Buffing out Fire Apparatus Paint

M

Murphman

New member
Hi guys, I did a search on this and didn't find anything. Does anyone know if OE paint is clear coated the same way and with the same thickness in mind as our cars? The truck's spec don't address the exterior well at all...



I plan to give the trucks I operate some tlc to hopefully get administration on board to make these trucks look alot better and wondered if anyone has any input or previous experiences. They always get internal maintenance on engines and mechanics, but aside of an obligatory daily "crappy" wash job and semi annual wax, they aren't maintained well at all. Reds are faded badly, diamond plating is cloudy and scratches all over the paint are unreal. Don't even get me started on the way people go about scrubbing and the water used. YIKES!!



Thanks
 
We have E-One trucks and the newer ones are CC'd, but our older ones are Single Stage.



Simple way to tell is just to take a little polish on an applicator, if it comes off red, it's SS.
 
Yea, im certain they are cc'd, never seen red on anything and most of our stuff is new enuff that it shouldnt be an issue. I just need to get a grip on how much I can safely buff out. God, they look bad. Of course no one else sees the stuff that we do, muchless do they care. Im probably kickin myself in the groin worrying about it, or even attempting to take on this monumental task
 
Honestly, and I hate to say this, you are probably wasting your time. You can go through all that work of getting the trucks back in shape, and then the first time the station goonies wash with dawn or use to much degreaser on the front end, it will be ruined.



If it were me, I would maybe throw a polish on the red to bring out color, a good coat of sealant, and call it a day. The diamond plate would be such a monumental task you will not finish in a week by yourself.
 
Yea the diamond plate will have to be done by hand, your pads would get torn up.



Just as Brandon said, get one good polish and seal and call it a day, it will get messed up the next time a dozen firefighters clean it off.
 
I used Flitz metal polish and a wool pad to do the diamond plate. It chewed up the pad but it got rid of the hard water stains and oxidation. The look really good now.
 
Murphman said:
Hi guys, I did a search on this and didn't find anything. Does anyone know if OE paint is clear coated the same way and with the same thickness in mind as our cars? The truck's spec don't address the exterior well at all...



I plan to give the trucks I operate some tlc to hopefully get administration on board to make these trucks look alot better and wondered if anyone has any input or previous experiences. They always get internal maintenance on engines and mechanics, but aside of an obligatory daily "crappy" wash job and semi annual wax, they aren't maintained well at all. Reds are faded badly, diamond plating is cloudy and scratches all over the paint are unreal. Don't even get me started on the way people go about scrubbing and the water used. YIKES!!



Thanks
Click to expand...



I've been a firefighter for 29+ years, I hold the rank of Deputy Chief. I wrote an article on apparatus detailing for Firehouse Magazine back in 1992.



Most fire apparatus is painted with a polyurethane paint finish. Dupont Imron is the most common, but other paint manufacturers have similar systems. Some are clear coated, others are single stage.. it depends on what the community spec'd out for paint and colors. The paint on a fire truck is a lot thicker than what you would find on a car.



If your reds are faded.. they are single stage. Reds are the most "photochemically reactive" of automotive paints. They are also the most expensive, due to the amount of pigments that go into them.



We had an ambulance donated to my FD to replace the Fire Investigations unit's vehicle... the cost of the paint alone was $600, the other materials were close to $300. I was able to get our local auto body supply shop to donate the paint,and another company to donate the money for the materials. The paintwork and minor bodywork was done at the regional vocational/technical high school by the students in the auto body program.



Don't expect a city or town to buy boutique products, cleaners, waxes, sheepskin wash mitts, boars hair brushes, microfibers, etc. In today's economy, where Chief are trying to find money to keep stations open, buying the above items is well down the list of the "need to haves"



Be extremely careful around gold leaf.



Our rigs get washed regularly, and waxed quarterly. When it is my groups turn to the quarterly deep clean/wax, I bring in my PC, cleaners, waxes and microfibers. I showed my personnel how to use the PC.



I don't expect Autopian standards... but my group does a much better job than the others!
 
Most new trucks are clearcoated nowadays. Some use Duponts newer version of Imron(Elite) and others use PPG or Akzo Noble. Our newer rigs were done in PPG bc/cc and our refurb. rig was done with Utech and cleared.
 
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