Rat repair.

[swamp rat]

Originally Posted by Vic1947

Maybe if it's been allowed to cure for about a year.

Some folks say if you use a catalyst (hardener) with it and either force dry it or allow it to cure for 3-4 weeks, you can buff a solid color (non metallic) single stage paint. I've tried it a few times and it's very hard to get the sanding scratches out of it. Very easy to screw up and it wants to die back (lose its gloss) fairly quickly. As always, YMMV.

I was pretty sure that would be the answer... 😊

[swamp rat]

So another 3 days of rain, didn't feel like dragging the welder outside, then 3 more good enough days gives a couple hours each, took my time and got my patch welded in, no panel warpage, give this guy a beer!

Also, I sat down and re read the paint gun manual again, i know i had read it a couple times before but i think the following part just didn't register, the part about pulling the trigger and then screwing the needle in until it just bottoms, light bulb moment, i was not feeding enough paint thru the gun on the other try's, this time after i did a 100% sand with 400 grit to the outside the paint laid down much nicer, still had a few of the dust bunny's but every time i give it a go its another step better, being as this is a 2K its getting sealed and can be sanded again later..

My reward last Friday for....well, just because, smoked turkey legs, 11.5 hours in the traeger on smoke, nice smoke ring, turned out great!

Need some clarification, sorry if i already asked and forgot. Would this be the correct process on the cab.
1) prime with 2K, 2) bondo work, 3) seam seal, 4) second coat of 2K?
Or forgo the first prime coat?

On the seam sealer, i wish i had bought a brushable quart but will use this tube up first unless somebody objects, I know about taping both sides but don't recall the chemical that allows you to spread it with your finger, acetone? thinner?
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[swamp rat]

Or per my question above, should I hit all the bare metal with self etching primer first, then bondo, then seam sealer, then final K2 prime?

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by swamp rat

Or per my question above, should I hit all the bare metal with self etching primer first, then bondo, then seam sealer, then final K2 prime?

That's what most body shops do these days, although the seam sealer can be applied before or after 2K primer as desired. Some folks use epoxy primer in lieu of self etch, but you need to make sure the manufacturer is good with that approach. Epoxy has the advantage of completely sealing the metal away from the humidity in the air. Most other primers are somewhat porous and without a topcoat will eventually succumb to the elements and allow rust to form.

What you're trying to achieve is a multi-layer barrier that stands up to the environment. Back in the day, body men routinely ground down a damaged panel to bare metal, applied plastic filler and then primed and painted. As long as the underlying metal has no fractures that allow moisture to seep in from behind, this was a perfectly acceptable way to repair a panel. Over the years, the materials and the science have evolved and now most places apply an etching primer or epoxy over the bare metal before applying filler.

However, it's impossible to work the filler without removing the initial coat of primer and exposing the bare metal again. So if you want to add extra insurance against moisture if the surface won't be topcoated for quite a while, you can reapply the epoxy over the bare metal / bodywork and set it aside indefinitely. If you plan to paint in the near future, a quality 2K primer is all you need. It will adhere just fine to the bare spots and the surrounding self etch or epoxy as well as the filler. You'll end up reapplying the 2K as you block the surface down to the point it's ready for the basecoat and clear.

Hope this helps.

[7dee2]

Mike those turkey legs pretty tasty! Yum!

[swamp rat]

Originally Posted by Vic1947

That's what most body shops do these days, although the seam sealer can be applied before or after 2K primer as desired. Some folks use epoxy primer in lieu of self etch, but you need to make sure the manufacturer is good with that approach. Epoxy has the advantage of completely sealing the metal away from the humidity in the air. Most other primers are somewhat porous and without a topcoat will eventually succumb to the elements and allow rust to form.

What you're trying to achieve is a multi-layer barrier that stands up to the environment. Back in the day, body men routinely ground down a damaged panel to bare metal, applied plastic filler and then primed and painted. As long as the underlying metal has no fractures that allow moisture to seep in from behind, this was a perfectly acceptable way to repair a panel. Over the years, the materials and the science have evolved and now most places apply an etching primer or epoxy over the bare metal before applying filler.

However, it's impossible to work the filler without removing the initial coat of primer and exposing the bare metal again. So if you want to add extra insurance against moisture if the surface won't be topcoated for quite a while, you can reapply the epoxy over the bare metal / bodywork and set it aside indefinitely. If you plan to paint in the near future, a quality 2K primer is all you need. It will adhere just fine to the bare spots and the surrounding self etch or epoxy as well as the filler. You'll end up reapplying the 2K as you block the surface down to the point it's ready for the basecoat and clear.

Hope this helps.

Vic everytime you post it helps! LOL!

[swamp rat]

Originally Posted by 7dee2

Mike those turkey legs pretty tasty! Yum!

One disappeared that day, the other 3 were de boned and put in small baggies and into the freezer, then i grab a baggie and take it to work and put it in my salad, mighty tasty.

[swamp rat]

So i did the unconventional today, i had absolutely no way to be able to spray K2 primer on the bottom of my cab being as its on the frame, so after i prepped the tin i decided to mix some 2K up and apply with a brush, had to throw a tarp over the cab and drag a space heater out to get the tin up to 70 degrees before i started.

Now as i have said i learn as i go..... Never apply this stuff with a brush without long sleeves and gloves on and Mineral spirits for the residual arm, face and hands clean up! Paint thinner does indeed not feel so great on the skin when scrubbing with a rag. LOL! But i got 2 good coats on everything but the rear cab mount, i didn't have it prepped yet so it gets done later.

[7dee2]

Originally Posted by swamp rat

One disappeared that day, the other 3 were de boned and put in small baggies and into the freezer, then i grab a baggie and take it to work and put it in my salad, mighty tasty.

Nice, Mrs. 7dee2 (aka lucky ducky) got a new dual fuel grill with a fire box and we're smoking and grilling like crazy!

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by swamp rat

So i did the unconventional today, i had absolutely no way to be able to spray K2 primer on the bottom of my cab being as its on the frame, so after i prepped the tin i decided to mix some 2K up and apply with a brush...

Believe it or not, back in the early 1900's Rolls Royce applied lacquer paint with a chamois. They would dip it in a bucket of color, lay it on the surface and pull it across to deposit the material. They would build up multiple coats, then block sand and buff. When the goal is to coat an area that will be unseen anyway, a brush can be an effective tool. The only advantage of a spray gun in those circumstances is getting the material into all the nooks and crannies.

[swamp rat]

Today I sanded all the red weld primer off the surface leaving some of the black primer, then i masked and covered everything with paper and tape, i used the aerosol can of 2K that i bought quite a while back, it had about 5 months left on the use by date, it has that activation button on the bottom of the can. it laid out real nice, i was surprised to see this stuff looked to be beige in color. Tomorrow i need to spread out a little filler in a few places and hopefully get it sanded.

[GASoline71]

Swampy! It took me a couple days to get through your thread... but great job on the build. I wish I had a 1972 K25 to match my C15.

Gary

[swamp rat]

The rocker didn't match the cab corner very well and left a mismatch area where they join together, I figured this was not something i wanted to try and cut open and pie in a piece of metal, today i went layed down about 15 thin layers of bondo in the rocker and cab corner to slowly build the mismatch up, blended out almost all the way to the front of the rocker, then shaped the radius, then a couple fills with glazing putty, so being convinced i had all the divots filled i covered all the sanded and filled areas with high build primer, of course i missed a few areas and will have to go back and touch up. plus i'm now wondering if its possible i may have built it up too high so it crowns out in the center, but i can check that tomorrow with a straight edge.

I still have yet to learn the secret of doing this fast, what i did today was about 9 plus hours of work, that also includes working on my drivers door getting all the spot welds done and the bottom of the door into 2K as well.

[swamp rat]

Not a lot today just a little more touch up work, i got a straight edge and there is a bit of some bowing across the length of the rocker, both at the upper edge and working downward on the outside, i'm going to wait and put the door back on before i make any decisions on if i sand some of the bondo off.

[First c10]

Hey Mike looking good. after watching your build I may have to try and paint something myself!!! (and I hate to paint!!!) Keep it up!!!

[swamp rat]

Getting closer, the cab corner has a little more work than is shown in the picture, your still looking at high build primer, have to do a touch up sand then it should be ready for the final 2K cover..


Body guys i have a question:
I still have to figure out exactly how i'm going to make the rocker/cab corner join look symmetrical, i'm guessing feed some bondo in on the rocker side being as the rocker was not straight, i thought about just filling it with bondo but i know the factory seam should be there. Have concidered filling with seam sealer but not sure if that's the best way.

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by swamp rat

...I still have to figure out exactly how i'm going to make the rocker/cab corner join look symmetrical, i'm guessing feed some bondo in on the rocker side being as the rocker was not straight, i thought about just filling it with bondo but i know the factory seam should be there. Have concidered filling with seam sealer but not sure if that's the best way.

Completely filling it with bondo or seam sealer will eventually cause the area to crack when the body flexes. Best way to join the rocker to the corner is by welding and it's a bit late for that. Faced with this, I'd probably opt for a bondo repair. Couple of ways to go about it.

1. You can lay a piece of string or wire in the gap, draw it snug and tape it top and bottom. Overfill the gap with bondo and wait a little bit until the bondo has barely started to set and is still fairly wet. Hold one end of the string/wire and gently pull the other to you. This will create a pretty uniform, tight gap. Let the filler set up the rest of the way and use a hacksaw blade with sandpaper folded around it to work the gap to the width you want.

2. Dispense with the string trick and fill the gap with bondo, then use a hacksaw blade after the filler sets up to create the gap you want. Then fold over your sandpaper and work it smooth. This requires a bit more finesse because you want the gap right next to the cab corner and controlling the saw blade can be tricky.

[swamp rat]

Well, if not one thing its another, started popping the main breaker on the lower service of my split buss bars when i turned on the portable AC units, this is where i added the 220 service for the compressor and welder, but when the main pops the welder and compressor are turned off. Did a test with the welder and compressor breakers turned off and the problem went away, the air units worked fine, and i added more loads via a toaster oven and microwave, celing fan, tv, and computer and everything was fine. Sigh, now i need to figure out which of the two is the culpret...

Got my inner fenders back today, pic later, they look sweet!

[swamp rat]

Here's a couple pics of the powder coat inner fenders. I have been plugging away on the truck but it does not look much different, been finalizing the rear cab corner and inner kick panel, have the welds seam sealed now. Need a warmer day to apply the final coat of 2K.

[swamp rat]

Next

[swamp rat]

Dang that first photo is a killer LOL! Posted from my phone....

[NONHOG]

Get the electrical figured out?

[swamp rat]

Originally Posted by NONHOG

Get the electrical figured out?

The only real fix is to upgrade my electrical panel which is about $2000, that was a quote from an electrical company i talked to about the issue. I had a friend whom i work with who is one of the electricians for my building, he also said its a $2000 job without knowing i already had a quote from a different company.

I have whats called a split panel where all the upper 220V is always hot, the lower portion is for the 120V is controlled by a main breaker, You may recall that the 220V circuits for the compressor and welder were added to this lower section which maxed out the service.

The old main breaker is 50A, my electrician buddy said that between the panel and the 4 AWG wires coming off of the 50A main that i'm safe to use a 60 amp main breaker so i had him swap that out for me, it remains to be seen if this will help with the main tripping, but i'm hoping that the fact that the main was tripping even with the power off to the welder and compressor was that the main was as old as the house and just needed to be replaced. I have not had time to fire up my air conditioners to run a test.

[mcbassin]

Looking good Mike! Nice progress on the car and door repairs.

[swamp rat]

Originally Posted by mcbassin

Looking good Mike! Nice progress on the car and door repairs.

Thanks Mike! I know its kinda slow going but it seems every time i attempt a repair to a different area its another learning curve, definitely have made a couple mistakes along the way but that's how ya learn. If i could just go home after work and spend another hour or two on the rat it would progress quicker.. I'd be willing to use lamps and work on it but i'm sure my neighbors would protest.