1956 International Harvester - Paint codes and WEEKS of sanding continues!

Even though the '56 IH 4x4 went into primer over a month ago, it's taken many many hours of sanding, filling and re-sanding to get it close to paint. This is the time not to scrimp on time and effort: everything you miss now shows BADLY in the final product!

^If you look quickly, you'd think this photo - and the first one in my last post - was one and the same. But you'd be wrong.....by about 30 hours of block sanding and re-priming between the two!

^ As we're getting closer to painting this thing, it was time to find the 

paint code and order up some paint. For better or worse, today we have all 

the worlds information at our fingertips.  And all doomsday internet talk aside, 

it sure makes it easy to find obscure things like paint chips and mix codes for 60 year old trucks! 

^ Rough patches near the new box floor - even if we spray bed liner it has to be right!

^ Tiny little blemishes to some - major issues to me!

^ Inside the door edges were even beat up!

^ Blocking out the tops of the fenders - for the 3rd time!

^ Rear fenders where so rough - just little bits left to do...

^ Hood is near perfect

^ The front of the box, against the cab may not show much, but it still needs to be finished!

^ Lots of smaller pieces to get to as well 

      Trying my best to get it painted this month - but to rush it now would be a BIG mistake!
               Patience - and hard work - is the key to a great paint job and restoration.

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Block-sanding weekend

I worked in my Dads body shop from about 1975 to 1982 and nothing was block sanded back then. We used a heavy rad-oxide lacquer based primer and just sanded it with a piece of folded sandpaper in the palm of the hand. Back then paint went with lots of "orange-peel and no clear - so it wasn't as shiny and therefore didn't show as much. People where less picky then too because the paint that came out of the factory wasn't as nice as it is now.

But now-a-day, panels are expected to be laser straight and shiny, so we block sand high-build primer - with long blocks - to ensure everything is straight. It makes a huge difference, but it's also a huge undertaking.



Next weekend I'll finish up this first round of block sanding, address any larger imperfections, then spray a final coat of high build. This final layer will be final sanded to 400 wet for sealer and paint. Which is to say we might have this thing in paint sometime in April... (no promises of course! ;))

Stay tuned!

Back to E-TEK's webpage HERE

Check out my YT Channel HERE!