No, unfortunately I don't. The 1954 system is completely different from the 1955-'56 system. "54 uses a rotary compressor, the manufacturer of which I do not know, even though Dwight Heinmuller told me last week!
I guess step one is to determine what brand of compressor you have.

MrPushbutton , I'm trying to rebuild the AC compressure on a 54 Packard .Do you know the source of a compressure drive shaft seal? Thanks Bob

TOM: Good Luck on painting your 31. Spraying with today paints, without proper breathing protection can cost you your life. Go to your local supplier of body shop materials and tell them what kinds of paints you are using. Ask them to recommend what type of breathing mask you should use, and purchase a good supply of filters to go with the breather mask.

John F. Shireman

Powerwahed the engine and front chassis today. Drilled out the broken exhaust bolts and rethreaded the holes.
Filled the hydraulic pump and got the cylinders responding responding equally.
Taking four days off for the other hobby - TRAINS!

Likewise Ole, It is always a pleasure to meet someone with the same interests and knowledge. I should thank Dave Czirr for the introduction to you. He is quite a good fellow in his own right. This was a pleasant Hershey despite the weather primarily due to meeting old friends and making new ones.
You will enjoy this forum tremendously as there is a wide variety of interest and diversity of knowledge.
I would be glad to share in any newfound facts/knowledge you find while restoring your Caribbean and I will be glad to return the favor.

Hi Randy,

It was good seeing you at Hershey. Had heard so much about you from Dave and I sure wasn't disappointed. I hope we can compare notes on our 56 Caribbean projects in progress in the months to come.

All the best,

Ole

Kev,

Thanks for that. I finding out when you mention using cheaper product on other forums someone always have to come out and state that since you bought a cheap product what do you expect the outcome will be.

When it comes time to lay down the paint I will give the HF gun a test before spraying the car itself or I may just need to borrow a better gun from my brother's friend for the top coat.

Quote:

Tom I have no problem with people mentioning vendors, products, etc. How else will the rest of us know what is good, bad, and ugly.

If a vendor (or product) does something bad, and no one brings up the issue, then we have only ourselves to blame when it happens again. That said, when a vendor (or product)
does a great job, it should be reported also.

This way the market place place works like a self-cleaning oven. The bad vendors and products will eventually get burned off.

Plus I think most of us here do not have unlimited funds (I wish I even had limited funds ). So if we can learn what worked and didn't work, it helps the next guy save a few bucks it the process.

Brian,

I have been using "O can I say it here" a Harbor Freight HVLP purple gun which sprays pretty well. I have played with the adjustments per the paint forum from where I bought the primer from. Have had some up and downs but I think I have it dialed in pretty good for both the HB and Epoxy. I am thinking of buying another one that way I don't have to keep changing the tips out between primers.

Maybe my car is just in that ruff of shape I will need 10 gallons or so of the HB.

Maybe I am on pace with what I have used so far.

Thanks for you feedback.

Tom -

While I don't squirt paint for a living, I always did as much on my own cars as possible, but it's been nearly 20 years since I even did any touch-up repair (other than quick-n-dirty rattle can work).

That said, a lot has to do with product and technique. (I've gotten great results with some $40 guns that I found at swap meets.)

When it comes to product, I'd expect to use a lot more high-build primer than epoxy, as a lot of that is going to get sanded off. Yet it seems like you've used a lot of epoxy primer. Are you thinning/reducing as directed?

However, the bigger concern is for technique - your handling of the gun and its adjustments. If the gun is too far away or incorrectly adjusted, a lot of product might end up going into the air rather than on the target.

Take your hand and spread your fingers wide apart. The distance from the tip of your thumb and the tip of your pinky finger is a good guage for the distance between the tip of your gun and the target. Then, after checking your air supply pressure, spray a test pattern on a piece of scrap and adjust the air and fluid needles on your gun as needed. Also, know that even basic primers are pretty hard on a spray guns; best to have a new gun for topcoats and used older worn guns for primer.

Mind you, I've no experience (yet) with HVLP systems.