34 Ford Primer Removal

[petehoovie]

Al: Yes, 26 years in the military, it was a wild ride and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. I ordered a pack of 50 microfiber towels and as soon as the heat lets up, I'll give it another try. I recently tried my hand at the front bed top rail. It came out pretty good, but it is a narrow piece and not very good to judge results by. (I must say, it's one of the straightest 92 year old rails I've seen. The panel underneath it has zero dents in it too). It's going to be tough getting the motivation to apply the acetone to the entire truck. Here's a few pictures of the bed rail.

Mart: Thanks for your suggestion about the wet sand. As you point out, the primer is pretty thin. However, I'm not sure how I could safely keep from burning through the black paint layer. The black paint looks awfully thin too.

BTW, before everyone starts flaming me (pun intended), that is a gas tank in the back. It's from a Chexx S-10 and is only temporary until I get the new tank swapped in. And no, I don't drive it on the road like this.

 

[Brian]

I think the original paint has cracked over time, the subsequent repaint in grey primer has evenly covered that, so when you sand the grey primer off, the cracks/voids in the original black still contain particles of the grey primer, which accentuate those cracks.

 

[jhswolf]

Brian, You could very well be right. I did not try to sand this piece, I used Acetone and microfiber cloths. But I only rubbed it enough to get off the surface primer and not enough to try and get primer out of the cracks. I'm going to try a larger, flatter surface, but sometime after this heat dies down.
John

 

[expavr]

I’m not sure what “look” you’re going for on your truck, but there was a gent with a mottled “used” look paint job similar to your truck’s finish on a modified 30 Ford roadster parked next to to me at a car show. I thought that unfinished/worn “look” fit the theme of the car perfect. When I complemented him about leaving the paint job as found, he explained that the body shop that did the sheet metal work PAINTED it that way at his direction. The associated cost to do that was mind boggling to me. This is a long way of saying that there are those of us who appreciate the appearance of vintage iron that makes a statement about its survivability over time and a well used look isn’t the end of the world. Just food for thought…

 

[jhswolf]

Ex: That's what I was thinking. Repainting is not on this truck's horizon, at least until I see how much of the paint is left underneath the primer. Maybe, I might just quit where I am, throw a couple of stuffed burlap bags in the back, get a pair of bib coveralls, and go to a car show as is. Kind of like it just drove from a farm somewhere.
More and more, I'm liking the way it is now. I'm not driving it cross country. I've made it safe (well, I do have to get after that fuel tank in the bed). I have no desire to upgrade anything except maybe a set of Ted's floaters.
I just received the license plates this week and after the holiday is over, I'll take it out for a short spin.
Thanks for the comment.