The Farmer.

[btm24]

Very Nice Rob.

 

You were the inspiration... :drool:

 

 

On a side note, I did my Friday afternoon stroll through the Junkyard I pass everyday on the way home, and found an in-tact retractable underhood light on a '90 XJ Limited, so I nabbed it, and scoped out the Tan leather seats for Will/Pat... The light was mint. Asked about how much it was, describing it only as an "Underhood light", guy said $5. Came back with it, he gave me the "Oh, one of those... That's not $5." Luckily, the girlfriend's brothers father in-law works the counter, and told me to just take it. Nothing beats free. 8)

 

 

Rob L.

 

Lucky :fs2:

 

brandon

[jpdocdave]

does anyone else think of this song when you see "the farmer"

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D39Lm_HRfOs

 

 

Rob L.

 

naturally that was the video i clicked on immediately after the first one, getting side tracked on youtube is always fun.

 

and this is obviously next in line with that

[Automan2164]

Wee bit more done to the donor drivetrain today, separated the engine/trans and hung the engine on the stand for teardown...
 

And, while I was at it, I took the opportunity to deal with something that has been a PAIN IN MY BUTT since I got it.

The Factory plow I have... Its such a large, bulky item. Since I got it, I have just moved it from one side of the garage to the other, and grumbling every time I had to. So, I used the hoist I had out, tossed it in to the unicorn, and trekked it out to the shed... Not as heavy as I remember, but nonetheless, a pain in the butt. So worth it though... I cleared up a bunch of nice real estate for the Farmer.

Rob L. :cheers:

[watchamakalit]

Wee bit more done to the donor drivetrain today, separated the engine/trans and hung the engine on the stand for teardown...

 

 

 

 

And, while I was at it, I took the opportunity to deal with something that has been a PAIN IN MY BUTT since I got it.

 

 

The Factory plow I have... Its such a large, bulky item. Since I got it, I have just moved it from one side of the garage to the other, and grumbling every time I had to. So, I used the hoist I had out, tossed it in to the unicorn, and trekked it out to the shed... Not as heavy as I remember, but nonetheless, a pain in the butt. So worth it though... I cleared up a bunch of nice real estate for the Farmer.

 

Rob L. :cheers:

If you need a place to store that factory plow just let me know there is plenty of real estate on the front of the Junkyard Refugee to hold it. :brows:

[Automan2164]

Another day for progress... Pulled the old engine out of the farmer, took out the rest of the interior, dropped the gas tank, vaccuumed out the interior / engine bay, and lubed up the flare nuts / rear bumper bolts for removal tomorrow.

 

 

Let me say, you rust free guys have it easy. More than once taking this thing apart I think how this would have been a junkyard truck down there, but up here, this thing is like crack to the projects.

More pics tomorrow.

Rob L.

[JeepcoMJ]

God,

 

this thing is gonna look SOOO crisp when it's done!

[jpdocdave]

"theFaaarmer sphldkahoidkcdkdlaikdoiackj a licky boom boom ya.

 

 

 

 

sorry :wavey:

[Automan2164]

Nipped away at it a bit more today, while waiting for the TV repair dude. Got the bumper off, drilled out the screws on the tails, took out the inner fender liners, removed the fuel lines, took off the towing mirrors, took out the wing windows, as well as pulled the trim out of the window opening. Just left the glass loose in the door for now.

 

Everyday getting a little closer to paint... Hopefully, I can find someone cheap enough... I would like to do it myself, but at this point, I would rather just pay a guy to do it on the side so its done before the snow flies. That way I can spend the winter working on the engine and throwing everything together so come springtime... It'll be rolling on the rubber again.

As of yet, I still have to pull the windshield, slider, gutter rails, door handles, loosen the fenders, take the bed loose, degrease the crap out of everything, and find a guy to paint it.

So little bit more ahead before it starts coming back together.

I'll just keep chugging away.
Rob L. :cheers:

[500 MJ]

If you find someone who is willing to paint it yet this year, make sure they have a booth or some other form of curing the paint properly. Trust me, paint is not something to rush. I learned my lesson on that one with the '88. I still kick myself for the little imperfections in the paint on it because I rushed it and sprayed on a cloudy day, got some rain drops on the clear-coat. I also sprayed in late August, a little cool out when I did it and you can see it in the way it cured. I also could have taken some more time on the body work, wet-sanding and prepping for paint.

 

Optimum spraying conditions IMHO are after a rain (to keep dust down), in the sun and about 75 deg F.

[Automan2164]

If you find someone who is willing to paint it yet this year, make sure they have a booth or some other form of curing the paint properly. Trust me, paint is not something to rush. I learned my lesson on that one with the '88. I still kick myself for the little imperfections in the paint on it because I rushed it and sprayed on a cloudy day, got some rain drops on the clear-coat. I also sprayed in late August, a little cool out when I did it and you can see it in the way it cured. I also could have taken some more time on the body work, wet-sanding and prepping for paint.

 

Optimum spraying conditions IMHO are after a rain (to keep dust down), in the sun and about 75 deg F.

 

Maybe while your down to grab the Renix stuff, you could give me some pointers... I would like to do it myself, but I think the time has come and passed if those are the conditions you think it requires.

 

Rob L.

[500 MJ]

Optimum spraying conditions IMHO are after a rain (to keep dust down), in the sun and about 75 deg F.

 

Maybe while your down to grab the Renix stuff, you could give me some pointers... I would like to do it myself, but I think the time has come and passed if those are the conditions you KNOW it requires.

 

Rob L.

 

I'd be happy to share what I've learned with ya when I see ya this weekend.

 

Here is some food for thought:

- A good spray gun can run lots of cash, if you plan on using it often, it can pay for itself quickly. If not, you can try to sell it or just eat the cost and keep it around.

 

- How much cash do you want to spend on the job, it will be cheaper to have it done somewhere else if you don't have the tools and equipment to do it. Start-up cost for this type of work can be pretty high.

 

- Becoming a good friend of an area body-shop is your best bet if you want to get your hands on some discounted paint. You can buy it through a dealer or some other parts house, but you can spend up to 400% on paint this way vs. getting it through a body-shop and still giving him his cut. I bought a quart of paint and clear-coat once at a parts house, and it cost me the same price for a gallon from the body shop. They had already mixed it and then told me the price, there was no turning back for me.

 

- Spraying it yourself requires a clean environment. Bugs, dust, grease and other things can all ruin a paint job. How are you going to manage to keep this stuff out of your paint?

 

- Last thing, and I can't stress it enough. Just like a good weld, a good paint job is 90% in the prep work. Once you finally get to spraying the paint, you'll be happy to reach that step.

 

If you think you are happy with the body on the truck as it sits right now, here are the prep steps you will need to do to get the show on the road.

 

First you start with a general scuff up of the paint that is already there. This can be done with a brillo-pad type abrasive pad, 3M makes them and they work good. I use them all the time on small rattle can jobs.

 

Once you have the paint scuffed up, meaning all of the shiny clear coat is gone, then you spray all the pieces with 2-3 coats of primer, each primer layer should be a different color. Let it dry a few days and then start to wet sand it down with very fine sand paper and lots of water running out of your garden hose onto the panel (wetsanding is another GREAT reason to do it during the summertime, its actually fun at times in sandals and swimtrunks). The different layers of primer will sand through and show you your high and low spots in each panel. If you are happy with the high and low spots on each panel, then you move on. If not you then go backwards and into the body-work stage (a whole other article) until you are happy with the way the steel lays.

 

The next step is to spray a sealer coat on all of the panels. This paint can be bought in large quantities and is usually pretty cheap. It is very thick compared to other paints because it is meant to seal over all of the different colors beneath it. Spray 2-3 good coats of sealer on all of the panels and then let it dry a few more days. Then its back to wet-sanding with fine grit (450-600) paper and then finishing with VERY fine grit paper (1000). Make sure you don't sand through the sealer, if you do, you have completely ruined what you set out to accomplish by having all underlaying paint colors sealed over. It will feel like you are sanding with newspaper, it takes a LONG time. After this final wet-sanding is done, the surface of the sealer will be very smooth.

 

Now you are getting very close to spraying paint. Redo all of your masking paper, wet-sanding has ruined the stuff you had on there before, you'll want it to be fresh for spraying paint. Then its time to break out the tack-rags. Tack-rags are pieces of cheese cloth with some very tacky stuff on them, I think its some sort of de-natured thinner. Either way, their purpose is to get all of the fine dust pieces off the panel before you paint. Run them over the entire panel once really good, we'll do this again quickly before you spray.

 

Wait for the weather to be right. Go over to your bench where your $500 worth of paint is waiting patiently. Get a good clean piece of card-board, a stack of dixie cups, your respirator and some latex gloves out. Turn on your air-compressor and start to mix your paint with your thinner and hardner by using the latex gloves to dip the dixie cups in to the paint cans. Have a trash can ready to throw the used cups away in. Once the mix is in the gun, stir it up with a paint stick before sealing the gun.

 

Now its time to spray. Play around with spraying on a few scrap panels first to make sure things are looking good. Keep the gun close to give a good coverage, but far enough away to keep from letting the paint run. Speed up or slow down to regulate this. Pick a distance away from the panel and stick with it. Before you pull the trigger on the first panel, make your motions over the panel with the gun and give yourself a good "dry run". Make sure to paint all the edges and seams good too. I like to do edges and seams first and then do the panel.

 

Remember that last run over with a tack cloth? Now is the time to do it. Wipe all the panels real quick and then start to spray. What you are aiming to lay down is a "tack-coat" on the first coat. You aren't looking to cover it all in paint right away. Go quickly over the panel, you should be able to see the sealer coat at about 50% showing through. It will dry quickly. Once it is tacky (test by touching some of your masked out areas), then you can put the second coat on. Second coat and consecutive coats can get to be more coverage. Slow your rate of spray down a bit and focus on making continuous passes over the panel, don't stop half-way through and restart. These passes are the bread and butter of your paint job. I usually do 4-6 coats of color, use up your paint while you are in the process of painting, you can keep some for later but it will go bad if you don't use it in time, so use it up.

 

Let the color get really tacky and then its time to spray your clear coat. This is the same process as the color was, only the clear coat is harder to see, therefore your really gotta watch your runs. Start with a tack coat again and then build it up by making multiple passes. Clear coat gives the shine to the paint, some of the last passes you make you can slow down and start to spray them heavily on. The paint will look wet on these passes, that is what you want, just watch for your runs.

 

Once you are done, CLEAN YOUR GUN. Get out the old toothbrush and thinner and go at it. Take it all apart and clean each piece. Spray some straight thinner through the gun, make sure it is still clean and then store it with the can 1/3 full of CLEAN thinner.

 

Wait a few days, and then remove your masking tape. The paint will still be "green" for a month or so, be careful with it. It will cure up over time. Don't wash it until its fully cured.

 

I really have to thank my Dad and our family friend Frank (he ran the body shop in town for years) for teaching me all of this stuff. They both have learned these things from years of experience and from their Pops who passed it onto them. I've already learned a few things myself the hard way. It can be fun, and it is VERY rewarding to know that you were the guy who made that car look so good. I enjoy it for a hobby, but there is no way that I would do this for a living, WAY too much stress.

[Automan2164]

:eek:

 

Yep, having someone else paint it Brent... Thanks... Lol.

Rob L. :D

[500 MJ]

Yessir. ;)

 

I'm happy to help when I can. I just wish I would have taken more pics of the process when I painted my truck.

 

 

 

[btm24]

He was so nice and took his time to wright all of that and now you chicken out? to bad but i don't blame you though. great write up thanks for that!

 

Brandon

[Automan2164]

Well, toss my iron back in the painting fire. My boss in the Fleet maintenance department used to paint cars on the side, and kinda gave me the pep talk. I told him I wanted to do a one step tractor paint if I was doing it myself, and he told me, "No. If your going to be taking it apart to that level, do it right. One stage color, and clear. After seeing how Brent hung his panels up, he told me I should do the same, and just do it in my garage. He still has all the body tools, I'm sure I could borrow some from Wadearino... But my boss seems to be willing to help in anyway he can. He told me I should be able to hang some plastic up in the garage with a space heater, and paint the doors, hood, fenders, and gate. Then pull the cab in, do that, and then the bed in another session. He said one day in the warm garage should be enough to set the paint and cure it. Seems to work in my head. I am going to bring him pictures of the worst parts of the truck tomorrow, and see what happens from there.

 

What am I getting myself into...

Rob L. :shake:

[500 MJ]

Sounds like you are on the right track... Someone who can teach you the ropes and borrow tools like that is invaluable!

 

He's right when he says do it right or don't do it at all.

[Automan2164]

Been at it again. Got the pressure washer from work, and had been soaking the bed bolts. Only broke one getting it off, but the bed is now in the garage, the truck is outside. Also took off the windshield trim, the handles, lock cylinders, spare tire winch, and the gutter trim. Tomorrow I am suiting up, and giving the thing a good pressure washing before it gets too cold to do it at home. Pics:

 

 

More pics tomorrow with the pressure wash done.
Rob L.

[littlezeeker]

Wow Its looking good I have a Quick ? Where did you Get the Roll bar for it ive been looking everywhere for one like that. :D

[Automan2164]

Wow Its looking good I have a Quick ? Where did you Get the Roll bar for it ive been looking everywhere for one like that. :D

 

From another MJ. There is no aftermarket for them, so you either have to pull one off a truck, or make one. Both bars I have are factory Jeep, but they are hard to come by. The longbed one I have is the ONLY one I have seen in person.

 

Rob L.

[DJM/78]

Its going to be one of the best looking farm truck I've ever seen . :popcorn:

[500 MJ]

When you go through and pressure wash today, don't be afraid to get "closer than normal" to the paint on the panels. IF it has been repainted in the past and the painter did a bad job of prep work, their paint will blast right off of the truck. I know it seems sort of counter-intuitive, but it will be better for you to find it now rather than two years down the road when you get a little close to the paint when you pressure wash it then.

 

Blast Away!

[Automan2164]

Gave it a bath today. Borrowed the pressure washer from work, and went to town. Morning started early, I suited up in my rain gear from work (I never wear the pants, but the jacket and I have history) so thats why the jacket looks like crap. I got myself all set up in the driveway with a scrubber brush, a green 3M pad, wash bucket, engine degreaser, dish soap, the pressure washer, and a big ol' thing of ice tea for myself. I was on top of it, under it, in it, over it, all over it with the scrubbers, sponges, pressure washer and degreaser. I could be scrubbing that thing for days, and it would still have dirty spots. So I did as good as I could in a day, and I am pretty happy about it.

 

 

And then it was time to do the underside. Thank god for the rain suit, and waterproof Redwing boots. They kept me warm, dry, and happy.

 

 

The undercoating was pretty rubbery and soft still, so it didn't like the pressure washer much. I hit it where it would come off easy, but left it where it had a good hold. I plan on re-spraying it with undercoat.

 

 

I used the full blast of the pressure washer to open up any chips or rust bubbles, and you can now see how far the normal wheel well rust stretched out under the paint. Not too bad, but worse than they appeared before being blown out by the pressure washer.

 

Once I got it that far, I had the neighbor kid come over and hoist the bed on with me so I could put the whole works into the garage again. I think the combination of low light and the camera make it look deceivingly white and clean. I wish it looked like that. I will, however, say it looks better than it did.

 

 

The whole truck got a scrub from the green 3M pad, and a good rinse/wash with dish soap and car soap. I also took the pressure washer wand, and stuck it down the frame rail as far as it would go. I held it on until the water coming out was clean.

Feels good to have it all washed up, and squeaky clean. Now I have to prep it for paint. :(

Progress none the less boys.
Rob L. :cheers:

[jpdocdave]

nice work my man, you're gonna have a nice result. I'm predicting Comanche of the Month June 2014 :clapping:

[89eliminator]

neat

[87'ComancheLaredo]

Thanks for the comments guys. Dunno why my garage is something to be envied... Its pretty small. As for the toolbox, she's my baby. I love my tools. Afterall, we would be useless without wrenches, sockets, pliers, and other things to get us through the day. The toolbox is from when I worked for Ford and had my own box/tools. Now that I work for the city, they supply a box and tools for use... That means my baby got to come home. :D

 

Its a Matco Box, and I love it. I picked it up for $3300 before trade back in '05. Then I still had to fill it with tools.

 

I keep it waxed about once a year, and keep it covered with the custom cover if I am doing something with a bunch of dust or not using it for awhile.

 

 

And the most impressive drawer, usually gets ooh's and aah's from guys who stop by...

 

 

I even have a few socket trays out and about, and some sockets out, so thats even a bit empty.

 

Oh, and this is another lifesaver:

 

 

Its great to use the cart when working in the driveway. I can throw a tray of sockets in along with the tools I'll need, and just wheel it out.

 

No progress this week. Been busy getting a shed. More updates as I go.

Rob L.

 

 

 

 

 

OMG I'm jealous of your tool box!!

Considering I don't even have one, I just steal my BFs tools.

But really, I wanted to get a Matco.