Another toolbox Resto

[creekhed1]

So I surf these pages often...but 1st post...

I restore boxes...

My latest is this...
A 90's Husky AKA MAC Economizer. After doing some research I found out that this Husky box is ALSO a MAC Economizer...so NATURALLY I re badged it into a MAC Economizer

Before:
Chests were BEAT! many of tyhe spot welds were broken and the result was bent steel. I had to weld many many of the drawers, and re-face a bunch as well. Took an old water heater and used the steel face....cut a bunch off and used to to reface the drawers.

After:

It took almost $130 of Rattle Cans at $5/can!!!
I used Duplicolor Grabber Green Engine Enamal. I like the stuff! I also like Chevy Orange!
Anyway, I think it came out good! NOT Perfect... but VERY NICE!
btw I bought the thing off CL for $80!...the paint cost more than the Boxes!
I bought the MAC decal via the bay and pinstriped it myself.
Also, the bearing slides were pretty beat so I called the home depot number on the side of one of the drawers and after a little talking had them send me ALL NEW SLIDES!!!!! WOW!!!! That must be about $300!!!
Anyway, I hope ya like it
There Ya Have It!

 

[joedodge]

Wow man looks great

 

[Nitroinsane]

Can I ask what your prep method was

 

[zkling]

So I surf these pages often...but 1st post...

I restore boxes...

Very nice job Looks like a heck of a box for $210

You say you restore boxes? Got any pics or details of the others you have restored? We like restored boxes on here.

Also welcome to GJ

 

[Bull]

Wow!! You've got some skills!

 

[Rezarf]

Wow man, that's outstanding! I'm blown away, got any "in progress" pics?

 

[BK13]

Man, I wish I had your skills!

 

[basspro]

Man, you show some true craftsmanship, awesome work! Love the green drawer liners too.

 

[lowbucktruck]

Dang, nice resto! Really nice job getting those boxes straight again. I would not have guessed that it was a rattle-can paintjob.

 

[foreverfalcon40]

Gorgeous, what do.you use for draw liners?

 

[LordTom]

So HD sent you free slides? For free? How did that work out?

 

[Kracin]

with that kind of effort into restoring it, you should look into buying a good hvlp gun and spraying your own single stage paint, it would cost 1/3 what you spent on rattle cans, and it will last longer and be more durable

 

[nine4gmc]

My finger hurts thinking about $130 in rattle cans

Nice job

 

[blackz26]

.. where's the locks? Lol killer job BTW!

 

[bimmerZ5]

incredible!!! but yeah, definitely consider getting an HVLP gun....

 

[larryq]

Unreal. Never, EVER would have thought it was a rattlecan job. Great work. Love to see in-progress pics as well.

 

[Scout Driver]

Excellent work! That green is a great color for that box!

Scott

 

[silviaboy89]

amZING

 

[creekhed1]

Thanks for the props!
Because I am amateur my stuff never comes out perfect...but it ALWAYS COMES OUT NICE! lol
I usually take everything right down to metal....makes getting an even finish soooo mush easier. But,m it its in decent shape to begin with I will give it a light sand (seems this is almost never the case though!)
The whole process is
Disassemble
Grind down to metal or sand
Hand sand
Prime
Paint
Reassemble
Decals

I HAVE TO learn to use a gun....HAVE TO!!!!
The key is PATIENCE and attention to detail!!!
SLIDERS - I called the 800 number on the side of one of the drawers and the "lady" said they were lifetime guarantee...so I said I had 12 slides that were bad. 3 days later I get them in the mail!
Once I got the new ones in I realized how bad the rest were LOL
So...called her back...said, "uh, once I got the new ones in I realized how bad the rest were". She called the rep on her end and convinced him I needed ALL new slides. DONE!
hahaha
Anyway, Here's some random shots of "work in progress" and a few other Boxes I have done. The HD box was a 1967 Snap On mated to a 70's NAPA. The JD Box was a Cornwell mated to a Matco Bottom. The Craftsman was a 1945!!! The Kennedy HD box was a mid 70's model.
Sold em all except the newest...the MAC! (Prolly sell it too... sigh)
I miss them all...but I uabe been doing this for money bacause I have a bad back and...have issues lol.

 

[creekhed1]

This all started when I got my 1st JD Garden Tractor a few yrs back. Wanted it NICE so I restored it. Then I did some more tractors...and this year got into Boxes!
Sometimes I make a very decent buck...other times...not so much. Thats the way life always seems to go though ya know?

 

[creekhed1]

oh ya... and someone asked about liners... I am CHEAP!!! They are drawer liners from DOLLAR GENERAL!!!! $2/roll!!! They would fit a 26" box better!


and...the Locks are in now. THOSE were a PITA to put back in!!!!

Like I said, NONE of these came out PERFECT....they are LIKE ME!!!! hahaha

 

[Nelkcots]

Those are all awesome boxes!! Do you use a clear coat as well? How does that rattle can paint hold up under use?

 

[creekhed1]

I dont Clear.... every time I ended up ruining a project and having to literally start over!
But...I DO put about 4-5 coats down... and once it cures it holds up nicely!
Maybe once I start shooting with a gun I will try the clear again.

 

[evintho]

Dude, you could probably make a living at this! You do got skills! You can usually pick up a HF HVLP gun for $10 on sale. If you own a compressor, you're golden! You'll learn to shoot as you go. It's all in the technique. Keep a uniform distance, pattern and timing. You probably learned alot already with $130 in spray cans! Awesome work! Keep the pics coming!

 

[JeremyManning]

Nice work

 

[cburnscrx]

Unreal. Never, EVER would have thought it was a rattlecan job. Great work. Love to see in-progress pics as well.

You'd be amazed with what you can do with rattle cans...the right paint, the right prep, and a little skill...it can look like a factory finish (or in most cases better).

 

[Nelkcots]

Wow I love all those boxes... I have been racing kawasaki's for ever, so naturally I love the Kawi Green "Mac" box... Also have a few Harley's so love those boxes, and am starting a career with John Deere this summer so I love that one too!!! Gives me some real inspiration!

 

[briandrex]

I saw the craftsman box on craigslist a couple of weeks back. If you lived closer I would have bought them. Unbelievable job. You could definitely do this for a living.

What color paint did you use on the craftsman? I knows it hammertone but looks to light to be the copper I always see. Really love the JD and HD boxes. If I'm correct you are up in New York somewhere if I remember the CL ad.

Awesome job again!

 

[77thor]

Wow, those turned out so nice that I would be worried about scratching the paint when I used them.

Great job!

 

[bimmerZ5]

I dont Clear.... every time I ended up ruining a project and having to literally start over!
But...I DO put about 4-5 coats down... and once it cures it holds up nicely!
Maybe once I start shooting with a gun I will try the clear again.

is it enamel paint or lacquer? i know with enamel paint, though tougher, is really hard to get the clearcoat right if the timing is off...

can you show some pictures of your disassembly process?

what kind of primer do you use?

 

[maddawg308]

Wow! You do great work in your restos!

 

[firecracker]

Puts all my cleaned up gear to shame, must have a go at restoration. Good job and thanks for sharing yor brilliant work.

 

[Hafen_Kafer]

that's bad *** work.

 

[Kracin]

an even better idea would be to get the largest oven you can find, and do powdercoating instead.

 

[jeffmoss26]

WOW!!!! That is some beautiful work.

 

[jusridin]

damn... love the HD ones.... damn.... love them all
keep it up, GREAT work!

 

[mashguy4077]

Looks great. It appears you put the struts in upside down though. lol,

Probably doesnt make a difference anyway.

I really love how that gold craftsman box turned out. It looks great in that color.

 

[zkling]

O... so your the guy that had the orange snap on with napa bottom box on craigslist. Not a HD fan, but they look really nicely painted. Did you finally sell them I take it?

Great work

 

[TheGrooveking]

Mighty cool boxes! Nice work.

TheGrooveking

 

[Big-Foot]

Golly those boxes look nice!

I particularly like the Craftsman Gold.. What gold is that?

I also know you can do some good work with rattle cans as long as the paint is mixed well and the temperature of the paint is very close to the temperature of the object being painted. Of course prep is key regardless of paint type/method..

I did the firewall in my old Nova and more with Duplicolor rattle cans and you'd not know it..

But like the other guys have said - HVLP is the way to go and my future projects will be done in that manner.. I tried a couple of those spray handles that clip onto the can and found that they did not have the control I needed so I ended up tossing them. My trigger finger still hurts...