JOECOOL48
Member
- 103
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- 16
- Location
- Fitzgerald, GA
I could not afford sand blasting of my M35A2, so I used a combination of the following. Pneumatic scraper for gummy paint and under coating, Needle scaler for rust and hard to reach paint chips, wire wheels, And most of all paint removal disk. The disk look like a souped up sponge. but don't let the looks fool you though, they are tough and will cut through to bare metal like lightening, and they are long lasting.. A belt sander is good to use on large flat surfaces like the beds of trucks and trailers. Attach a small rope to the sander, attach the sander cord to the rope in several places to keep the sander from running over its cord. Push the the continuous power button on the sander. Grab the cord and play it out and then reel it back in. once you learn the trick you can glide it back and forth from one side to the other. This is very good for removing rust. Just make sure you don't have hit any bolt, nuts or jagged metal. (not good for the belt)
When painting the bed I used a roller on a 5 foot extension I have also used a squeeze, both work well. For other parts I used $12 spray guns from Harbor Freight. I used the gravity feed http://www.harborfreight.com/20-oz-high-volume-low-pressure-gravity-feed-spray-gun-47016.html and the http://www.harborfreight.com/lightweight-high-pressure-spray-gun-93205.html (on Sale) depending on which one would fit in the space that needed to be painted.
For paint mixing I converted an old electric ice cream churn to stir my gallon cans. Punch a hole in an old paint can lid and insert a drill stirrer. Use a small length of rubber tubing to shove up in the churn motor and connect the stirrer in the other end. If you don't have a churn, take the blade off of an electric fan and attach the stirrer to it turn it on low. This is really useful for old paints that have separated.
For the cans of spray paint, I used a double barrel rock tumbler. This was especially useful for Rapco cans. The best things about the paint mixers is you can leave them running and go work on something else, or in my case sit down and have a orange drink and a pack of crackers.
Having trouble reading the numbers on electrical wires because of four layers of paint and mud? Use a small air grinder with a soft wire wheel to run over the metal numbers. It will not eat the rubber coating and make the numbers so old folks like me can read them. Afterward if you still can't read them hit the metal numbers with a shot of dark spray paint and then rub the area with your finger to remove paint and that will make the numbers stand out even more. I also use this brush to remove old paint on rubber gaskets around work lights. Afterwards I spray tire shine on the gaskets and they look like new. A before and after photo below
I used an air compressor hooked in through the rear trailer air connector so I could run down any air leaks. I could not hear the leaks over the engine noise.
Please feel free to add your tips, tricks and things that make restoration easier.
Thanks,
Joe
When painting the bed I used a roller on a 5 foot extension I have also used a squeeze, both work well. For other parts I used $12 spray guns from Harbor Freight. I used the gravity feed http://www.harborfreight.com/20-oz-high-volume-low-pressure-gravity-feed-spray-gun-47016.html and the http://www.harborfreight.com/lightweight-high-pressure-spray-gun-93205.html (on Sale) depending on which one would fit in the space that needed to be painted.
For paint mixing I converted an old electric ice cream churn to stir my gallon cans. Punch a hole in an old paint can lid and insert a drill stirrer. Use a small length of rubber tubing to shove up in the churn motor and connect the stirrer in the other end. If you don't have a churn, take the blade off of an electric fan and attach the stirrer to it turn it on low. This is really useful for old paints that have separated.
For the cans of spray paint, I used a double barrel rock tumbler. This was especially useful for Rapco cans. The best things about the paint mixers is you can leave them running and go work on something else, or in my case sit down and have a orange drink and a pack of crackers.
Having trouble reading the numbers on electrical wires because of four layers of paint and mud? Use a small air grinder with a soft wire wheel to run over the metal numbers. It will not eat the rubber coating and make the numbers so old folks like me can read them. Afterward if you still can't read them hit the metal numbers with a shot of dark spray paint and then rub the area with your finger to remove paint and that will make the numbers stand out even more. I also use this brush to remove old paint on rubber gaskets around work lights. Afterwards I spray tire shine on the gaskets and they look like new. A before and after photo below
I used an air compressor hooked in through the rear trailer air connector so I could run down any air leaks. I could not hear the leaks over the engine noise.
Please feel free to add your tips, tricks and things that make restoration easier.
Thanks,
Joe
