G506 Class 525 (G7133) restore

[jeffhuey1n]

Today’s update, catching up from Sunday: got the U-joints out of the rear drive shaft (thanks Jim!). Got the emergency brake parts sand blasted and ready for paint. I have to replace two of the rivets holding the brake shoe pads. I hope I’ve got them somewhere around the bottomless parts pit. Monday for parts sorting. Eventually I’ll be ready to list the stuff... pics will be posted later today.

 

[jeffhuey1n]

Got a couple three hours in to it today. Started sanding the frame behind the passenger side and there was just too much stuff in the way. So, battery box is removed, step is removed and the frame mounted fuel filter removed. The filter was bypassed for some reason. Once I got it removed, I drained some extremely old gasoline with a stench that would stink a buzzard of a honey wagon. Cleaned it up, blew some compressed air through it and took it to the sandblaster. Wow! Big difference. It’s as good as new, just have to figure out a filter and new gaskets. The gaskets were paper based, it was that old! Pics:

 

[jeffhuey1n]

Update as of yesterday: finished stripping the rear drive shaft. Pulled the drive link from the parts cleaner, dried it off then sand blasted it. I also primered the fuel strainer bowl (note: the frame mounted “filter” is not a filter. It is a strainer. That’s what the book says anyway). The separator stack is disgusting. It’s soaking in some cleaning fluid. I’m probably going to stick it in the ultrasonic cleaner. Also, did some floor cleanup because it was getting hard to move around on the creeper. I pulled the battery mounts to clean them up. They’re nasty with rust damage. Not sure which way I’ll go to fix them. Pics:

 

[jeffhuey1n]

More sandblasting completed. Got the battery mount cleaned as well as the fire extinguisher mount. And finall, the rear axle bumpers. All ready for paint. Pics: note, I’ll add the battery mounts later. Forgot to take the after sandblasting pictures.
Update: posted the cleaned up battery mount pictures. There’s quite a bit of corrosion damage to them. I’ll have to figure out a means of reinforcing them so they can safely hold the battery.

 

[jeffhuey1n]

Still plugging away at the sandblaster. Getting the parts cleaned up then primered and ready to reinstall. Nothing new to photo. It’ll be a couple days before I can get back to the truck. Spring brings out the honey-do list.

 

[jeffhuey1n]

Between the snow, migraines and extensive honey do list, I got very little done this week. I did get more sand blasting done. I prepped a bunch of parts for primering. I’ll just keep plugging along... found some pretty disgusting rust on the pillars. I’ll post better pics and show the before and after. pics:

 

[jeffhuey1n]

More parts cleaning. Sand blaster cabinet is getting a good workout. The portable sand blaster I bought from Sears about 25-30 years ago is finally proving its value as well. The sand blast media I got from Menard’s is good stuff (thanks Jim!). No pictures tonight. Hopefully I’ll have some next time I work on the truck.

 

[jeffhuey1n]

Got some catching up to do. Been sand blasting many parts. Also got the driver side door hinges out. With the rust on the pillars, I want to disassemble as much as possible to look for any other damage. The lower hinge was a bear. I broke an easy out and had to use a Dremel tool to dig it out. Also, started disassembly of the passenger door. Inside the door looks good, just dirty. Pics:

 

[jeffhuey1n]

I was inspecting the wiper motors and there’s was what appeared to be some kind of insulation surrounding the driver side motor. I pulled on a piece and a bit of animal fur was attached. So, off with the entire panel. There was a nest, not sure what type of critter made it. Included in the nest was a bird foot. Fearing catching some polymorphic infectious disease, I used my longest part retrieval tool to pluck out the nest, bit by bit. After getting it all cleaned up, I’ve got some more rust to take care of. At this rate I might have to pull the cab in order to use the sandblaster on the rust. I’ve also been breaking down assemblies in order to clean them up. My pile of primered parts is growing as is my pile of parts awaiting primer.
I broke down the air valve that sits on the drivers side engine compartment. It was a mess (filthy) internally. When I went to put it back together, it seems there might be a spring missing. Does anyone have a valve they can take apart and see if there’s supposed to be a spring internally? Pics:

 

[jeffhuey1n]

Been busy doing a long list of honey do’s. Not getting done what I want to accomplish but stuff’s getting done. I finally caved in and used some paint stripper. It would have taken an entire bag of sand blast media to clean just one fender. It’s not as bad as I feared as far as smell and residue. I’m using some spray paint stripper that I’ve had for years. Anyway, paint removal has sped up considerably. I got a case of color 319 spray cans. I figure I’ll need about that much to paint all the small stuff and inside the cab. One last thought for the day: as I was cleaning up the frame on the passenger side behind the cab. There was some numbers stamped into the frame. I cleaned them up and found that they are the serial number of the truck, same as the data plate ID. Only one pic for now: the frame section with the serial numbers stamped in.

 

[jeffhuey1n]

Been a while since last update and I’ve been busy. Paint removal (white and red paint) by sand blasting and paint stripper. I got some citrus type paint stripper, good stuff. Very little smell and does a pretty good job cleaning up large parts. Unfortunately, I doubt I’ll be making it to any show/parades/etc. this year. Pics:

 

[nattieleather]

It's slow work, but you are doing a fantastic job! Keep plugging away. Remember it is like eating an elephant one bite at a time.

 

[jeffhuey1n]

I’ve been busy this summer but I’m able to continue my work on the truck. Got a bunch of sanding done with plenty more to go. No pics tonight but I’ll try and get a few before my next update.

 

[jeffhuey1n]

Finally getting time to continue this project. Friday I worked on getting some of the red paint off the frame. Dang stuff is everywhere! Today I went after a couple of pieces still attached to the very back of the frame. They’re what’s left of the cheesy frame extensions that stuck out from the back end. One’s off with a little more sanding to finish and next time I’ll remove the other one. Pics below:

 

[jeffhuey1n]

Got the second piece of metal removed. Cleaned up both sides and cleaned out the 4 mount holes that had some metal in them from getting welded. Got busy with the sanding disks and die grinder. Removed a bunch of red paint from the frame. More to come. Pics:

 

[jeffhuey1n]

 

[nattieleather]

Excellent!

 

[jeffhuey1n]

I’ve been stripping the white paint off the cab. I’ve tried several different ways to get this done but none were very satisfactory. Now I’ve gone old fashioned. Got out the electric drill and dug around in the sanding cabinet till I found one of those rubber disks that you remove a screw and washer to put sandpaper disks on. You remove the screw/washer and insert them into the center of the sandpaper then screw the whole thing into the rubber disk. I use a variable 3/8 inch drill. I get better control and better live of the sandpaper with a variable speed drill. Anyway, plug it in, set the proper direction and yer all set. One more thing, safety gear. I use one of the $16 multi use respirators from HF. Also wear safety glasses over my prescription glasses and put one of those head lights you can get anywhere these days. I like the rechargeable ones best. So, between the sanding disk, the high speed grinder tool, with sanding disk installed, and one of those spring wheel paint stripping tools, paint is coming off fast! Pics:

 

[jeffhuey1n]

Almost forgot. I like to give my trucks a “mission”. One is the Toys For Tots truck, one is the Vietnam War gun truck tribute, and one is my LtCol Ken Bourland/Air Force Rescue tribute. I’ve been tossing ideas around and think I’ve found a mission. Every day, on average, 22 veterans commit suicide. Once I’m finished with the painting/rebuilding/etc., I’m going to use it to create awareness in the local community of this ongoing tragedy. The truck will have the number 22 on each side with a caption explaining the reasoning. I did some math and as of today, the count for suicides, based on 22 per day, since the truck was placed in service (1944), 610, 280+ GI’s have died by their own hand. I know some of the guys I served with are included in that number.

 

[jeffhuey1n]

Lots done today. Finally got the windshield removed. Also got the driver’s side step removed. I can really see the crunched corner now. Decided to remove the headliner, just because. What a mess! Dang rodents poo and pee on everything then build a nest on to of that! I think that was the last of the nests... got to work cleaning up the cab. 70+ year old dirt that hasn’t seen the light of day. Plus rodent poo and sanding dust, paint dust... it’s better now. Of course I’ve got to make it all messy again. The cab roof and various places in the cab have surface rust that I’ll need to treat. I’ve heard there’s a liquid and/or spray rust treatment on the market. Can anyone point me towards what it’s called? I think a surface treatment is the best way to fix the issues. And finally, really getting into cleaning up all the red and white paint. I had a mini pink tornado filling up the barn. I came in the house looking like a giant pink Easter bunny... pics below of the truck: