M38a1 CDN2 - Winter Project

[Wayne Hingley]

Very interesting, thanks 45jim. I read that section in their technical bulletin a few weeks ago when I was seeking information about the procedure to apply finish top coats. I note that they indicate a list of siutable top coats: MAGNET 4800 Series Synthetic-Urethane Enamel, MAGNACRYL™ 9000 Series Acrylic Enamel or MAGNATRON™ 5000 Series Acrylic Polyurethane. I was unsuccessful in getting an actual procedure from CS, as their rep said top coating is not recommended. As you point out, it seems there is some misunderstanding or lack of product knowledge among their own product representatives.

I have been busy with work/travel, so I have not done anything further to my frame yet. I may reconsider my options, and/or do a small scale test to see how well coatings will adhere.

[Wayne Hingley]

Here is a followup to the last few posts regarding products that will stick to Chassis Saver. I tried two different tests on my frame as follows:
- POR Tie Coat Primer: Sprayed on. Still felt a bit soft 24hrs after. However, three days later it was hard as a rock, and I could not easily mark it with a scraper. I would say it bonds very well to Chassis Saver.
- Red oxide primer: Red oxide dries quite fast, and it also passed my test with a metal scraper within a couple of hours of application.

I am confident that both of these products bond well to CS, and I do not have any concerns. I guess I have a long term test underway, because I have moved on to applying my enamel paint. If anyone wants a "long term" update on this test... contact me in the future sometime... haha.

[Wayne Hingley]

Hi Stuart. There is not much science behind the temporary spray area I made. I simply hung some plastic tarps from the rails of one of my overhead doors. I left a bit of an air gap (~12") between the tarps and the floor to allow airflow, and a place for the fumes to drop and exit. I also put a plastic tarp on the floor to catch the overspray and any drips/mess. When Im spraying, I wear a 3M half-face respirator mask with two filters, and I leave a couple of doors open enough to create a crossflow of air. I don't have a lot of room around the edge of the scaffolding... probably only 2-3 feet around the edge (you dont really need much). For lighting, I just have a combination of the overhead fluorescent lights and a couple of halogen work-lights on floor stands (at about waist-chest height). You can see one of the work-lights in the photos above. Hope that helps.

[Wayne Hingley]

This body had several reinforcement plates added to it by the CF as shown in some of my earlier photos (refer to post #14). In the short term, I believe the intent of these plates was to make the jeep last a few more years in service (early 80's). However, they created a bunch of damage to certain parts of the body when they did these modifications (hidden under the reinforcement plates).

With the frame painting complete, I have turned over to fixing some of the damaged body sections. Im in the process of making up a few new body sections that I will butt-weld into place where the ugliest damage was (under the doors, and around the tail lights). The good part is the jeep is essentially rust-free, so once I cut out the bumpy/damaged parts, its all solid.

By the way: I wish they still made vehicles with 14ga sheet metal on the sides!

[Wayne Hingley]

Progress has been a bit slow over the past several months, as other priorities have consumed my time.

I finally got around to cleaning and painting the differentials and mounting the frame back on. A few photos before installing the transmission (hopefully tonight), and engine (soon).

I'm still not 100% decided on the final paint color (semi-gloss OD, or 3-color camo), but either way the frame has a glossy coat of OD that will make a good base of protection, no mater what comes later. This is similar to the way the jeep would have started out new.

[Wayne Hingley]

A few more...

[Wayne Hingley]

New clutch set and engine dropped into place.