Well, like everyone else’s project, what was just going to take a week has stretched out into three weeks.
When I did the original restoration on Ham’s ’48, I powder coated the wheels. It wasn’t long before I began to see little rust freckles on the rims if they got wet – but it generally came off with some steel wool or a bit of cleanser. I suspected that the powder coat was porous and if water got under it - it let the underlying steel rust.
But – last January I took the truck out for a run and even though the road was dry, I must have hit one of the Indiana salt puddles. When I took it out of its' winter cocoon – the rims had rusted badly. I took steel wool to them and it didn’t faze the rust that had bled through the powder coat.
So, I found another local guy who had good reports on his work and I took the rims to him. He took a wire wheel and brushed a spot inside the rim. Sure enough, the first powder coater had not primed the rims after he blasted them.
“I’ll have these done in a week or so” – so I left the rims with him. Then he had to leave town for a couple of days. The first batch of powder he received was the wrong color. Something went wrong on another project he had scheduled in front of me .. etc. If he can stay in town today, I should get the wheels back today; if not – tomorrow. In the meanwhile, things are up in the air … on jackstands.
Once I get wheels back under the truck, it gets a really good bath and cleanup and off we go. We have a fun summer planned. There are local parades, car shows and afternoon drop-in events. Toledo Jeep Fest is still on the agenda – so we’ll see how things work out.
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