42 Pilot Model HUP Project

[RHClarke]

The temperature this morning was absolutely wonderful. Warm and dry enough to sandblast away years of paint and road dirt from the Pilot Model axles. It took two pots (four bags of grit) to do both axles. It helped that they were given a good going over with the wire brush and then washed with gasoline before sandblasting.

We noted with some amusement that the CMP metal seems to turn a shade of Airforce blue when sandblasted. I noted that the colour (rust red) the metal turns later must be from embarrassment...

After the initial blasting, care was taken to search out grease deposits that only seem to get revealed after blasting. Once scrubbed and washed, the whole axle gets a phosphorus treatment. Then comes the paint - or bug attractant, as we at the barn call it.

I have had great success with Tremclad rust paint over the years, and despite the ever increasing price of the stuff, I will continue to use it. My choice of finish for the first coat is gloss black. Given time and temperature, it binds with the exposed metal nicely, and if left outside to cure overnight, it will repel raindrops without running. It is also easy to clean before adding the green paint.

This ends the frame and drivetrain portion of this project - next step is reassembly, followed by a lot of welding on the body and roof. The engine can wait until later on.

[RHClarke]

You can count the number of rain free days this "summer" at the Hammond Barn on one hand. The weather has a heavy influence on productivity anywhere, but Ottawa seems to embrace the extreme: too hot/wet in summer, too cold/wet in winter, too wet in the springtime, leaving only autumn as the only somewhat dry/cool/reduced bug period where work really gets done. That said, this past week has been somewhat autumn-like with a good breeze blowing. Perfect Pilot Model work weather. Finally!

This stage of the refurbishing project has transitioned into the rebuild stage. The rear floor component of the truck is too far gone to restore. The only saveable piece is the curved section at the rear. So, the rear portion was removed from the front. This involved removing eight floor screws that secured the driver/pax station floor to the rear portion cross member. Then the frame had to be cut on both sides, freeing up the components.

I knew that the underside had lots of salt damage and had to cut some of the hat channel out for replacement. Once the hat channel was opened, it was evident that there was more damage on the inside of the channel than what we could see from the outside. Bob's learned opinion was that it would be impossible to weld new sections in. Reluctantly, I concurred and decided that the whole rear component (less the rear curved supporting channel) had to be replaced.

Photos:
1- Floor components joined
2- Side panels removed
3- Front nose - in surprisingly good shape!
4- Post surgery

[Alex van de Wetering]

Rob,

Excellent to see you're back to work on the Pilot HUP!
Pity there is so much rust damage to the underside...but good to hear you guys decided to fix this properly.

Alex

[RHClarke]

I got some time today to further disassemble the Pilot Model cab front. There were three floor plates to remove and none of the screws/nuts wanted to turn out. One cold chisel and a good-sized hammer convinced them to part company. I was pleasantly pleased to see that the plates and the frame that support them were in pretty good condition. Rust for sure, but nothing compared to the rear of the floor. I will get the frame sandblasted sometime in the future.

Just for fun, I pulled the Pilot Model fuel tanks out to determine their condition. As expected, the driver side fuel tank had a fairly corroded bottom end. After a quick exterior clean up (wire brush, scraper), it was time to check the interior. There was a bit of rust - see last photo.

Photos:
1- The plates
2- The frame
3- Orange fog

[RHClarke]

A banner day today - I had the cab front, floor plates, nose/front clip, side pillars, bush guard, grill, bumper, and fuel tanks sandblasted. The chap who does this work has a great set up - drive in, drop the goodies and drive out. Turn around time was less than a full day. Sure, it cost more to have a pro do the dirty deed, but in the end, the reduced cost in sweat, toil and tears makes it worth the cost.

While the kit was being denuded, I peeled the skin of one of the side panels just to determine the extent of rust damage. It was not a pleasant sight, but on the bright side I get the feeling that my welding ability (no skill) will improve over this coming long, bleak, cold winter.

Photos:
1- Side panels - one stripped
2- Rust! Bottom of the pax side panel near the wheel well
3- More Rust! Bottom of the pax side panel nearest the rear door

[RHClarke]

With the sandblasted items back at the barn, painting was the order of the day. Fortunately, it was another nice day. It started off a bit cool (7oC), but it warmed up by noon to 17oC with a good breeze to keep the bugs at bay. Using a HVLP spray gun, the first coat was applied by 9:30 AM. The second coat was applied after lunch. The aggressive media used by the sandblaster left the metal with a rough texture, but the primer coats took some of the roughness down. The final coat of green paint should even things out, but that is a task for another day in the future.

Photos:
1 - Before shot 1
2 - Before shot 2
3 - After shot 1
4 - After shot 2

[Phil Waterman]

Looks like you have been making real progress. With a lot more part replication, look forward to seeing the finish product.

Cheers Phil