jon72vega
Well-known member
Bob,
Nice job on the cabinet base!
Nice job on the cabinet base!
2 Sluggo's Garage
- Thread starter rmalkow2
- Start date
1/2 Cup
Member Emeritus
SUN Test Stand Refurb….continued.
This past weekend I got after this project and have basically completed it for display and light use. I'll call this a light restoration because I simply wanted it to look presentable as a display/storage item in my garage. I don't intend to restore it functionally except maybe for the volt meter if that's simple to do. The other instruments I would never use and I just like the overall look of old SUN test stands.
Here's the before look:
The bottom cabinet paint was not savable. I tried to polish it to look respectable but there was just too much surface rust. So it got sanded all around and inside compartments then sprayed first with a coat of 3M Rust Preventer which turns all the previously rusted areas black and leaves a nice paintable surface.
Then I gave it a coat of black primer purposely to start with a dark base. The only close Hammered effect blue paint I could find locally was a little lighter than the original color so I was hoping to tone it down as much as possible. Not sure if that trick really works but it went on as a smooth primer base at least.
Then I gave it a good coat of the final blue color which turned out pretty good. The only sad news is regarding the front door decals. I had carefully masked off the two decals hoping to save them. they were somewhat torn up and had pieces missing already but I would have kept them original if possible. But unfortunately they were so fragile that even the easy release painters tape puled off more of each decal. The top smaller one used to say 6 & 12 Volt and that is almost completely gone now. The bigger SUN Star logo had portions missing originally but now has more pieces torn off. So I'm looking for replacements now. I've found a local guy that prints the big decal on vinyl and I'm hoping he can also replace the smaller decal for me as well.
Here's a picture found on the web of what the decals should look like.
For those of you that remember Linoleum floors, the base cabinet top surface is a black Linoleum piece that has fake marble streaks through it. Definitely '50's era design and it cleaned up pretty nice and got a coat of vinyl/rubber protectant for a little shine.
It will make a good addition to the garage and I'll enjoy looking at it every time I go out there. It also has enough storage capacity to be a bit useful as well.
Bob well done
xtremek
Well-known member
Nice job on the base.
This weeks project was to refinish another garage cabinet. After doing the base cabinet for the SUN Tester I stood back and realized I really like the light blue color of the Rustoleum Hammered finish paint. And so much that I decided my long sought after color theme would be this light blue so I started on a small rolling two drawer cabinet and each day this week did a little bit more with the finished product put together today.
This cabinet was the typical machine gray color but much of that was flaking off and there were small areas of surface rust to deal with. Got all that sanded, primed and then painted the light blue metallic. Since the original cabinet top was just plain painted steel I cut off an 18" x 24" piece of 1" think hard pine table top material I had on hand, gave it multiple coats of clear poly and then attached that to the top surface with screws from underneath.
It's not a fancy cabinet and even the drawers are just friction slide but I like the size and the versatility to pull it out when needed and roll around the garage. It looks good next to the SUN Tester and holds my fan in just the right place.
Now onto the next cabinet!
This cabinet was the typical machine gray color but much of that was flaking off and there were small areas of surface rust to deal with. Got all that sanded, primed and then painted the light blue metallic. Since the original cabinet top was just plain painted steel I cut off an 18" x 24" piece of 1" think hard pine table top material I had on hand, gave it multiple coats of clear poly and then attached that to the top surface with screws from underneath.
It's not a fancy cabinet and even the drawers are just friction slide but I like the size and the versatility to pull it out when needed and roll around the garage. It looks good next to the SUN Tester and holds my fan in just the right place.
Now onto the next cabinet!
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jon72vega
Well-known member
Bob,
That cabinet turned out GREAT!
Good job!
That cabinet turned out GREAT!
Good job!
Bob,
That cabinet turned out GREAT!
Good job!
Thanks Jon.
PS. I woke up to the 4th Saturday in a row with full downpour of rain. But the afternoon has turned nice so I did get the roadster out for a short drive around the neighborhood. Not much but it's a start. Maybe it will actually make it to a car show this summer.
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1/2 Cup
Member Emeritus
Bob its great to have a colour theme in the shed and you have nailed it.
Bob its great to have a colour theme in the shed and you have nailed it.
I agree 1/2 Cup. Always had a mix of uncoordinated cabinets and storage yet it will feel more of a complete place with consistent colors. I hope to paint the ceiling and walls later this year as well. Make it cleaner, brighter and also with a color theme. After 25 years it badly needs a makeover.
1/2 Cup
Member Emeritus
Strouty
Well-known member
The cabinet looks great, but what the hell is on top of it in that last picture???
It's a twin head fan.
Not super powerful but handy that you can aim the two fans in different directions. I've never been sure I would pay money for it but someone gave to to me free years ago and it gets used a lot. Handy to tilt up or down and side to side depending where in the general area I'm working.
Strouty
Well-known member
I am glad it is a fan, it looked like some weird radio with huge speakers, something a 15 year old would have.
Strouty
Well-known member
I can relate on the heat, today has been really humid here. I spent the morning helping at the MIL’s old house, so hot i decided to enjoy an adult beverage and now I am two deep into them to drive. I guess I will need to get an early start tomorrow. Hopefully you are being a bit more productive than I am.
Well I had my share of adult beverages yesterday first at a family grad party and then out on the evening with friends. Today I can only go out for 15-20 minutes then back back inside to cool off a bit before going back out again. So its hard to be very productive but I am getting some headers painted and put back on the roadster.
Only 92 today due to cloud cover but humid as well.
Only 92 today due to cloud cover but humid as well.
Strouty
Well-known member
You are absolutely being more productive than me.
Header Cleanup…..
Todays project is finishing up a job I've been working on for the last few days to clean and re-paint the shorty headers on my roadster. I looked at various options to just replace them but in the end felt it was too easy to just do the work myself. The headers are not worn out or extremely rusty, just some surface rust and old white paint that was flaking off. They are really easy to unbolt so off they come one at a time.
Here's the before look:
One at a time i wire brushed them to remove most of the paint, scraped in all the tight places to loosen up any surface rust and then into the Evaporust soup each header went one at a time.
Here's the first one painted, baked in the 90 degree sun for hours and then bolted back up to the engine. I used 3 coats of VHT Flameproof header paint applied like they recommend so we'll see how it lasts.
Todays project is finishing up a job I've been working on for the last few days to clean and re-paint the shorty headers on my roadster. I looked at various options to just replace them but in the end felt it was too easy to just do the work myself. The headers are not worn out or extremely rusty, just some surface rust and old white paint that was flaking off. They are really easy to unbolt so off they come one at a time.
Here's the before look:
One at a time i wire brushed them to remove most of the paint, scraped in all the tight places to loosen up any surface rust and then into the Evaporust soup each header went one at a time.
Here's the first one painted, baked in the 90 degree sun for hours and then bolted back up to the engine. I used 3 coats of VHT Flameproof header paint applied like they recommend so we'll see how it lasts.
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New Shoes….
Another recent project was completed on Friday after work. I finally did some research on replacement rear tires for the roadster. When I first bought the car it came with the same size on all fours and they are fine for the front but too small for the rear for a proper stance and look. They are 205.75.15 and the largest I can get in a 15 " rim size are 265.75.15. Wanting to keep the painted steel wheels, trim rings and Ford hub caps I had a pair of the 265's mounted up from Discount Tire and got them back on the car. Looks much better I think and as soon as I get the other header mounted back on the engine I'll be taking this out for a test drive.
Another recent project was completed on Friday after work. I finally did some research on replacement rear tires for the roadster. When I first bought the car it came with the same size on all fours and they are fine for the front but too small for the rear for a proper stance and look. They are 205.75.15 and the largest I can get in a 15 " rim size are 265.75.15. Wanting to keep the painted steel wheels, trim rings and Ford hub caps I had a pair of the 265's mounted up from Discount Tire and got them back on the car. Looks much better I think and as soon as I get the other header mounted back on the engine I'll be taking this out for a test drive.
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Strouty
Well-known member
I will be curious as to how the paint holds up, I used to use VHT engine enamel with good luck, but I have never painted had any luck with the exhaust parts. The tires look bigger, will that toss off your speedo?
driftpin
Well-known member
The Sun diagnostic machine came out pretty-good, and the two-drawer also. I agree having a unified color will help to give your space a better look. I have a small 2-car, and space is at a premium. I'd like something like that, but realistically, it's just using-up too-much room.
I've used VHT header paint on motorcycle exhausts after bead-blasting them, and they stay pretty-good for several years, and then, it's time to do it again. You could leave them alone and just watch them get worse, but the exhaust will last longer if you re-do them. Most bike exhausts aren't cheap.
I've used VHT header paint on motorcycle exhausts after bead-blasting them, and they stay pretty-good for several years, and then, it's time to do it again. You could leave them alone and just watch them get worse, but the exhaust will last longer if you re-do them. Most bike exhausts aren't cheap.
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I am curious as well as I've had the same type experience with engine enamel but have never tried their specific header paint. Time will tell.
There's no effect to the speedo because its not yet hooked up
That's a project for another day as I have the new cable but need to route it, cut a pass through hole and connect at both ends. It's entirely possible I will need to replace the speedo gear as well.
There's no effect to the speedo because its not yet hooked up
That's a project for another day as I have the new cable but need to route it, cut a pass through hole and connect at both ends. It's entirely possible I will need to replace the speedo gear as well.
driftpin
Well-known member
Yes, good, that was my intent, if like any good paint job, you prep well, and use a quality product, you should be able to get decent use out of it for the time, and $ spent.
As I recall, it was really-good for a year, and after a second year, there was some deterioration, but minimal, I think after a third year, if you like to see things painted, that you would want to re-paint it. I live a mile from the ocean, so the finish would show fairly-quickly that it wasn't a long-lasting product if that was the case.
As I recall, it was really-good for a year, and after a second year, there was some deterioration, but minimal, I think after a third year, if you like to see things painted, that you would want to re-paint it. I live a mile from the ocean, so the finish would show fairly-quickly that it wasn't a long-lasting product if that was the case.
xtremek
Well-known member
I hope your experience with the VHT paint is better than mine was. But anything is better than nothing. I really like the bigger rear tires. Have you though about going smaller in the front, once you wear them out? Gotta run, time to mow the lawn before it gets really hot out.
I have thought about slightly smaller tires on the front but only when future dreaming. I have a long list of other items to finish on the car and those tires are like new so it will likely be awhile.
Well I didn't get up quite as early as you did today but I do have the same chore to do of cutting lawn before it gets too hot today.
Well I didn't get up quite as early as you did today but I do have the same chore to do of cutting lawn before it gets too hot today.
jon72vega
Well-known member
Bob,
Headers look good.
I like the larger rear tires on your roadster. Gives it a nice stance.
I “three” have to cut my grass this morning.
I’m off work all week.
Headers look good.
I like the larger rear tires on your roadster. Gives it a nice stance.
I “three” have to cut my grass this morning.
I’m off work all week.
In addition to the taller rear tires I made another change to the rear suspension on the "29 Roadster that give it the old "highboy" look now. This one comes under the heading of fixing other peoples mistakes. The shop that assembled this car from parts they had was a body shop but not really an experienced car building shop. I keep finding and fixing their errors.
This time they tried to achieve a ride height they thought looked good and was fairly level. The problem is they did it wrong. They basically took the coil springs provided for the rear suspension and cut them off from both ends as you can see in the first pic.
This was a vain attempt to get ride height set without allowing for proper suspension travel. They made some cut outs to the inner fenders as well but that only allowed for about 2-3 inches of travel before bottoming out. Then you add my fat **** to the load and another passenger and it would bottom out on the frame when you hit bumps in the road.
For a lower body position they should have "Z'd" the rear section of the frame and designed proper suspension travel. Since I don't currently have the time or desire to tear the entire car apart and cut the frame I replaced the cut springs with a brand new set I had on hand from another hot rod project. So now I have enough suspension travel, load carrying ability and the high boy look rather than the low ride look. Works for me.
This time they tried to achieve a ride height they thought looked good and was fairly level. The problem is they did it wrong. They basically took the coil springs provided for the rear suspension and cut them off from both ends as you can see in the first pic.
This was a vain attempt to get ride height set without allowing for proper suspension travel. They made some cut outs to the inner fenders as well but that only allowed for about 2-3 inches of travel before bottoming out. Then you add my fat **** to the load and another passenger and it would bottom out on the frame when you hit bumps in the road.
For a lower body position they should have "Z'd" the rear section of the frame and designed proper suspension travel. Since I don't currently have the time or desire to tear the entire car apart and cut the frame I replaced the cut springs with a brand new set I had on hand from another hot rod project. So now I have enough suspension travel, load carrying ability and the high boy look rather than the low ride look. Works for me.
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Custom Interior??????
Well not really. Actually not even close because I'm not an interior fabricator but you gotta learn somewhere and, I needed cheap door trim panels for the model A doors so this weekend's project was to start that task and also to make a padded back rest bar to finish off the sharp edge of the roadster body at the top of the seat back area.
The car came with some wood trim for this seat back area but was not finished. The main center bar that fits behind your back needed to be trimmed to fit the shape of the body and then sanded and covered. So I marked it to fit the body line, re-cut it on my wood band saw, rounded all edges and then glued some foam padding to it with a final cover made from some black vinyl I had from an old truck bed tonneau cover. It still needs some refinement but makes it much more comfortable to drive now. Two smaller wood end caps that follow the body curve towards the doors were sanded, sprayed with sealer and then with satin black paint to match.
Next was to make a door trim panel for the passenger door. I started by cutting out a cardboard template.
Then transferred that pattern to some 1/4" thick plywood.
Trial fit to the door.
And then sacrificed more of that black vinyl tonneau cover material and glued that up to the wood panel. I have great respect for those experienced interior guys that just know how to cut fabric correctly. I was doing a lot of guessing and learning from mistakes. But, after a trip to the hardware store for some trim washers I was able to screw the panel in place using some original attachment locations and a couple new ones I had to drill.
Much better than having your leg bounce off the sharp metal edges of that 80 year old door sheet metal. While not a professional interior this will work until I can afford something nicer. Now to make the driver side panel.
Well not really. Actually not even close because I'm not an interior fabricator but you gotta learn somewhere and, I needed cheap door trim panels for the model A doors so this weekend's project was to start that task and also to make a padded back rest bar to finish off the sharp edge of the roadster body at the top of the seat back area.
The car came with some wood trim for this seat back area but was not finished. The main center bar that fits behind your back needed to be trimmed to fit the shape of the body and then sanded and covered. So I marked it to fit the body line, re-cut it on my wood band saw, rounded all edges and then glued some foam padding to it with a final cover made from some black vinyl I had from an old truck bed tonneau cover. It still needs some refinement but makes it much more comfortable to drive now. Two smaller wood end caps that follow the body curve towards the doors were sanded, sprayed with sealer and then with satin black paint to match.
Next was to make a door trim panel for the passenger door. I started by cutting out a cardboard template.
Then transferred that pattern to some 1/4" thick plywood.
Trial fit to the door.
And then sacrificed more of that black vinyl tonneau cover material and glued that up to the wood panel. I have great respect for those experienced interior guys that just know how to cut fabric correctly. I was doing a lot of guessing and learning from mistakes. But, after a trip to the hardware store for some trim washers I was able to screw the panel in place using some original attachment locations and a couple new ones I had to drill.
Much better than having your leg bounce off the sharp metal edges of that 80 year old door sheet metal. While not a professional interior this will work until I can afford something nicer. Now to make the driver side panel.
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Strouty
Well-known member
Definitely an improvement, a few more times and you will be an expert!
I went to my first local car show of the summer this evening. Our local Kiwanis Club hosts a car show and concert series each summer and this was the first one of this season. Main street gets blocked off for classic car parking and there was also another city lot located in front of the concert stage area. Lots of nice cars and trucks turned out and the following pics are just a few.
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And more car show pics…
There were lots more and I enjoyed seeing not only classics, but the innovation and engineering used by different owners to make their ride special. I always pick up a few more tricks every time at a show like this.
I waited for the owner of the "arrest me red" 1939 Ford but he never came back before I had to leave. I will be looking for that car again to ask some design questions as it appears he did a body to frame swap similar to what I have in mind for my 1937 Ford. Gotta see what I can learn from someone else.
There were lots more and I enjoyed seeing not only classics, but the innovation and engineering used by different owners to make their ride special. I always pick up a few more tricks every time at a show like this.
I waited for the owner of the "arrest me red" 1939 Ford but he never came back before I had to leave. I will be looking for that car again to ask some design questions as it appears he did a body to frame swap similar to what I have in mind for my 1937 Ford. Gotta see what I can learn from someone else.
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jon72vega
Well-known member
Bob,
Thanks for putting up the car show pictures!
I enjoy seeing different cars from other areas.
Good work on the interior mods!
Thanks for putting up the car show pictures!
I enjoy seeing different cars from other areas.
Good work on the interior mods!
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xtremek
Well-known member
Pretty good start for a rookie. Does vinyl shrink like leather? Isn't that how they get the leather seats to look so nice? Or do they warm it up and then when it cools, it tightens up?
That's a good question. I think that vinyl technically shrinks as it gets colder so heating it allows some expansion and makes it more pliable. I actually though about heating the cut vinyl piece but, DOH that thought only came to me as I was glueing up the door panel.
I think for the other door I will cut the piece and then lay it out in the sun to warm up before I glue it to the wood panel. It will be another good experiment and learning experience.
Whether it shrinks enough to make a difference I'm not sure but being warmed up above house temps should make it easier to work with while glueing up.
Strouty
Well-known member
There are so many tricks to learn, always fun when you learn them after you did the job! Everyone had to start somewhere, you are miles ahead of me, I have not done any upholstery yet.
xtremek
Well-known member
I so hate when that happens. And it happens WAY to often.
Let us know how your experiment works out.
I heard there's a swap meet this weekend in Belleville, are you going to be going?
Strouty
Well-known member
The way I would handle it is do the driver's side and if it comes out much better, redo the passenger side later. It looks way better than before and honestly doesn't look that bad. Had you told us you paid an upholstery guy to do it, well, we might have some other things to say.
Youtube Certifications are generally pretty good, as long as you watch multiple videos, some of those creators are morons.
Youtube Certifications are generally pretty good, as long as you watch multiple videos, some of those creators are morons.