mattb73lt

Nothing like working on clean stuff, even when it’s old. Nice.

I was trained by a band of Viet Nam veteran helicopter pilots when I got out of flight school in 1987. Flew with them for years in UH-1 Hueys. I was in awe of them and what they did and the things they passed on to me. They’re all retired now, the last one in 2009 and several are no longer with us. I was in for 32 years and retired in 2019, after three deployments (2 in Afghanistan and 1 to Iraq). I ended up teaching the next generation what I knew as an instructor pilot. This was some of the guys I trained and flew with on our last deployment in 2013. (I’m second from the left btw)

If you want those carbs and fuel pumps, let me know? I’m never going to use them and you’re the only people I know that they might help.

Love the fabrication work on the exhaust manifold. I wonder if that’ll make it sound any different than a stock manifold?

That’s really sharp looking! Add another tank to the passenger side to balance it, that would be the only thing it could possibly need.

Spent the day cleaning up after the paint job. So much easier with those new curtains installed. NO mess on the shop side. Worth every penny to get. Then I actually started installing a few items permanently on the cab, clearance lights, the new air horns and door items. It feels good to be able to start putting things back together again, after such a long time. Walking around it and seeing how straight it is and how good the paint came out, I’m totally amazed!! Especially, the cab back, considering how bent up and poorly repaired it was. I gotta admit, I’m very happy about it!!!

It's possible. I got that code from Matt Pfahl and the interior green code. It is a nice deep red, though.

I am. Hard to knock the smile off my face when I'm in the shop. It looks even better in person, the pictures only give it a little justice.

Yes, PPG Concept DCC "Mack Fleet Red" Paint code # 75674 It's the first big job I've used it on. Previous projects I used Dupont Centari, which is no longer available. This was very easy to apply, with very good coverage. As for the overspray, I thought it was typical for the volume of paint I sprayed. It'll sweep up. I try to let everything lay, other than tape and paper, for 24 hours to cure. I leave my fans on for a few hours after I've finished painting. Probably had a little more on the floor as the cab sits pretty low to it. I just checked it now and it looks great after curing

And I didn't mess up the interior paint!! spent six hours yesterday cleaning and taping off the interior. Mostly taping!! Just a few spots to clean up. WOW is all I can say!!!!!!!

I did it!! It's now "Fleet Red". Still curing up and wet, but really getting glossy as it does. That new curtain is a life saver!!!

Yes, it is. I also did the back wall and roof. Back wall came out good, roof not as much as it was difficult to cover. I did end up doing the inside of the fire wall, instead of the face for several reasons.

That's quite the stretch on the nose. it looks so nice. Big effort to get it this far. Are going to work it or will it just be for play?

Paint on the interior, today!! Floor, jambs and doors. Took longer to tape it all off then to paint it. Just finished up and time for a well deserved beer.

Yes it has been quite a while to get here. As I’ve said all along, this cab is the worst part of this build and I knew it would take the longest. Once it’s done the pace should pick up.