Patrick Tipton

Branchville, NJ, United States

Sep 22 at 06:15 AM

Thank you Stephan! I find this work so very rewarding!

Sep 18 at 02:51 PM

Paul Bellon Since I live in the People's Republic of NJ, they have outlawed all the good chemicals so we don't have anyone to dip locally.  There is a place about 1.5 hours away in Pennsylvania - that really is the ideal situation.  I would love to have the tubs dipped!As for the "non-lead" lead, Eastwood sells it.  It works fine...really just like lead.  I am not sure it makes any real difference.....Here is the link:  https://www.eastwood.com/eastwood-lead-free-body-solder-basic-kit-file-sand.html

Sep 18 at 10:35 AM

Greetings Joe and thank you for the comments. I am not a professional painter by any stretch of the imagination. I sincerely appreciate the suggestions. The red oxide we are using has zinc phosphate...which is a typical "etcher" in self-etching primers so I think we are more or less doing what you suggest with respect to the first step. As for the fill primer - the only issue is covering up spot welds - which probably doesn't matter, but ...on some of these vehicles it does look different if you can't see the spot welds. In areas that need to be blocked, I end up spraying heavy and blocking anyway so again... probably more or less following your procedure, just not doing it for the entire vehicle. I have stayed away from seam sealers with the jeeps out of historical accuracy. I did use them on the last Weasel we worked on. I used a 3m product - impressive. My biggest concern with the jeep is that there is already some rust in the seams....not sure whether we add to the problem if we seal everything in? I probably could have used a seam sealer on the hat channels and been better off on this tub. Good suggestions - thank you.

Sep 18 at 10:24 AM

Appreciate it Nick - it never ends!

Posted

Sep 18 at 08:53 AM

Based on several requests, I am going to be offering a 2 day welding & tin knocking class on Friday & Saturday September 29/30 at the shop.  The class will be limited to 4-5 participants - $350 per person.

The main focus will be learning to weld in a patch panel, hiding seams and managing the inevitable distortion from welding sheet steel. 

We are going to use the MIG welder as well as the oxy-acetylene torch.  We may add TIG depending on student skill levels and desires.

We will discuss the proper use of the pneumatic and electric angle grinders and the various media available for this work.

Finally, we are going to manage panel distortion with planning, the torch, the hammer and dolly and the shrinking disc.

Students will need to bring their own PPE (minimum gloves, welding helmet, eyes and hearing protection). 

There is local lodging available within 20 minutes of the shop.  We will provide lunch.

If you are interested, kindly send me an email to sales@portrayal.com by Wednesday 9/20. 

I am opening this up to subscribers first and then will broadcast this more broadly starting Thursday.

Looking forward to seeing some of you!

Posted

Sep 13 at 07:29 AM

Tub, engine, transmission and chassis are together again.  This is a little like the Hell Freezes Over Tour....

Everything fits and other than a little sanding...and maybe a little hammer and dolly on the unpainted rear panel, I am pretty pleased with how it looks. 

See you Thursday.

1
Appreciate the thoughts Dana. Like so many things....I don't think there are many absolutes here. I love that we can get repro tubs and parts where damage is so extreme that there is no alternative....better than the carcass rotting in a field....but that line is hard to decipher!

Sep 10 at 12:49 PM

Great stuff Nick. I do know the feeling of seeing ever imperfection. There are spots on my finished MB that leap out at me sometimes....and will get fixed at some future date. I have a friend who has restored his jeep three times over some 30 years....the last time he got it pretty much factory class perfect... Look forward to seeing that G506 in progress. They are beautiful trucks!

Sep 10 at 12:44 PM

100% agree Scott - a personal choice. I like that idea that we leave things a bit better than we found them..."stewardship" in the true sense of the word.

Sep 10 at 12:43 PM

Appreciate it Ken!