sometimes we have as many as 5 or 6. They are getting more used to us and I am almost within petting range now.

Kurt, I agree about the benefit of getting rid of all that bare metal. The humidity here has been brutal and rust spots start popping up in places we haven't even been near. Getting epoxy primer on these pieces will make it much better.

Steve, very interesting thought about the overspray not being great for you. We have hooded paper suits but we didn't wear them, or plastic gloves, because it was just so hot and you sweat immediately with them on. However, Dan didn't feel that great that evening and couldn't figure out what was causing it............maybe you are on to something. He had overspray on his arms that he had to remove with lacquer thinner. You may have provided the reason. I'll make sure he is covered well next batch. Thanks for mentioning that.

Don

Hooray! We all can't wait to see this one put together. Don, has Dan decided on a color yet? Or is he just going to leave it in DP-90? It will look good either way.

Amen on the rust here in Florida. Back in my body shop days, we were told never to leave anything in bare metal overnight, or, if we did, to re-sand it the next day before applying body filler or primer. The reason - because the humidity and salt air causes microscopic oxidation (rust not visible to the naked eye) to begin within just a few hours!

Don, you probably know this, but for the info of those reading this thread that may not be aware: Epoxy and Urethane based paints & primers use catalysts (hardeners) that contain isocyanates. The "cyan" part of that name doesn't come from Cayan Pepper, folks, it is derived from Cyanide - it's the stuff used in the gas chamber over in Texas. Cyanide is a deadly poison that attacks the nervous system. It can be ingested through the skin as well as inhaled. It is only in very small amounts in paint catalysts, but still dangerous if ingested. Anybody out there who might be using catalyzed paints or primers, especially for the first time - protect yourself.

Jim, his plan at the moment is to paint it the same Hot Rod Black satin that I used on my 27 body. Couple of reasons for that: First of all, he likes the look of it (me too) and it is something we can do ourselves without a booth. There are so many pieces to this car, what with the bed, cab, and all, that it would be a major outlay of cash to have it professionally painted.

He has so much other shiny stuff on the car that we think the satin will be a nice contrast and let the other parts pop a little. Plus, if he doesn't get this thing in paint pretty soon he will never make Turkey Run again this year. I think if he misses having it there he will push it into a corner and not want to see it again.

You and Steve really have me thinking about the primer danger thing. This is the first time we ever used PPG stuff, normally we use Dupont. Maybe there is a higher load of bad stuff, or just different stuff than we are used to. Like I mentioned, he complained about not feeling well Saturday night when we got home...........maybe there is a link to that and the primer. He WILL wear a suit next time.

Don

yep i shot many gallons of the stuff we shot it on cars.trucks. for sealer and black out seim truck s frames with it as well as i shot it on M&A casting valve covers and rear end covers .stuff can make you very sick .they did take some of the bad stuff out .but still not good .so watch out your playing with fire . i been sick form isocyanate more then one time as all the paint i used was kick off with it.... looks nice

Thanks Pat. God, I never gave this a thought at all about the dangers. We have shot so much stuff outside with just masks on that it seemed ok. I feel like a dummy now for not using my head. He had quite a bit of overspray on his arms because he had to get inside the cowl section and other tight spots and it blew back on him. We had a nice breeze blowing, but he was still covered.

I have one new suit and will buy more this week before we do it again. Thanks guys for all that good info.

Don

Nice job Don, I wanted to put some primer on the 50 Ford this weekend but I’ve been trying to get gas to the carburetor in the 54 Merc. The car has been sitting for a couple of Months without being started. I tired priming it by putting gas in the line as well as the filter but she just won’t pump. The fuel pump is in a tight spot but I’ll have to put a new one on. I’m hoping since the car set for along time before I got it that the tank is not full of rust.

I like your gantry crane I want to put one out side close to the garage, I have a trolley 1 ½ ton hoist just have to set up the frame. I would rather work outside when possible for the natural light and when welding or spraying paint.

I like to hear about the Cat’s, sounds like it is at our place. Beside the Cat’s my wife took in that were drop off’s or just found us while looking for food, we have one that’s been coming around for over a year. Sometimes he comes twice a day but we cannot touch him. All of our Cat’s have names but this one we have been calling him “New Guy” for so long that I guess that’s his name. I tell my wife about your Cat’s, she thinks you’re a great guy to help the little ones.


Richard

Yep Richard, check the inside of your tank for rust. When I bought my 84 Crown Vic it was owned by the proverbial old lady and only had 50,000 miles on it, but she had parked it in her garage for 4 years and never used it again. I had it towed to my shop and when I pulled the tank I found handful after handful of rust particles. The interior had just been eaten totally up by the stuff. I had to buy a new tank and flush the entire fuel system before it would start. Even the electric pump in the tank was a ball of rust.

That gantry has been a life saver. We use it for everything, even to lift my 46 Ford body off the trailer when it arrived. Don't know how we would get along without it.

I guess it's obvious I like all animals, but cats in particular. They just crack me up with the stuff they do. The two we have at home are clowns and I swear they know they are being funny. The ones who are strays at our shop are really a sad case, left to fend for themselves and always looking around for danger. The other night a new big cat came around and attacked one of the family, so Dan and I tore after it and chased it away. I think the family knew we protected them which is why they came into the shop later, maybe to say thanks.

Don

I have only used the throw away paint suits one time doing the same job Dan was doing. This is the only safe way to paint for sure, but I have never been so miserable while painting. I felt like my suit was absolutely filling with water. It was even running out the arm sleeves. I was stopping every so often to pull the mask and drink cold water to cool off. This is just something everyone will have to prepare for and cope with. Take care