Painted Stencils done!

[NAM VET]

Getting close to being done with my M37. Last week my son came up from Columbia, SC, and having just gotten the stencils from Rick Larsen, we put them on. Watched several Utube video's about how to do it, we painted the truck. Bought enamel Rust Oleum, in the finger trigger cans, spray any direction, satin white. Took just over two cans. Chris kept spraying light dust coats a minute or so apart, never a think coat, maybe 12 or 15 light coats. Perfect edges when pulled off, and the result is slick and smooth, as if the stars and numbers were vinyl not paint. That smooth and no runs. I think it would be very difficult to apply the stencils by one's self, too easy to wrinkle the stencil, or worse yet, have the sticky side touch itself, ruining the stencil. To mask, bought this nifty paint-tape edged plastic mask, pulls out to 24 inches, great to avoid overspray, which these paint cans produce in great quantity. Chris would align the stencil and I would hold the stencil away from the truck while he would evenly press the stencil down. Put the door stars several inches higher than center. The right side of the hood has the hold down hook, so we notched the stencil, masked the hook, and put the stencil down on the hood to clear the little hook bracket. Here it is:

NAM VET


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[Cal_Gary]

Looks fantastic Nam Vet (and I'm sending you a PM)
Gary

[NAM VET]

CG, I am rarely successful with sending PM's, so appreciate your private comments. And all the best to you and your family too.

NV

[jim lee]

Wow! I bet that looks better than what they got in the field.

-jim lee

[k8icu]

Absolutely wonderful! I love your perfect Army paint job! I'm not being silly or giving you a dig I love it it looks great! Excellent work!

[NAM VET]

Thanks. I bought a better HVLP Fuji top fill gun, and had to learn how to use it. Sanded the whole truck, first shot the rear and front frame with bed and front metal off. Primed it with rattle cans here and there, and used Xylene to thin the Gillespie and had some runs on the doors and several places on the bed sides. So sanded them again, re shot them out in the driveway, and still had some shallow runs that showed in the right light. So, sanded the doors again, and shot them once more, still learning how to use my new gun, and finally got them pretty smooth, a few minor runs on the edges of the hood, visible in the picture. Used 24087, not quite the right color for my '52 truck, but I had it so used it. Some months prior, I had hung and sprayed much of the smaller parts, and the front metal. Just finished the front window frame and the dash, used rattle 24087 for that. What looks like over-spray on the doors I since wiped off easily. I was really lucky, as my truck came to me with minimal rust, nothing I couldn't sand off. I could never have fixed heavy rust. When I pulled off the bed, I was happy to find it virtually rust free underneath. I used a new SawsAll to cut the metal top off, some grinding and it was off with no damage. Of course, there are still minor things to get around too, my top is coming soon, I have all the rear bed arches and wood, but don't intend to put them on, with my 30 cal back there. Here is what it looked like when I got it.

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[Chris P]

Looks fantastic!

[T. Highway]

That turned out very nice.

Bert