Any tool can

gab

Well-known Member
be the right tool. Got back to working on my first lawn tractor, a 1966 Wheel Horse. Had my hood sandblasted about a month ago and spent 2 weeks trying to get it straight. It's been rolled before I got it in about 1979, all so had a hole cut in the hood for easy access to the dipstick, a wooden handle screwdriver attached to the dipstick. Couldn't handle that when I got it so brazed a patch over it warping the metal badly. After all these years decide I wanted to make her new again, should of went to the tavern until I forgot about it. Line was gone on right side of hood and center was down, side was kinked bad, sides of grill kinked and half the bars smashed. Rear mounting holes worn thin, cut out a piece of aluminum to beef them up. Pretty well used up my iron pile and parts and pieces trying to dolly out dents. Tool on the bottom is a 1/2 inch roll pin jammed on a window crank handle to straighten my grill bars. I put a new short block in it in the early 80s so I had something to start with anyway, probably don't have 50 hours since.
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Gab,
Good friend had a WH with a rear tiller. He no longer has the WH but last time I was there I think I saw the tiller. Do you have any us for it? He lives in Brazil, Indiana. Geo
 
This is Funny. I started to look down the pictures and though to my self that this is some guy showing off how good a job he could do with a hood. Then I read your story. Lots of patients and lots of gentle tapping here and there. You should have taken a before picture. Looks super.
 
By the way, DO NOT go for perfect! About 98% is good enough. Those last 2% will take a long time or you will start to screw up everything else. Been there. You will know but not a single other person will.
 
That's looking good! Is that a lacquer primer that can be sanded? Some primers should be called sealers because if you try to sand them, all they do is fill up the sandpaper! If you get a black primer and a grey primer and spray a lite coat of the opposite color over the top of the first color, then when you sand you will see all the imperfections. As you spray the primer you can use it to fill small holes and imperfections. Just take your finger and smear it around.
About the warping when welding; I have heard that a cheap mig welder works well. Or maybe a spot welder.
Before you spray the final coat, practice on a scrap piece of metal.My first paint job didn't turn out so good because I didn't use enough thinner.When you spray the first coat of paint, just spray a lite coat and then wait a little while til it begins to set up and when you spay again it will hold the next coat from running. I have not used the new paints with the color and the clear, so someone else can help there.
The preparation is the important part, the painting is the easy part.
 

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