UPFINN's Deuce Build

[UPFINN]

Hei hei!

After getting a deuce back in 2013 I am finally getting around to improving it. My plan is to use it to promote my woodworking business. The good news is that in Michigan you do not need a USDOT number for travel within the state for anything under 26,000lbs, and the truck already has commercial plates and insurance so it is ready to go.

In the winter winter of 2013-14 I had some cold weather issues with the coolant system and batteries, but I got that fixed. Last Summer I fixed the cargo cover, added a bed crane, fixed the electrical system, fuel pump, halogen headlight upgrade, changed coolant hoses, fixed winch pto shear pin yoke, and greased all the grease fittings.

This past winter the truck pretty much stayed parked, with an occasional drive to keep everything working and a 160 mile round trip to pick up 12 new tires and a transmission.

Starting this week I am beginning the following in rough order.

1. Paint entire truck in either 24087 or 24084 OD green semigloss
2. Pull all wheels, repaint rims
3. Grease wheel bearings and other fittings
4. Inspect and adjust brakes
5. Bleed brakes
6. Engine oil change
7. Oil filter change
8. Diff, transmission, and transfer case oil change
9. Fuel filter change
10. Custom designs painted on truck along with business logo magnets
11. Muffler
12. Remote brake fluid reservoir
13. New seat covers and cushions
14. Al's Heat and Noise reducer spray coat in engine compartment and cab
15. Spray on bed liner in cab, engine compartment, and bed
16. Custom cut rubber stall mats for bed and cab
17. Insulation on firewall
18. Locking door handles
19. Rebuild air wipers or get electric
20. Fix windshield and door seals
21. Canvas shift boots
22. Battery equalizer install
23. 12v system wiring and breakers
24. GPS, CB, scanner, stereo, amp, and 6" speakers on soft top rails with 12" sub under seat.
25. 2m/70cm transceiver with remote head
26. Overhead console with light
27. Ammo box center console with cup holders
28. Back up camera
29. Back up lights
30. Truck bed tool box stocked with all necessary mechanic, recovery, and forestry tools.
31. Civy hitch adapter kit
32. EGT and boost gauges
33. Turn up fuel
34. Mount new 9x20 ndts on rims
35. Kit to connect dually valve stems together
36. Hard top

Future bigger tasks that are doable with my skill level and resources:

1. Slide in bed camper/mobile ham shack
2. Water injection system
3. Exhaust brake
4. 12v alternator kit
5. Spin on filter conversion
6. Air drier
7. Diesel fired coolant and cab heater
8. Fuel control cable connected to FDC. Can turn up or down fuel rate from cab.

Dream modifications (even when I have enough cash my fabrication skills are not too great)

1. Dump bed
2. Super singles
3. Power steering
4. Rear pto with hydraulics
5. Cut bed shorter and install a small hydraulic crane behind bed with hydraulic outriggers (lift logs and camper into bed!)
6. LineX coating on bed, underbody, and cab
7. Cummins 5.9 repower if engine dies
8. Buy more green iron!

Here are some pictures of the truck in it's current state (taken last year):

 

[UPFINN]

I am posting late because I was getting firewood ready for the big cool down and rain tonight.

Today I will be going to Sherwin Williams to look at paint. I am going to go with OD green semi gloss, either 24087, or 24084. These were the colors used in 1971, and faded original paint and be found when I sand the truck. I believe the new 24084 is the old 24087. 24087 from Gillespie seems to dark, but Aerovoe might be closer to the original. I called my local Sherwin Williams store and they have the federal color code book and samples, so I will decide from what I see there.

I have two choices for repainting.
1) Prime the truck with rustoleum rusty metal primer, then paint with industrial alkyd enamel (similar to Gillespie and Aerovoe). This is cheap.
2) Prime the truck with epoxy primer, then urethane or acrylic, then a clear coat. This is the best but $$$$

Instead of completely stripping the paint off of the truck, I am going to instead sand and wire wheel the rust and flaking paint before priming. I really have no experience doing body work. I have quite a few tools but don't know if I can get by with what I got or if I need to buy more. I also need to find a HVLP sprayer.

I started off by pressure washing the truck to get all the sand and salt off. I am having trouble with the bed as it seems to have some kind of oil undercoat sprayed on it, and also have a oil mess from the filter canister seals. I will need to buy some degreaser, and I think I'll use Purple Power since it is biodegradable and our well is near where the truck is parked.

Here are the tools I have so far from left to right: Air dual action 6" sander, angle grinder, flap wheel, 4 1/2 sandpaper backing pad, variable speed polisher, 7" sandpaper backing pad, 4" wire cup brush, drill, drill mounted wire wheel, dremel, random orbit sander. I also have a 5hp (For sure NOT 5hp) 26 gallon oiless air compressor that can put out 8.1 cfm at 40psi and 6.3 cfm at 90psi.



I did some testing of the tools on the frame and experienced the following:

1) 4 inch wire wheel was scary on the angle grinder, and only suitable for lowest speed on polisher. Very bulky. Can't get into tight corners.
2) 7" inch sanding disc worked quite well on the polisher for smoothing paint and rust in bed. Too large for small areas.
3) Wire wheel on drill worked very well, reached most areas but struggled in the tightest spots.
4) Flap wheel seems to aggressive on angle grinder.
5) DA and RO sanders worked good on large areas.

Here are some of the things I'm thinking of getting for the job:
1) Order a needle scaler from Harbor Freight to get into tight spots
2) Buy a smaller 3 inch cup brush for the angle grinder and polisher
3) Buy more wire wheels and a small cup brush for my drill
4) Pick up some low grit hook and loop sanding pads for the 5" RO
5) Get 6" and 7" low grit sanding pads for the polisher and DA
6) Poly-carbonate 4 1/2 angle grinder discs
7) Scotch-brite discs
2" or 3" sanding discs and backing pad for drill
9) 2" air random orbit sander from HF

This is a lot of sanding equipment, but what do I really need?

My concern with a lot of the sanding discs is that they won't reach in corners. I will have to use a needle scaler or wire wheel. Will this leave the metal and paint smooth enough?

If I go with smaller sanding discs, should I use them on a drill (around 2000rpm), die grinder (0 to 20,000rpm), or get something like this: http://www.harborfreight.com/air-angle-sander-93629.html ?

I also see there are poly-carbonate and scotch-brite discs. How good do these work

What HVLP gun do I need?

I see there are several sizes of nozzles. Will a cheap gun from my local hardware store or HF do both primer and top coat? HF sells guns with a 1.4 and 1.8mm tip.

What Rustoleum primer should I use?

I see there are several types of rustoleum red primers, such as Stops Rust and High Performance.

Is my air compressor pictured above big enough to even use HVLP, DA or RO sanders?

I can only run a cut off grinder for about 30 seconds. I'm sure it will run a hvlp gun though.

 

[DavidWymore]

Might look into adding hardener to the paint like Bill W.

Paint shop should be able to tell you which gun.

I'm curious about the best primer to use.

I think you should paint it 24052 USMC Forest Green and put yellow lettering on it.

 

[dmetalmiki]

Wow, Massive project, Good luck in you endevours, post the progress and finished result. Seeing all that listed reminds me..I should adjust my wipers sometime!

 

[gimpyrobb]

Good info here:

http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?13942-Sarge-paints-his-M820&highlight=

 

[UPFINN]

Well I picked up 3 gallons of Sherwin Williams all surface enamel oil based satin. Was $65 a gallon but got 40% off so it came to around $115 instead of $195.

My dad and I were looking at the federal standard color slides and decided that 24087 and 24084 were too dark. Actually went with 34094 which was a very close match to 383 carc. The paint we got looks like the current faded paint when it is wet, and matches the non faded paint on protected areas on the truck. I am worried it might be too light as I like a darker look, but I think it will turn out good. After the solid green base coat, I am considering doing a camo pattern.

I also found the color matches a lot of my surplus gear!

 

[UPFINN]

Wow, Massive project, Good luck in you endevours, post the progress and finished result. Seeing all that listed reminds me..I should adjust my wipers sometime!

I put air tool oil in my wipers which made them work very well for a few days, then the seals swelled and they stopped working.

 

[muthkw25]

Sounds like you will be busy all summer. Any thoughts on whether you will run LEDs?

 

[UPFINN]

Sounds like you will be busy all summer. Any thoughts on whether you will run LEDs?

I am considering LEDs, but I am worried about durability issues and obtaining affordable spares. I did the H4 headlight conversion and I'm happy with it. LED headlights are expensive.

 

[UPFINN]

This winter we picked up 12 tires with tubes/flaps and a new transmission for $750.

I think it was a good deal. It is always good to have spares. The transmission currently in the truck is in really good shape.

I unloaded the transmission with the bed crane. The tires had ice blocks and water in them so I chipped the ice out, pressure washed, then vacuumed.

 

[turnkey]

Nice start on the deuce...looks like a busy year for you...lots of little things to do ...But worth it...Best of luck on this one.

 

[red]

Looks like a great list.

Since your planning to use bed liner make sure you take your time and completely clean up the rust.

 

[UPFINN]

Might look into adding hardener to the paint like Bill W.

Paint shop should be able to tell you which gun.

I'm curious about the best primer to use.

I think you should paint it 24052 USMC Forest Green and put yellow lettering on it.

I was told I can use any oil based primer.

The can doesn't say anything about thinning or spraying.

I was told at the store that you just thin with paint thinner if needed and to use a standard hvlp spray gun. I don't know if the HF ones would be considered "standard". Said I don't need to add any hardener and didn't seem to know of any that would work. Seems like I am one of the only ones using this All Surface Enamel on here. Will be interesting.

 

[UPFINN]

Looks like a great list.

Since your planning to use bed liner make sure you take your time and completely clean up the rust.

I am going to prime and paint the bed, interior, engine bay, and fenders first to stop the rust, then bed liner later. I plan to use 3 gallons of Monstaliner so it will end up being over $350. Monstaliner will be put over Al's Heat and Noise Reducer (cheaper version of Lizardskin) in the cab and engine bay to cut down on noise and heat.

 

[UPFINN]

Well for the past week we have had temperatures in the 30s for highs and snow, but now the next week is looking to be in the 50s and 60s with temps in the 70s by the weekend. Long range model data shows generally dry weather through May with temperatures in the 70s. Perfect painting weather.

I talked to some friends who do bodywork on both civilian and military vehicles and was told the following:

1) Use a random orbit sander with 80 grit to rough up the old paint and remove rust in large flat areas
2) Use a wire wheel or needle scaler for sanding tight areas, then follow with hand or detail sanding at 80 grit (said using a sander on a drill would leave swirls, must be a orbital or vibrating sander)
3) Follow up with high grits, anywhere from 220 to 400 (one guy says to wet sand, the other not)
4) Rinse dust with water and solvent
5) Spray primer
6) After primer is dry, one guy says to wet sand primer to 400 grit, the other says to just spray on the paint. (if dry sanding dust can be blown off, but if wet sanding I will need to wipe with alcohol and a damp rag, let dry, then blow off?)

Here is my new plan of action:
1) Clean truck again with pressure washer and purple power, scrub grease areas with purple power and scotch pad. Scrub undercoat remnants with solvent. Rinse.
2) Needle scale, drill mounted wire wheel/cup brush in tight rusty areas. Bondo any holes.
3) Sand over rusty and tight areas with oscillating detail sander and poly brush at 80 grit
4) Sand large flat areas with random orbit sander at 80 grit
5) Sand rusty and tight areas (corners, axles, tubes, frame, etc) with detail sander and poly brush at 120+ grit
5) Sand large flat areas with RO between 220 and 400 grit (might skip grits, lots of sanding!)
6) Pressure wash rinse
7) Spray rust with rust-reformer, then rustoleum professional rusty metal primer with HVLP gun. Thin 4 to 1 with Acetone.
8 Wait 24 hours. Lightly sand primer to 600 grit? (I was told by someone to sand the primer, but told by another guy not to as it is not made to sand!)
9) Spray SW all surface oil based enamel with HVLP gun and thin 4/1. Not sure what solvent to use as the can doesn't say. Thinking of using xylene or naptha. May also use a hardener but it will turn the satin/semi gloss into gloss.
10) Spray several light coats after first coat flashes over
11) After paint has cured a few weeks, I will wax to protect paint
12) Apply something like fluid film under truck

I have the following questions:

Is it ok if the primer is thinned with acetone and the paint with xylene?

Will the fish oil is rustoleum primer prevent the paint from sticking? I heard that if you put it over old paint the fish oil won't have any rusty to soak into and it will rise to the top. I think the old paint should absorb it. I will also be painting with oil based alkyd enamel, so I don't think the oil will affect it.

I was going to get this gun at HF with a 1.4 tip http://www.harborfreight.com/20-oz-hvlp-gravity-feed-air-spray-gun-with-regulator-69705.html , but then there is this set with two guns including a 1.8 tip http://www.harborfreight.com/2-pc-professional-automotive-hvlp-air-spray-gun-kit-61472.html . I hear that the 1.4 tip is too small?

Here are my two choices of primer locally. I don't know what to pick? https://www.menards.com/main/paint/...metal-enamel-primer-1-qt/p-1956464-c-8013.htm and https://www.menards.com/main/paint/...ance-enamel-primer-1-gal/p-1956463-c-8013.htm

Here are some more tools I found. I think the detail sander will work good and the nylon cup brush works good for sanding stumps so I figure it would do good on heavily contoured areas, such as the axles, frame, and fenders.

 

[UPFINN]

Here are some more pictures of the trucks current condition:

 

[DavidWymore]

Never seen a cup brush like that, cool!

 

[UPFINN]

Never seen a cup brush like that, cool!

I have never saw these until I talked to a guy who restores log cabins, they are used for sanding logs. They were expensive and hard to find around here a few years ago but now I see them in most stores and it looks like they can be used for automotive work too.

 

[muthkw25]

I am considering LEDs, but I am worried about durability issues and obtaining affordable spares. I did the H4 headlight conversion and I'm happy with it. LED headlights are expensive.

The LED's can be expensive depending on where you find them. I know some dealers have the turn signals and brake lights for pretty cheap. The headlights are the expensive part. I can tell you they work fantastic and I have never had an issue with them. They are DOT approved and so far so good.

 

[UPFINN]

I've done my research and tomorrow I will be heading into town to pick up the supplies for the following tasks:


Paint entire truck in Sherwin Williams All Surface Enamel oil based satin "383" 34094 green
Pull all wheels, repaint rims
Grease wheel bearings and other fittings
Inspect and adjust brakes
Bleed brakes
Engine oil change
Oil filter change
Diff, transmission, and transfer case oil change
Fuel filter change


Shopping List
1. Harbor Freight small needle scaler
2. Harbor Freight double spray gun kit
3. 6 gallons of delvac 1300 oil from NAPA
4. 5 gallons of GL-1 gear oil from NAPA
5. 7lbs of wheel bearing grease from NAPA
6. Primary fuel filter NAPA 3511
7. Secondary fuel filters NAPA 3512
8. Oil filters NAPA FIL 1133
9. Wire wheel set for drill
10. Fine wire 3" cup brush for grinder
11. Knotted wire 3" cub brush for grinder
12. 3" nylon brush for drill 80 or 120 grit
13. Assorted hook and loop 5" sanding discs 50 to 320 grit
14. 6" 320 and 400 grit psa discs for DA sander
15. Scotch brite pad
16. Purple power degreaser
17. Tack cloth
18. 2 gallons of rustoleum rusty metal primer
19. 1 gallon of acetone
20. 1 gallon of xylene
21. Triangle detail sanding pads