The last two updates portrayed an uncharacteristically low degree of parts hoarding, so let's fix that.
Reproduction decals
As mentioned recently, storage space was running slim, but I've managed to store all the incoming parts by continually getting creative with organization. Well, almost all the parts.
In the words of Steve Jobs, there's one last thing..
The ultimate conclusion of terminal shipfitter's disease.
Attracting a few onlookers. What else could be in the attached box?
What about this one?
The old chassis will live again on another truck after being properly repaired, but my priority at the moment is balancing getting this project
done and getting it done the way I want it.
I prefer a factory finish to rolling with a bare galvanized chassis, but painting galvanized metal and getting long-lasting adhesion takes some consideration. From the factory a chassis is normally coated with a catalyzed/baked alkyd (as Defender chassis were) or more commonly now are EDP coated which has the advantage of coating internally as well. Neither of these were an option. For around $600 I could have had it powder coated, but the cost and uncertainty in the finish quality left me wary of that option. The modern default standard for high quality automotive finishes is a high quality primer (and various additional coating layers in the case of bodywork) and polyurethane topcoat. It's a bit overkill for a chassis, but that's what I settled on.
In this case I chose SPI's system of Epoxy primer and Matte black single stage polyurethane, which is not actually matte but who's gloss is controlled by the mixed activation ratio ( I mixed it to 10-15% gloss). I could have settled on a much less expensive alkyd topcoat but with some areas of a Defender chassis being externally exposed, I wanted maximum UV stability and durability.
The night before painting I prepped by gathering all the required materials. This took a few hours in itself. I did not want to drive down to the warehouse and find I had forgot something, although that ended up happening anyway.
The specified procedure for SPI's epoxy involves cleaning the entire workpiece with waterborne degreaser, lightly sanding with 80 grit to remove oxidation and give the correct surface profile for adhesion, and then cleaning with degreaser again. One may underestimate how much complex geometry a chassis has (it's a rectangle right?) until you have to go over every millimeter of it by hand three times. The use of an acid etch could have made life much easier, but SPI clearly recommends against it. After 4 hours at it in nearly 100 degree temperatures I was tired, but as it was only now ready for coating, was only getting started.