Hmmm....Sandblasting ???

Well, as you can tell, I am fairly new to this website. I have recieved a lot of good info from my new friends on here and I really do appreciate all the help that everyone has provided to me. Now onto the business at hand..

Our FD recently purchased an M813 that is in great mechanical condition. Runs great,drives great and sounds even better. Now, the exterior is not quite so fortunate. The body is in GREAT condition but the paint is horrible. On parts of the truck, the paint is flaking off and leaving a rusty body surface. On the other parts, the paint seems to have taken a good bond with the surface. We are planning on repainting the truck red and black. Is there any tricks to prepping this truck that I need to know about?? Also, I have not checked on it yet but I am rather certain that it will be quite expensive to sandblast this thing. I had panned on Rhino-lining the fenders,bumper, and steps and the shooting a gloss coat onto the other parts of the truck. can anyone tell me some steps that we might be able to take to keep the cost down?

Thanks for advice...

Chad

Have you priced renting a sandblaster?Rhino lining is not cheap.The deuce in Erath Co. was real rough and they chipped the paint off and painted it and it looks alright.The brush is gonna take care of your paint.We used black tractor paint on the frame and bumpers.The price depends on the brand of paint .We bought Omni paint from Car Quest and had it mixed to match our other trucks for around $100 a gal.We used about 1 1/2 gal.Spend your money on an intercom system. http://www.marvgolden.com/headsets/peltor2way.htm

Your truck looks great George. I appreciate you sending the pictures to me.What is the difference between tractor paint and regular automotive paint?? Also, can't you buy that Rhino lining material at Home depot or tractor supply at a much cheaper rate than having the pro's do it? I have heard that it basically rolls on like paint. Looks to me like that would be a good product to use for the bumper and fenders since we will be pushing thru brush and stuff. and in answer to your question, I have not check a sandblaster price yet. Are they high??

Chad

Sand blasting is the way to go if you can afford to have someone do it... Once you get the parts back and prime them you can add years of life to them by sealing the seams up with a seam or body sealer or even something as simple as 3M 5200 marine sealer. It takes a while to do it all but it keeps the mud and water out and stops rusting in all of the common places.

The Rhino... I don't know if I would do that without sandblasting... its only as good as the base its sitting on. Aluminum oxide is another alternative to protecting from scratches and such which is easier to maintain and touch up. I personally hate the black anti skid stuff so I mask off the walk ways and such spray the areas with color, sprinkle them with the aluminum oxide and then apply two more coats of color over top (you must use a hardner in your paint if doing this). Its pretty damn bullet proof and can be touched up where as Rhino never again looks right.

Another alternative to Rhino is Dupli-Color... As a "bed liner" its crap to soft and not UV resistant enough... but as a frame paint, undercoating, walk ways, etc its great and can be sprayed with an application gun they sell (rolling it is impossible unless its a flat surface). I usually thin it about 30% with xylene, more if you want a smoother surface. Only down fall is you really need to give it about a 72 hour drying time. If you want it to be like non skid you can mix aluminum oxide in and thin it more for your walk ways also.

Most local auto part stores sell a do-it-yourself bed liner kit for around $65.00 a gallon. A gallon will usually cover 45 sq. ft, or roughly the inside of a 8' Truck bed. It comes with the roller, instructions, etc. I know from personal experience that if you don't sandblast and prep the surface "Great", then adhesion will not be 100%. I personally would only do my steps and bumpers w/ it. I have seen where a friend did the inside of his cab w/ the roll-on liner, and it looked great and was way cool, BUT if you ever want to change it, it will be WORK!!

Thanks guys. That helps alot. I didnt know that a sandblastin job was nessesary prior to Rhino lining. Just goes to show how much I really do NOT know..lol. I am getting excited about working on this truck. I may try to go with the rhino in the cab and take y'alls advise on the paint and the bed. Anybody know what it cost to blast a 5 ton ??

Thanks again !!
Chad