1948 KB5 Railway Express


The place to put your K or KB "Build Off" story.

Rusty Driver
Rusty Driver

Posts: 195

Joined: Mon Sep 04, 2017 6:22 pm

Post Sat May 21, 2022 8:56 pm

Re: 1948 KB5 Railway Express

Harvey wrote:Got a chance to read this post in its entirety again ,
very nice project, excellent craftsmanship..


Be safe - sm


Thanks for the kind words. I never anticipated I would being doing all this work. My brother purchased it and dropped it off in my yard just to look it over and fix any item needed. 5 years later I am still fixing! LOL I have put off all my own projects and put my '68 Lemans frame off resto-mod in mothballs. I could stop at any point and ship it back to my brother, but in my mind that would be quitting on the job and I am going to finish what I started. My brother has set up a small ticket booth at his tourist railroad/dinner train ride and inside has a 1940's old train station flavor. He said the truck will be positioned next to the ticket booth and he will transport it to various local shows using his flat bed (drop deck) tractor-trailer. Working on the hood, fenders, grille, & bumper right now. I'll post pictures as I complete each piece. Another step closer to done.

Here is a photo of the small engine he recently finished painting and got running. His latest "toy" which he can load on the flatbed and has taken it to a train show.

The second picture is his latest purchase called a Trackmobile. He got a good deal on it and it runs well, but the body is a little rough. I told him "Don't even think about dropping that off in my yard." LOL So he had it trucked from South Carolina up to Rhode Island and will do some sheet metal work/paint at his shop - not mine! LOL
Attachments
01  Erics Small Engine.JPG
02  Trackmobile.JPG

Rusty Driver
Rusty Driver

Posts: 195

Joined: Mon Sep 04, 2017 6:22 pm

Post Fri May 27, 2022 7:38 pm

Re: 1948 KB5 Railway Express

KB-5 HOOD REFINISHING AND PRIMERED PART 1

Pic #1 - Removed the hood ornament, emblems/script, and hood latch. Then used paint stripper/putty knife to remove the assorted layers of paint on the hood. Took 2 good wet applications of the paint stripper to get it clean.

Pic #2 - Scraped off the old paint and cleaned the bare metal. You can see all the rust spots and pitting that took its toll over the years.

Pic #3 - The hood almost looks white, but this is how it came out from the sandblaster I took it to. It was a restoration shop so they knew how to handle a sandblaster. I only had the top surface done to remove all the rust.

Pic #4 - To protect the bare steel, I brush painted a coating of POR-15 over it. My plan was to sand the POR-15 off, but having it on prevented rusting and sealed the pitting.

Pic #5 - First a word on SAFETY! Any time I am creating dust from sanding or sand blasting, I have on a face mask that covers my nose/mouth. If in an enclosed area, use good ventilation. I also use ear muffs or ear plugs when using the electric/air sander, grinder, or am sandblasting (along with the sand blasting hood). I use safety glasses, safety goggles, or a safety shield or a combination of them to protect my eyes. Gloves are also an option at times. I wear long sleeves at all times even when it is 98 degrees outside - just stay hydrated and take breaks.

The underside of the hood had been painted and I had thought all I would have to do is sand/scuff the paint up and spray a coating of the spray can Dupli-Color black bedliner paint to protect. I was wrong. As I sanded, the existing paint was pulling loose in sheets - it was painted to appear good. I used a combination of razor blade scraper, my sand blaster, and some hand sanding. The metal underneath was pretty good for the most part, but it too had some rusty areas that cleaned up with sand blasting.

Pic #6 - Just about completely sand blasted. Took off the paint real easy and got to the rusty areas.

Pic #7 - Brushed a coating of POR-15 on the metal, let dry, and followed up with the spray can bedliner to seal everything up. I like the POR-15 because it is "watery" and I was able to slop it into the enclosed areas like the bracing. I also used a caulk/sealer on the center hood joint where the 2 halves are joined together. The caulk is a sandable/paintable type, so if you get a little heavy on the caulk, it can be sanded when dried - which I did.
Attachments
01  Hood - Paint Stripper.JPG
02  Hood - Bare Metal & Rust.JPG
03  Hood Sandblasted.JPG
04  POR-15 protected.JPG
05  Sanding.JPG
06  Stripped of Paint.JPG
07  POR-15 & Undercoated.JPG

Rusty Driver
Rusty Driver

Posts: 195

Joined: Mon Sep 04, 2017 6:22 pm

Post Fri May 27, 2022 7:43 pm

Re: 1948 KB5 Railway Express

KB-5 HOOD REFINISHING AND PRIMERED - PART 2


Pic #8 - Time to sand off the POR-15 to begin my body repair work. With the POR-15 applied, I can work an area at a time and prep it. If I run out of time, or the rain catches me, I don't have to worry about a completely sanded and bare metal hood that will have to be set aside for the next good weekend. Rust takes hold very quickly.

If you look at the lower edge of the hood, you can see what looks like "black speckeling." That is all the rust pitting of the steel after sanding with a 60-grit paper which reveals the POR-15 that has found its way into the pits to encapsulate/seal those pits. Sanding the POR-15 down to the base metal with the 60-grit leaves the POR-15 in the pits and a roughed up surface to apply a layer of Epoxy Spot Putty which is applied over bare metal. In my youth, you primed the metal and applied a red, thick, spot putty over the primer and then sanded it. Today's way it to expose the bare metal and apply the epoxy putty right on the bare metal, and then sand smooth, and then put your primer over that. You have to work fast once you mix the catalyst in with the putty as it cures quick.

Pic #9 - I had good weekend weather and knew I could complete the hood. I found several small dents which I did my best to smooth out using my body hammer and a dolly. Sanded the dents & surrounding area with the 60-grit paper. Then I filled them in with a light layer of fiberglass bondo and sanded/shaped. This can take several applications to get the bondo shaped and smooth. If a big area or a lot of bondo is applied, you can use a bodyshop tool called a "cheese grater" pulled over the bondo while it is in a soft putty like state (like cheese) to whittle the bondo down fast and make ready for another layer. I was not applying any bondo that heavy or an area that large to need to do this. As one area was curing, I would jump around to another area or continue sanding off the POR-15. When I finished smoothing/shaping the bondo, I then put a layer of epoxy primer on top of it to fill any pin holes or low spots. You can also see the epoxy spot putty applied to the pitted areas along the bottom edges of the hood which was both sides, the front nose, and a couple small areas on the top surfaces.

Pic #10 - Here I have finish sanded the spot putty using 220 grit and all of the POR-15 using 60 grit then quickly going over with 220 grit. I did not look to sand the POR-15 completely down to bare metal, just sand smooth/rough it up taking much of it down to the metal, but leaving some behind. It is also a great way to show any of the dents or pitted areas in the hood as the depression of the dents/pits will have the POR-15 left behind while the surrounding area gets taken down to the bare metal. I did sand all pitted areas down to the bare metal so I could properly apply the epoxy spot putty.

In finish sanding, if you compare this picture to the previous picture, you can see how much sanding has removed most of the spot putty. The spot putty should be of a minimum thickness IF you have sanded/shaped your fiberglass bondo smooth. The putty is simply a means to fill in any deep scratches, pin holes, and low spots left from sanding the bondo. You don't use it like a filler like the bondo. You can see how it has filled in the pitting and now leaves a nice smooth surface for primer. I used my bodyshop hand "board" sander (also have an air board) which uses a longer sheet of sand paper to follow the contour/curves of the hood. If you use a small sanding block, you can wind up sanding a flat spot into the bondo/spot putty. The length of the board extends over/past the bondo/putty areas to follow the factory curve/contour of the undamaged areas about the filled in dented area. The hood is now finished and ready for primer.

Pic #11-12 - I wiped the hood down with lacquer thinner to get it clean and free of sanding dust. I then mixed up the Rustoleum white primer thinned with acetone. I don't expertly thin the paint with "X" parts of acetone as you should do. I can look at the mix in my spray gun cup and see the consistancy and know I should be good. Always use a quality bodyshop resperator/mask as you do not want to be breathing in the fumes even if you are outside like me. Breath in the fine mist of overspray and you may find you just coated the inside of your lungs and as it cures, well, your lungs are no longer taking in air and you may not be around any more. DO NOT skimp and think one of those white paper dust masks will work. I only had to do that once in my youth and was sick for about 2 days and had some breathing difficulty. Get the correct protection when spray painting.

Here is the finished hood in primer. The Rustoleum seems to spray "heavy" with the way I have my spray gun set-up. Not an issue so much on a flat surface, but you will get runs/sags on any side surfaces if you apply too much paint. I did not have any problems painting outside in the open air and was worried about bugs getting into the paint or a leaf dropping in, but it turned out good. This is just a primer coat and when I am ready to apply the final color coat, I will sand the primer smooth with a fine grit paper and then apply my final color coat. I won't do this until I have both fenders and grill primered and will then apply my color coat to all the nose pieces at one time.
Attachments
08  Sanding Pitted Edges.JPG
09  Glazing Putty.JPG
10  Sanded for Primer.JPG
11  Rustoleum Primer.JPG
12  Rustoleum Primer.JPG

Golden Jubilee
Golden Jubilee

Posts: 479

Joined: Fri Dec 28, 2012 4:44 pm

Post Wed Jun 22, 2022 2:54 pm

Re: 1948 KB5 Railway Express

Absolutely awesome, i love how you give a description for photo as well. Makes an educational read for someone like myself. Look forward to seeing the photos of the top coat. Luke

Rusty Driver
Rusty Driver

Posts: 195

Joined: Mon Sep 04, 2017 6:22 pm

Post Sat Sep 03, 2022 7:01 pm

Re: 1948 KB5 Railway Express

harvester60 wrote:Absolutely awesome, i love how you give a description for photo as well. Makes an educational read for someone like myself. Look forward to seeing the photos of the top coat. Luke


Thanks for following my progress. Has been a larger undertaking than I ever had planned on doing. Using all my auto skills on this build, but certainly enjoying it - just wish I could get the truck done in a week or two like they do on the TV/Cable shows! LOL

Rusty Driver
Rusty Driver

Posts: 195

Joined: Mon Sep 04, 2017 6:22 pm

Post Sat Sep 03, 2022 7:07 pm

Re: 1948 KB5 Railway Express

KB5 DRIVERS SIDE FENDER REPAIRS - Part 1


Took more time than I wanted as the upper 90's heat, high humidity, and rainy weekends made it a bit uncomfortable to be outside working away on the truck, but I am still moving forward.

Both fenders are well beat up with dents, heavy rust pitting, and rust holes. My aim is not to restore them to concours quality, just make 90% better than what they are. Have a lot of hours invested in what you will see in just this 1 fender alone. Used some techniques that I felt were acceptable, time saving, and would work for this truck.

Pic #1 - The fender in its POR-15 coating I gave it to protect it after it came back from the sand blaster. I used it as just a protective covering to prevent any rusting until I could get to the repairs. My intention was to sand it all off leaving the bare metal and leaving the POR-15 to fill in the pitting and further seal off the pitting from any further rusting even though the sand blasting did get the pitting cleaned up.

Pic #2 - The front/side of the fender. If you look hard, you can see how dented and beat up that fender is - hey, it was a city delivery truck, so it got bumped a bit. No, it got bumped up a lot. LOL

Pic #3 - Sanded off the POR-15 and you can see how bad the fender is. The dark spots and lines highlight all the denting and you can see the black speckling of the POR-15 left in the pitting areas.

Pic #4 - Looking straight on at the front. Damages above the headlight bucket, pitting below it, at the lower fender, and denting. I only sanded off a section at a time to make it easier to work the fender and get an area repaired that I could start and finish on my weekend time off.

Pic #5 - Looking a little better. I used a hammer & dolly to knock out and smooth many of the dents. Took some time to get the fender into shape and the better the shape, the less the bondo. Once I felt I got the fender to its best condition, I sanded the metal to rough up the surface allowing the fiberglass bondo to grip. You never want a smooth surface. I used a 60-grit paper on a hand held electric sander and also used my electric grinder with a coarse metal grinding disc. It is now ready for the filler.

Pic # 6 - First coat of fiberglass bondo. You can see how I covered the large area with this application and then I will sand a lot of it off to shape the fender curves and then make smaller applications of the bondo as needed and sand these spots. Takes a lot of time to shape the curves and not over-sand the bondo so you wind up with a bunch of flat spots - old fenders like these got curves. I prefer to use the fiberglass bondo versus a plastic bondo - just my choice as either would work. I use the 60-grit and my hand sander to do most of my sanding/shaping. Once I get the first application sanded, I apply another coat of bondo and let it cure.

Pic #7 - I work several areas at a time when I can. As the second application of bondo is setting up, I jump over to the front of the fender and sand off the POR-15 down to the bare metal and you can see how pitted this section is by all the speckled POR-15 left in the pits.

Pic #8 - I go back to sanding the second application of bondo. The electric hand sander has a small sanding pad and it can easily create those flat spots in the bondo that you don't want. So I use an autobody flat sanding board which used a long piece of paper, probably 14" long by 2 1/2" wide. The purpose of this is you can lay it flat over a longer area to pick up the curvatures of the fender and follow these curves when sanding the bondo - so the bondo takes the same curves. Takes a little skill to work the board and shape the fenders, but you use your hands/palms to "feel" the shape and you can feel when there is a depression, flat spot, or high spot, and then you continue to work it by either more sanding or filling in just the low areas to build them up and then sand them smooth.

Once the bondo has been shaped and "feels" to follow the contour and curves of the fender, glazing putty is applied in a thin even layer over the sanded bondo. The glaze is a 2-part mix having a base and accelerator you mix together, just as you do with bondo, or JB Weld. The more activator you use the faster it cures on you and outside temps add to the speed of the cure, so once it is mixed you want to work fast in applying it before it "freezes" up and becomes cured.

In this picture I have applied the glazing putty on the sanded bondo and over the pitting. The glazing putty can be applied directly over bare metal - again it has to be roughed up so it will bite onto the metal surface. It gets sanded with a finer grit so you do not leave scratches in the putty. Once sanded smooth, it will be painted with your primer and any scratches, pin holes, or rough texture left in the glazing putty will be seen in the primer and in your paint color coat. So I use a 220-grit and my long board on the fender and my electric sander on the pitted area to sand the putty. Like bondo, you can apply more to fill in any spots, scratches, or imperfections you see after sanding and then sand the new layer of putty smooth. It can sometimes take several light applications, so don't be concerned if you do. What you don't want to do is have to build up the putty like bondo. If you have to do that, then you did not apply/sand the bondo correctly. The putty should b a light layer with most of it being sanded off smooth.

Pic # 9 - This is what you are left with after sanding away all the glazing putty and leaving a light layer to fill in the deep pitting. Primer will go over the area to cover the putty and leave a smooth surface. If you still have some pitting shown through the primer, you can sand the primer and use the primer as a fill media and then apply another layer of primer, or you can use another thin application of putty on top of the primer after you rough it up by sanding it, and then sand/prime the putty again.

Pic #10 - Here is what the bondo/putty looks like when finish sanded. A nice smooth surface ready for an application of primer. I primed the area with spray bomb primer from a can to protect the area and continue the work the next weekend. So that front area repair was a weekend job.
Attachments
01  POR-15.JPG
02  Dents.JPG
03  Sanded Dents.JPG
04  Dents and Pitting.JPG
05  Straightened and sanded.JPG
06  Fiberglass bondo.JPG
07  Pitting.JPG
08  Glazing Putty.JPG
09  Putty sanded.JPG
10 Sanded smooth.JPG

Rusty Driver
Rusty Driver

Posts: 195

Joined: Mon Sep 04, 2017 6:22 pm

Post Sat Sep 03, 2022 7:12 pm

Re: 1948 KB5 Railway Express

KB5 DRIVERS SIDE FENDER REPAIRS - Part 2

Pic #11 - Here is where I decided to do a little different on patching the fender rot. I cut a piece of sheet metal needed to make my patch. I used Cleco's to secure the patch to the fender - drill 1/8" holes, use the Cleco pliers to insert the Cleco clamps, and hold the patch in place. I then used my torches to heat the lower area of the metal patch which I cut longer knowing I was going to roll the edge under. Heating the metal red, I used my body hammer to roll form the lower edge of the patch around the base of the fender and the wheel well opening section. Makes for a tight conforming fit. The patch was a little short as you can see the rot hole to the left of the patch - I take care of this later with another patch.

Pic #12 - Looking at the inside of the patch. I sanded it clean using the 60-grit paper to clean/rough it up. You can see the rolled edge at the bottom which fits to the bottom of the fender.

Pic #13 - The next step was to sand off the POR-15. Again, you can see all the pitting highlighted by all the POR-15 left inside the deep pits. The rusted holes can be seen and some of that lower edge pitting is rust holes. The rusted out holes are also where the fenders bolt up to the frame brackets that hold the lower fender on and in position.

Pic #14 - I used my fiberglass bondo to fill & smooth out the rotted lower edge. However, I did this as part of my unique repair. I wanted a solid backing behind the metal patch. You can clearly see the Cleco holes that will hold the patch on over the fiberglass bondo.

Pic #15 - I did not want to do any welding on the fender for fear of warping it in any way. There isn't any stress at the lower fender and it attaches to the frame bracket on the truck's chassis so the metal patch will be pinched in place by the attaching bolts that will go through it, so JB Weld came into play. I coated the backside of the metal patch with the JB Weld, laid it on top of my smooth layer of bondo, and then attached it with the Cleco's and used a couple clamps. The excess JB Weld squeezed out as the Cleco's and clamps applied pressure on the patch. When dried, the JB Weld will only add to the rigidness of the repair and it isn't coming loose any time soon.

Pic #16 - With the patch in place, I moved on to another dent repair and filling in the badly pitted section of the fender. Once finished, I sanded off the spray can primer I had put over the previous weeks repair in getting the fender prepped for a coating of Rustoleum white primer shot from my spray gun.

Pic #17 - Here is the fender in Rustoleum primer. I used the Rustoleum in the quart can and thinned it with acetone. Spray gun pressure was about 40 lbs. Goes on very even and seems to have good coverage. You can see the patch at the back of the fender. I wanted to give it time to cure. At this point, the weekend was once again over and the fender put up.
Attachments
11 Patch Fitted.JPG
12  Looking at inside patch.JPG
13  Sanded rear section.JPG
14  Fiberglass bondo.JPG
15  JB Weld patch.JPG
16  Dent and Pitting repairs.JPG
17  Rustoleum primer.JPG

Rusty Driver
Rusty Driver

Posts: 195

Joined: Mon Sep 04, 2017 6:22 pm

Post Sat Sep 03, 2022 7:15 pm

Re: 1948 KB5 Railway Express

KB5 DRIVERS SIDE FENDER REPAIRS - Part 3


Pic #18 - The Cleco's and clamps are removed. I sanded down all the JB Weld that had squeezed out and roughed up the patch with th 60-grit sander. I used a 1/4" drill bit and drill to countersink all the Cleco holes deep enough that when the fiberglass bondo was applied it would set into the countersinks and squeeze out through the holes and lock into place - rather than take a chance of them breaking/cracking at the holes. Again, did not want to use heat to weld the holes up and damage the JB Weld. Taper head screws did not seem like a valid option either. At the same time, I also prepared the fender for the smaller patch using the same technique as the larger patch.

Pic #19 - Cut my metal patch, shaped it to fit, ground front & back to rough it up, Cleco'd it to the fender, removed the patch, applied my JB Weld, Cleco'd it to the fender, and let it cure.

Pic #20 - While the small patch was left to cure, I sanded higher up on the fender above the patch to give the bondo a longer distance to taper from the elevated height of the sheet metal patch to the fender area above. You always want a smooth transition, or taper, when you have an overlap such as the patch. Without the nice taper, the bondo would drop too quickly and look like a step versus a taper and would be very visible. The taper is a means to blend the patch into the fender without noticing it. I then applied my first application of bondo.

At this point, I had to allow the JB Weld to cure for the week, so I was also working this same repair on the passenger fender. The following weekend, I continued the driver's side fender repairs.
Attachments
18 Patch prepped.JPG
19  Small patch.JPG
20  Fiberglass bondo.JPG

Rusty Driver
Rusty Driver

Posts: 195

Joined: Mon Sep 04, 2017 6:22 pm

Post Sat Sep 03, 2022 7:19 pm

Re: 1948 KB5 Railway Express

KB5 DRIVERS SIDE FENDER REPAIRS - Part 4

Pic #21 - I removed the Cleco's, ground down the JB Weld, sanded the small patch, countersunk my Cleco holes, and made the patch ready for bondo. I then sanded my first application of bondo on the larger patch and got it shaped up. It needed a second application of bondo, so at the same time I carried the bondo onto the smaller patch. I shaped the bondo the same way I did the front area of the fender, put a layer of the glazing putty over the bondo and the pitting along the upper edge of the fender, and finish sanded both.

Pic #22 - The finished lower rear fender patch ready for primer. I drilled 2 fender-to-frame bracket holes from the back side of the fender as factory had it.

Pic #23 - The repairs painted with Rustoleum white primer to complete the fender repairs.

Pic #24-#26 - The completed fender. The underside will get a light sandblasting to remove any loose paint/undercoating and then it will get a coating of the Dupli-Color truck bed paint.
Attachments
21  Ready for fiberglass bondo.JPG
22  Ready for primer.JPG
23  Primed.JPG
24  Front view.JPG
25  Primed.JPG
26  Side view.JPG
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Golden Jubilee
Golden Jubilee

Posts: 343

Joined: Tue Jul 15, 2014 11:57 pm

Location: Plano, TX

Post Tue Sep 13, 2022 1:25 pm

Re: 1948 KB5 Railway Express

looking good! nice repair work.
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