Part 01- Bits & Pieces

I don’t know about you but every so often I just need a change in jobs. So I reach into the tub of parts and pull out some small item that has to be refurbished. There are very many small parts that fit into this category

Todays pick was;

EMERGENCY BRAKE CABLES, pulleys, etc.

As you can see most of the parts were seized and needed attention. After letting them sit in a rust removing liquid, they came apart and were then cleaned, painted , lubricated and reassembled.

Here you can see the difference. Quite dramatic what a little of the right ‘stuff’ and a little work will do, and it’s all got to get done.

HEATER CONTROLS

During the summer I took the time to do some small jobs. One of these jobs was the heater dash controls. The lettering was pretty much worn off the controls. So I repainted them. To do this you first have to remove the knobs and clean them of all the dirt and grime, I have found that Windex does a good job. Then using a very fine pointed brush (when I say fine I mean really fine) carefully repaint the letters. You will of course get some paint where you don’t want it but this can be fixed. Just take your time and be careful.

The paint I use is plastic model builders paint. This comes in many colours so you should be able to find a shade that is close to what you want and It comes in very small bottles. I usually go over the lettering a couple of times. It dries fairly fast but make sure it is completely dry before going on to the next step.

Now, to deal with the paint that you want to remove I use very fine rubbing compound and a Q-tip.
TMR Tip: You can use most tooth paste as a mild polishing compound if you don’t have a commercial product on hand.

Gently rub the area and keep checking to see if all the paint you want removed is gone. This takes some time but the results are worth it. When all the excess paint is removed I very gently rub down the complete knob and polish ( this doesn’t take very long and be careful of the newly painted letters). I also did this to the emergency brake release and other controls.

Restored heater control assembly

Restored control buttons

HEADLIGHT BUCKETS

This was another summer job. I was fortunate to have extra buckets to choose from as several were badly rusted and beyond repair. There were two in relatively good shape. They required much cleaning and I immersed them in a rust remover solution and did some minor repairs. They were then primed and painted.