Patching, Masking and Painting!
When I first brought Power Drive home, my goal was to just clean it up, order a pre-built control panel like the Hot Rod, throw the computer in it and play. While I still might leave some detail stuff for after the cab is playable, I decided to fix some of the big gouges and scratches while I had it stripped. There are lots of scratches in the sides from being slid against objects, and also lots of chips and a few major hunks out of the edges.
The nastiest hunk out of the cab was on one of the rear edges. The hunk was gone and there was really nothing to do but sand the edge and fill it with something. That second picture is a pretty hard hit on the front. This one is smaller, but a little more complicated due to the T-molding groove. It's also going to be visible, so I'd like to get it right.
I sanded around the rear gouge with a random orbital sander before I thought to snap the first picture, but it's still pretty easy to see what the deal was. That missing triangle is roughly 3 inches at the base, and about three quarters of the way through the panel. Second picture is tough to see because flash glared right at damage point. Thats the front damage under the T-molding.
I decided to try using Bondo for the cab repair, mainly because my buddy left his can here (thanks Chris!). Haven't had much use for Bondo since high school, but back then we drove vehicles made almost entirely out of it. This would tell me if I still had the touch, even though the flat surface made this a pretty simple fix.
First, I sanded a pretty large area around the damage, basically going as far as I could without damaging the sideart. I then took a piece of rigid cardboard and tacked it to the back of the cab hoping it would maintain a perfect edge along the back of the cab.
There it is with the Bondo in place. Only real advice I can give if you try this and haven't had the experience that comes along with Bondoing a jalopy together (mamma's boy!) is to stop trying to smooth the surface when the Bondo starts to harden and "pull". You'll keep trying to make it smoother, and the spreader will keep pulling larger hunks out. This stuff starts to set up fast -3 minutes or so- and cures in about half an hour. Just wait and put a second coat on if it starts to pull before you get the repair area built up enough.
A page viewer pointed out that I was using lightweight joint compound and not Bondo. I didn't realize what he meant until I went back and looked at this picture. That bucket just has junk it in, and isn't what I'm using to patch the cab. (Thanks Mac Cool for the sharp eye!)
My Helper
Here is my co-builder, Mr. Jinks. Electronics inspector and Bondo tester extraordinaire.
Sanding!
I've hit the big damage, let it dry and removed the cardboard. I also filled the outside edge of the area damaged under the T-molding and a bunch of other chips and nicks around the outer edge of the cab. I used a small Dewalt random orbital sander with 220 grit disks for all the sanding. This work goes pretty quick, and I think much higher grit would be cutting too much.
I had been working on the machine for an hour or so after work every night. The night I started sanding, it was after dark and I planned on getting a little bit done by sanding in the garage. I thought the combination of the Dewalts catch back and running the shop vac would snag all the dust, but it didn't even come close. After a minute or so, I knew I'd have to wait till the next day when I could wheel the cab out in the driveway.
Here's the end result right after sanding out in the driveway. The cardboard did an excellent job of keeping the edge, and I'm real happy with the way the repair worked out. The Bondo really attached to the wood, and after final sanding you cannot feel where the wood ends and the filler begins. Just remember to keep checking your surface with your hands as you sand. Anything you feel is going to show, paint won't hide it.
I also sanded the base for the control panel. This is kind of hidden under the control panel, but got a little beat up over the years. The first picture below is before doing anything, the second is after hitting it with the sander to rough up the surface for paint. Areas down to the metal are where there were some nasty scratches. I set the panel base aside to paint later.
Masking
I only masked one side of the cabinet (it's much easier to work with laying down), but figured I'd show you the progress so far. I'm hoping to paint the sides without affecting the sideart. There are some dings and scratches in the sideart, so I've accepted that it might not be perfect, but I really like the look of the cab.
I first masked the cab along the edges of the art with masking tape, covered with newspaper folded to width and taped edges again. Hey, what's that headline say?
"Weird Hobbies Leading Cause Of Divorce."
Hmm. Good thing this hobby is normal, eh?