The DuMont Telecruiser

The Body Restoration

After a false start with our first paint and body shop (they went out of business), I took the bus to Fishburn's Auto Body in White Oak, Texas.  That's about four miles east of the Longview city limits on US Highway 80.    Bill Fishburn is a "car guy" and I managed to coerce him into this undertaking.  The good news is it will be done right.  I suspect, when it is finished, it may look better than it did when it was new.  Bill has the talent, equipment and very importantly, a great crew to make it happen. 

February 23, 2012, the roof has been painted!

Work Continues

It's going to look great!

With all the old paint removed, it was easy to see exactly what needed to be done.

Paint was removed using a small sand blaster which did not warp or otherwise affect the metal.  It was a tedious process, but worth the effort.

It actually looks pretty good in bare metal.  Maybe I should have it plated!

The stainless steel is masked off.

Epoxy primer is applied

Now for some body work.  Considering this vehicle was  in use for 23 years, the body is in remarkably good shape.  That's probably because Channel 8 parked it indoors while they owned it. There is very minimal rust, but there is quite a bit of evidence that the people who drove it were camera operators and engineers, not heavy equipment operators.  It does show a few scars from backing into things from time to time. 

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Stay tuned for more details as they become available!