'66 Deluxe

[SlashKirk]

More work came in lately to eat up year end budget leftovers which means I'm busy. It will be a challenge to get color on it by the end of the year but I'll be trying.....

I'm not inspired to move forward on my projects until Bruce kicks me....updates??

[Dual Port]

3+ weeks ago I was at 505 hours but I've been working out of town every week since. I have snuck a few days in so my hours are probably at 530 right now with still not a lot to show for it. I have the complete interior primed but that shows up all those pesky little things that still need a dab of mud or TLC, so that's where my time has been spent. The dash (radio repair plate) is mudded, sanded, and ready for color. I made some heat deflectors so the overhead furnace radiant tubes in the shop don't roast the top of the bus so badly. I visited Bill and believe my colors and upholstery are picked out and will get those ordered soon (tomorrow). Christmas activities are also crowding my shop time, I wanted to get out there today but didn't make it. I still need to make a present for my wife and still have travel for work to get in. I doubt color will be going on this month but it's certainly not back burner.

Have you made any progress on your own stuff lately, Kirk? Marla's looks like it's coming along really well but I don't know how you could work on two at once. I envy your mig skill, it appears it is much higher quality than mine. I do not have the steady hand and coordination needed for a consistently good weld.

[SlashKirk]

No worries Bruce, I plan on some updates on my project soon

[Busjunky]

I like when can log on and see tons of work done lol!! This bus is going thru the ultimate make over. Amazing werk!!

[Dual Port]

Finally got some time dedicated to the bus and got a lot done but not without a big hitch. Monday I finished prepping the interior with dabs of mud, weld and etc to fix all of those little things that show up in primer. I masked the bus and left the heat on warm all night so I could shoot yesterday on warm metal. I went in early (10 is early for me) looking forward to shooting the PPG DelFleet paint I bought a couple of months ago. I usually use the cheap stuff (Kirker) which I've had good luck with for decades but this time I was talked into the good stuff by a local authority (to be named later). I read the instruction sheet again and mixed the paint using a digital scale to exact gram measurements. The surface temp was 75ish with an IR gun when I started and shit went wrong from there in a big way. I was having no luck at all with this paint- thin, ran, wouldn't cover, wouldn't set up, I meant this shit was bad. It was like shooting milk from a spray gun. I called Chuck with a 'WTF am I doing wrong' tone of voice, he came right out and arrived at the conclusion I got a bad can of paint. Luckily I had 1.5 gallons of white Kirker in the cabinet, so I switched to that and had much better luck. All in all, a good day in the long run.

My arsenal- cheapie HF primer gun, another HF with a homemade 45* adapter for shooting inverted surfaces, and a DeVilbiss Finish Line gun. Not top shelf, but good.



Masked and tarped.


The idea is to shoot the inside of the roof with the 45* gun, then switch to the DeVilbiss gun and shoot the insides. Then pull the tarps and shoot the floor before finally unmasking the dashboard (to protect it from overspray and drips) and shoot it last. I also shot the white parts of the jambs so they will blend easier when shooting the exterior. I also did the funny "eyebrow" area over the windshields where the screens are as this will be tough later on.

Done and the dash came out nice, remember this was sectioned in from a radio job gone bad.


Chuck's help as a spotter (to see dry areas) was invaluable. Shooting the inside of a bus is quite difficult because of all the areas that can me missed.

I dug up the paint receipt, I'll go back and see if they can verify the paint is bad. If they say nothing is wrong with the paint that will be the last time I'll ever buy a PPG product. The Kirker stuff went on 3 times as good and costs 1/3 of what the PPG does. It also set up to the touch in 10 minutes.

Winter is my slow season so I'll be putting in a lot of full days (well, full for me anyway) in the next few months.

[SlashKirk]

Looks great Bruce, I'm jealous.

[TRL]

Wow, looks great Bruce! Glad you still got it done even with the bad paint.

[Busjunky]

Looks like you crossed all your tee's and dotted you're I's having that Kirker paint on deck. Looking great! What brand are you using for your base coat?

[Dual Port]

I went back to D&S Color where I bought the PPG paint and had an hour and half talk with president Ben Ihde. They checked the paint, tested it, sprayed it, and they say there was nothing wrong with the gallon I bought. If it's something on my end that I did (which it must be?) I can't figure it out. Anyway, they were very courteous and handled the problem properly. They offered a refund or new paint and I took the new paint, and they threw in some other small supplies that I needed N/C. I need to find out what went wrong last week and correct it.

Anyway, I primed the roof and air filed it out with 280 and it looks great in primer. It's really straight where I fixed the dents and looks perfect when the primer is wet. I sealed the gutters and it's ready, I'm very confident that when it gets color it should look terrific (if I shoot clean color!).


The problem right now is that I don't have confidence in myself to shoot something that large until I get comfortable with the personality of this new paint. I decided to start small and work up. I got a few doors that need some color and prepped them, mixed and shot the PPG and it came out well. The biggest difference I made is in the surface temp- on the inside of the roof last week I had mid 70's with the IR gun, and this time I raised it up to 90ish. (outside temp, -4F!) I also did not add a splash of reducer like they said last time which is optional. The PPG shot well this time but it takes forever to dry. The Kirker sets up dry to the touch in 10 minutes, the PPG was still tacky an hour later. There's still some orange peel which I was hoping wouldn't be there. If I shot Kirker at 90+F it would bounce off the panel.

Anyway, here's some pics:



I might try some red tomorrow on the rear valance and decklid and see how they go, if I can get them warm enough.

Fingers crossed,

[Marla]

I went to Bruce's shop on Friday... these pictures don't do it justice. I saw some painted red panels there, and they are looking really nice. I can't wait to see this bus moving.

Good work Bruce.