Prior to painting the HMMWV...Paintable caulk???

[vitamink]

I'm getting ready to do some painting. I got some Rapco 383 as well as a wire wheel to remove some rust. I have a question for a few spots that i want to attack. On the rear sponson where it contacts the body and where the recessed antenna mount is, it seems there is something that seals it. Would that be paintable caulk? I have a little bit of surface rust just above the rear tail lights, where the sponson makes a bend to contact the body (hope that made sense). Another way to say it is if you opened the slant back rear its where to pieces of the sponson meet just to the right/left of the springs on either side. My plan is to remove the rust with a wire wheel, then paint, then caulk, then plaint again. It seems as though there is a bead of caulk where the wheel wells meet the steel slant back portion. I just want to do it right. For those that restore, what do you do when it comes to prep and paint?

 

[wheelspinner]

Seam Seal is available at NAPA for about 25 a tube. Its the same stuff the OEMs use, and very sturdy.

 

[dilvoy]

Paintable caulk is just fine, but get a color other than White. They make Tan, Brown and Black. Maybe more colors but I usually use the Tan Color or Brown. If the paint comes off I fugure white would look horrible. Cauld on the steel parts around the antenna opening and across the seam where the rear portion of the sponson is attached to the main part. There is no caulk that is "supposed" to be used between the sponson and the fender. A Shaped rubber gasket is used for that job. I'd think that caulk might trap moisture that might come from behind unlike the gasket. The caulk shrinks quite a bit as it dries and I think it takes a week until it is cured so maybe don't be in a hurry to paint over it. If you have used caulking to fix your house up then you know how to make a nice smooth bead or a bead like a welding bead. If not, practice with a tube so you don't make your sponson look ugly. Do the caulk like a assembly line worker would do it. Don't mess around, just do it. If you go back and try to smooth it out then you will make it look worse. At least that's what always happens when I do that.

 

[readyman]

There is only one sealant that sticks to CARC. It is flexible and sand-able. It also can be painted with CARC and the CARC will stick to it.
Black [h=1]3M™ Marine 5200 Adhesive Sealant[/h]It has to be Black and it has to be 'Slow Cure'

 

[Nationwide 63s]

Try Sikaflex 227, sold at home improvement stores. It's paintable and sticks to CARC. Not a structural adhesive though.