M38a1 CDN2 - Winter Project

[Wayne Hingley]

Hi Peter, Yes its definitely a little bit of a setback. My original intention was to use a good quality epoxy primer and paint. However, I was talked in to using the CS, as the guy told me I could paint over it (my fault for not doing my homework first). Anyway, Im back to my original plan. I don't need a "specialized" frame paint for this vehicle, as it is not a daily driver and will not be subject to winter road salt etc. Im thinking of redoing the "outside" portions of the frame only, and leaving the CS on the inner (hard to get at) sections that you cannot see.

My original engine paint was in very good shape, and looked quite good once I cleaned it up (several hours of cleaning). I am still looking for a high-temp paint in the right shade of grey. Everything I have found in "high-temp" is some type of aluminum or silver color. I sprayed a light coat of Krylon "light machinery grey" over the entire block, but Im sure it will not last too long in the hot areas. The Krylon is basically an exact match to the original color. I will keep looking for the same shade in a high-temp paint.

[rob love]

Of course, the original colour was not grey. That was just the colour applied when the engines were rebuilt. Originally the engine would have been olive green with a black valve cover and the hurricane decal at the front of the valve cover.

The grey colour could vary depending on who did the rebuilds. The contract changed a couple of times, and as well 202 workshop was doing them for a spell, also in grey.

[Grant Bowker]

At different times both Ford and Chevrolet used grey paint on engine blocks although I'm not sure if the shade you need matches those colours. I'm not sure you need the "high temperature" paint often quoted as being for exhaust pipes and headers and ratedup to 1300 degrees. I would have thought something in the order of 300-500 degrees should be a high enough rating as I don't imagine the outside of the block should get any hotter than the oil and water inside the block. Several suppliers, Eastwood, Filling Station, Chevs of the 40s, Duplicolor, Hirsch, sell engine enamel in different versions of grey.

[45jim]

"Application Note: While Chassis Saver has incredible rust and corrosion resistance and can be used for all underbody applications without top coating, it is sensitive to UV light (sun) and its initial appearance will change over time. Its “RUST STOPPING” properties and corrosion resistance will never degrade but its color will shift from black to charcoal gray. Silver-aluminum remains very close to it’s original appearance. If aesthetics are important, Chassis Saver can and should be top coated with a quality industrial or automotive finish. Any opaque finish is effective. Clear coating is not recommended as protection. Suitable topcoats include any MAGNET Finishing System including 4800 Series Synthetic Urethane Enamels, MAGNACRYL™ 9000 Series Acrylic Enamels or MAGNATRON™ 5000 Series Acrylic Polyurethane Enamels. Call customer service or ask your local distributor for more information"

It looks like you can top coat this product as you would with POR 15. This was taken from the Magnet Paints website, perhaps the technical rep you spoke to was mistaken?

http://www.magnetpaints.com/underbody.asp

[Wayne Hingley]

Very interesting, thanks 45jim. I read that section in their technical bulletin a few weeks ago when I was seeking information about the procedure to apply finish top coats. I note that they indicate a list of siutable top coats: MAGNET 4800 Series Synthetic-Urethane Enamel, MAGNACRYL™ 9000 Series Acrylic Enamel or MAGNATRON™ 5000 Series Acrylic Polyurethane. I was unsuccessful in getting an actual procedure from CS, as their rep said top coating is not recommended. As you point out, it seems there is some misunderstanding or lack of product knowledge among their own product representatives.

I have been busy with work/travel, so I have not done anything further to my frame yet. I may reconsider my options, and/or do a small scale test to see how well coatings will adhere.

[Wayne Hingley]

Here is a followup to the last few posts regarding products that will stick to Chassis Saver. I tried two different tests on my frame as follows:
- POR Tie Coat Primer: Sprayed on. Still felt a bit soft 24hrs after. However, three days later it was hard as a rock, and I could not easily mark it with a scraper. I would say it bonds very well to Chassis Saver.
- Red oxide primer: Red oxide dries quite fast, and it also passed my test with a metal scraper within a couple of hours of application.

I am confident that both of these products bond well to CS, and I do not have any concerns. I guess I have a long term test underway, because I have moved on to applying my enamel paint. If anyone wants a "long term" update on this test... contact me in the future sometime... haha.

[Wayne Hingley]

Hi Stuart. There is not much science behind the temporary spray area I made. I simply hung some plastic tarps from the rails of one of my overhead doors. I left a bit of an air gap (~12") between the tarps and the floor to allow airflow, and a place for the fumes to drop and exit. I also put a plastic tarp on the floor to catch the overspray and any drips/mess. When Im spraying, I wear a 3M half-face respirator mask with two filters, and I leave a couple of doors open enough to create a crossflow of air. I don't have a lot of room around the edge of the scaffolding... probably only 2-3 feet around the edge (you dont really need much). For lighting, I just have a combination of the overhead fluorescent lights and a couple of halogen work-lights on floor stands (at about waist-chest height). You can see one of the work-lights in the photos above. Hope that helps.

[Wayne Hingley]

This body had several reinforcement plates added to it by the CF as shown in some of my earlier photos (refer to post #14). In the short term, I believe the intent of these plates was to make the jeep last a few more years in service (early 80's). However, they created a bunch of damage to certain parts of the body when they did these modifications (hidden under the reinforcement plates).

With the frame painting complete, I have turned over to fixing some of the damaged body sections. Im in the process of making up a few new body sections that I will butt-weld into place where the ugliest damage was (under the doors, and around the tail lights). The good part is the jeep is essentially rust-free, so once I cut out the bumpy/damaged parts, its all solid.

By the way: I wish they still made vehicles with 14ga sheet metal on the sides!