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I'm a bit away from the troop seats and side boards. I plan on painting the oak and use the same paint as the truck (Gillispe enamel) and was wondering if I should first coat the boards with linseed oil, then paint. Any suggestions?
Thanks much

Wayne......I'm no professional painter, but I don't think putting any type of oil on the wood prior to painting is a good thing to do. For best adhesion of the paint to the wood you want it clean and dry, and not sanded too fine. Paint will not stick to oil. It's also important that the wood be dry. I'd call the paint supplier and ask for recommendations on how to prep the wood for paint, including what to use to seal the wood prior to painting. Just my 2 cents.

regards,
bob

No oil if you want the pain to stick I agree with Bob

Find a good primer that is compatible with the paint you are using.

Wayne. If your using white oak for your seats and back boards I wouldn't use any type of wood preservative (linseed oil) on it. White oak is water and rot resistant by nature. All I would do is sand it and paint it, There are better wood preservatives out there then boiled linseed...

Sal

Probably the best advice you can get on this question would come from Gillespie. Call them
or email them and get a slice of their expertise.

Prime and paint the boards. Sand the board till they are smooth but not to smooth (100-150 grit is good). Clean them and primer and paint then enjoy.

I worked on wooden boats for many years. With metal you are asking the paint to adhere to the cleaned prepared surface. With wood you are asking the paint to adhere to a very porous surface. The primer coats should be thinned to allow this to happen. Wood will absorb much more paint trough the end grain than the sides. I suggest you find a primer/sealer or sanding/sealer specifically formulated for wood at a marine paint store. The top coat can be anything else you use on the truck. White oak is certainly more rot resistant than some other species of wood. It will start to rot at any place where it remains wet and cannot dry. Cedar is more rot resistant but is not as durable with regard to physical wear. A number of tropical hard woods are both durable and rot resistant.

There has been a product out on the market for a while ! it is a vinyl board that Is used in newer stock trucks and many other uses that handles the moisture, wear and tear. This product can be cut,edged and drilled just like wood and will take paint and hold up great in all weather conditions with no war-page, it looks just like wood,but is stronger than wood. I know that most purists will prefer wood but if your going to cover the boards with paint why not look into this and eliminate the splinters in you ass,hands and will out last your truck.
I believe this stuff is can be found at the lumber yards.

Just a thought
hb

hb wrote:There has been a product out on the market for a while ! it is a vinyl board that Is used in newer stock trucks and many other uses that handles the moisture, wear and tear. This product can be cut,edged and drilled just like wood and will take paint and hold up great in all weather conditions with no war-page, it looks just like wood,but is stronger than wood. I know that most purists will prefer wood but if your going to cover the boards with paint why not look into this and eliminate the splinters in you ass,hands and will out last your truck.
I believe this stuff is can be found at the lumber yards.

Just a thought
hb

I good thought and one I also had a while back. Are you referring to the wood composite decking material? Or is there another product out there someone knows of?

Chiming in on HB"S suggestion. Yes it's a composite material available at all the major suppliers like Home Depot
and Lowes. Probably also at Tru-value and Ace. it's a bit expensive but will probably outlast you and me.
JB

The problem with composite is the board size. You would have to mill it to the correct size of the board for the M37. I think the composite is larger. Now another alternative would be to get boards from either a HMMWV or even a duce that has the new fiberglass (plastic) boards that the Army is now using. They are really nice, light weight already OD Green and everything.

Wayne the product I was talking about is used on the newer military/civilian trucks,but it is also the same material that is used on decking and a plethora of other things. The boards are available many sizes and widths that could be ripped and milled if needed at the lumber yard/Home Depot ,but I think you would be able to get the size you needed or close to it then you could router and shape the edges to match the originals. They will last for ever as JB noted. I believe they are available in smooth and wood grain surfaces in several colors.




hb

Stopped by my local lumber yard today. The typical composite decking material would be a poor choice because of the lack support in our truck usage. I have installed a few decks and my own is a pure plastic product, (Eon) and instead of 16" centers my stringers are 12" on center. At the yard we talked about warpage and paint crackage, both could be an issue. Before I make my decision I will check with a good paint supplier and if I can get a close color match with a high solids stain I will use 5/4 pressure treated clear pine decking and not look back. I hate working with wood yet know my way around my table saw and router table. Now if I was younger with big $$$$ I guess I would teach myself how to manufacture them out of carbon fiber

Original boards where made out of oak. They were primered and painted. Much like you would any other wood used outside. A good oilbased primer and exterior paint color matched to your truck color would work great. You can even get it in flat or semi-gloss.

I wouldn't use pine. I would use oak or ash for the durability.

Another option would be to get troop seats off of s Duce or 5-ton and cut them down to work on the Dodge. You might be able to get some good boards for cheep.