Old Trucks

[teaberryeagle]

Here's more I clicked from the TV screen from the show "American Pickers".....
and here's a link of 44 pages of trucks near your home that you can peruse
( http://cars.oodle.com/used-cars/char...a-area/trucks/ )

( http://www.bing.com/search?FORM=VE3D...tesville%2C+va )

[blucher]

I have never owned my own truck, but my dream is to find the perfect old truck.

your first task is accepting that critter don't exist. You may restore it to a thing of beauty but under the shine somewhere rust is hard at work.

I bought an old Tradesman previously owned by Philadelphia Electric. A generator ran off the engine so I could plug in electric anywhere.
The motor was almost like new. This van spent it's days parked running power tools.

I stripped it almost to bare metal, did Bondo & Nitrostan where needed and added several coats of the best paint. The interior was in good shape except for a bit of contact rust patches from tools. That was sanded and te interior painted with a Rustoleum product. NEVER DO THAT!

Rustoleum is a slow drying fish oil base enamel. The van smelled like fisherman's wharf for 3 weeks.

Four years later I tried to trade in the still great looking van to discover the frame and body were barely attached due to rust. This came from lower body panels I addressed by drilling holes and squirting in gutter mender to seal off any rust in the wells.

Look for your truck where ice isn't treated with salt. Portland won't use salt so cars are less rusty. The crap they do use is useless but it makes them feel better.

[mtngirl]

When I was in the Keys a few weeks ago, this truck was for sale at a gas station. BLACK BEAUTY

[blucher]

10 characters

[neophyte]

All three of you Thanks

[havasu]

Just can't get enough of these beauties. Thanks!

[mkfarnam]

I haven't checked this out, but it's just down the road from us.

[Hillman]

Originally Posted by blucher

your first task is accepting that critter don't exist. You may restore it to a thing of beauty but under the shine somewhere rust is hard at work.

I bought an old Tradesman previously owned by Philadelphia Electric. A generator ran off the engine so I could plug in electric anywhere.
The motor was almost like new. This van spent it's days parked running power tools.

I stripped it almost to bare metal, did Bondo & Nitrostan where needed and added several coats of the best paint. The interior was in good shape except for a bit of contact rust patches from tools. That was sanded and te interior painted with a Rustoleum product. NEVER DO THAT!

Rustoleum is a slow drying fish oil base enamel. The van smelled like fisherman's wharf for 3 weeks.

Four years later I tried to trade in the still great looking van to discover the frame and body were barely attached due to rust. This came from lower body panels I addressed by drilling holes and squirting in gutter mender to seal off any rust in the wells.

Look for your truck where ice isn't treated with salt. Portland won't use salt so cars are less rusty. The crap they do use is useless but it makes them feel better.

More pics and details please. Is that your paint bay?

[blucher]

More pics and details please. Is that your paint bay?

I found a H.S. shop teacher who painted cars in his garage at night. My van didn't fit so we painted her on a windless day. I did the prep work in his driveway and my fastidiousness got me a job offer from the painter/teacher.

If you're restoring a body dig out every bit of rust you can reach. To cover holes use light steel sheets cut to the size needed. Pop rivet the metal to the body and hammer the new bandage just slightly lower than the body surface. Bring it uo above level using Bondo and sand till you have what you're after. Bondo is followed by Nitrostan which fills in the smaller crevices and is in turn sanded smooth.
Next spray on several coats of primer (spray can is fine) and sand VERY smooth repeating primer if necessary. Your final sanding is 400, 500 and I use 600 grit paper "wet sanded" till the repair is perfectly smooth. This is easy to pick up by trial & error because flaws are easily recovered with primer.

If I did it again I'd find a bay with a lift so I could administer an under coat too.

The final cover coats are best left to a moonlighter or Maaco. Maaco does no prep work worth mentioning so you need to give them a paint ready vehicle.

Use lacquer thinner to degrease any surface you work on before applying Bondo, Nitrostan or primer.

[RiponredTJ]

I've seen some pretty slick Rustoleum jobs done with rollers.
I'd deal with the smell for a primo paint job like this for my Jeep.
.