M35A2-AZ said:
........ Next time I will paint the parts, and then after the truck is together with the bolts I will paint the truck again with all the bolts getting painted then. That is how the factory did it, I think.
Nice truck, and thank you for posting the detail photos. Your thread has me remembering an experience I had some time ago regarding a discussion about painting a military vehicle.
On another part of this forum I asked a fellow about his WW2 vehicle restoration. I had seen photos of his work and asked him if he was going to put a cover coat over the assembled drive train and under carriage. His reply was that the trucks came from the factory with black brake hoses, exposed nickel plated hardware of various tints and unpainted wiring harnesses, hoses, brackets and brake lines.
He said that the "seal coat" paint jobs are from respray jobs done out in the depots, and that just because that is all we see today, it is not the way they were produced and delivered.
Having repeated all the above, I actually prefer and see some benefit in wrapping up all the surfaces in a single "sealing coat". I would probably do as you are thinking, and I have only mentioned it because you are attempting to paint it correctly for a specific period.
Cheers,
Rick