B-73 Restoration

[mattb73lt]

Working up the LAST two panels to paint, the hood halves!! Great feeling to be at this point. Still some small stuff to paint, but these two finish the cab!

[mowerman]

Man that sucker is going to be out of this world pretty soon … doesn’t seem like that long ago when you have a cab apart in pieces:… bob

[mattb73lt]

3 hours ago, mowerman said:

Man that sucker is going to be out of this world pretty soon … doesn’t seem like that long ago when you have a cab apart in pieces:… bob

Yeah, I definitely dug deep into it!!

[1961H67]

You definitely took it down further then I have ever seen ! Great Work! Your on the last mile of a long journey,, And DoubleClutchinWeasel was Spot on about having a vision of the finish product ! You actually had to have more vision then me ,, because I drove my project,, 40 years ago . 

 

 

 

[mowerman]

Yes and then again thank you for posting all your progress just the cab alone was was very fascinating to most of us  … you definitely earned many hats off. …. Many thanks and I’m sure I speak for most of us you are a master and restoration keep them coming …. Bob

[mowerman]

Mind boggling to me how far ahead you have gotten in just a few months… takes me 3 hrs on a Saturday just to guzzle coffee and wake up and jump in the shower… Bob

[yarnall]

Less than a month till Mack day. The paint on the hood will be dry by then. Maybe hold off on the rollback until after  the show so that doesn’t keep you from bringing it. 

Edited September 5, 2022 by yarnall

[mattb73lt]

Three rounds of high build primer and block sanding got these hood halves about as straight and smooth as I can get them. First layer of epoxy primer/sealer. This will get wet sanded and one more coat before a final wet sand, then....color. Not the easiest aluminum panels to sand. The cowl and radiator give them a lot of rigidity, so when they're loose like this they deform if you sand with too much pressure causing waves in the primer.

[Mark T]

Too bad there isn't some way to fill something like a feed bag or something with sand to put underneath and form into the shape of the hoods to help hold them while you sand.

[mattb73lt]

41 minutes ago, Mark T said:

Too bad there isn't some way to fill something like a feed bag or something with sand to put underneath and form into the shape of the hoods to help hold them while you sand.

I did roll up some shop towels to put between the skin and bracing to give it some support, while holding the front and back edges as I worked those areas. Seemed to help.

[Nor'Easter]

The last A hood we did had it's own wooden stand which mimicked the radiator and cowl shape, although this does not solve the bowing.  If you line the underside with plastic you could create a quick mold with expanding foam.  For the next one maybe...

[mattb73lt]

That's not a bad idea.

[mowerman]

my god,,,,,from the photos,they look absolutely flawless......nice work bud,,,,but then again ,those two panels will be in your direct sight most of the time driving you crazy with any thing you miss..water hose baby,can be your best friend at this point    haha..bob

[mattb73lt]

Had a visit from Dean (1961H67) and his wife all the way from North Carolina and on their way to Maine, stop in and visit. Great finally putting a face with a name.

[mrsmackpaul]

A couple of likely lads right there 

 

Paul 

[1961H67]

Had a great visit,, I found out 3 things for sure,, Matt is a great guy, All his projects are done like the B73 , And all the pictures we have seen posted for the last few years ( and they are great) Still don’t bring out the Perfection as actually seeing it in person! 

[mowerman]

We’re not sure who’s who thanks for the photo …. Bob

[mattb73lt]

Dean on the left, Matt on the right.

[navypoppop]

Meet and greets are the absolute best! When you can put a face to a name it is really great.

[mattb73lt]

Well, I was going to wet sand this morning and paint the exterior of the hood this afternoon, but work just called and ran my train into the ditch. I did get the inside done and painted. This Concept paint is amazing, all I did was scuff the inside and shoot it and got an amazing finish. Hopefully I'll have enough time left today to at least wet sand.

[Freightrain]

Something like this??.....

[mattb73lt]

8 hours ago, Freightrain said:

Something like this??.....

That about sums it up!! I did have a remarkable recovery, though!

[mattb73lt]

Got home late afternoon and had time to wet sand. I already had my painting bay ready from earlier efforts, so i burned some midnight oil and went ahead and shot both halves. Results were, again, spectacular with this paint. I wasn't trying to rush and just finished a little while ago. I'm very happy with them. A couple of dust specks on the passenger's side, but there's plenty of material to buff them out.

[mattb73lt]

On 9/10/2022 at 9:04 AM, mowerman said:

my god,,,,,from the photos,they look absolutely flawless......nice work bud,,,,but then again ,those two panels will be in your direct sight most of the time driving you crazy with any thing you miss..water hose baby,can be your best friend at this point    haha..bob

You're right about looking at the hood. On my green truck, every time I drive it, I see a few areas i should of put a little more effort in. But I'm the only one who ever notices them.

[1961H67]

They look Great! It looked like the weather was perfect also! ( by the way we got home from our Maine trip,, weather was amazing all week! , Great trip ,, I got asked a dozen times were I was from, couldn’t hide the Carolina accent I guess, lol . I met a lot of good people! Loved it.)