Shaker 18 sign progress

Many thanks to Bill Wulfert, who continues to make progress on the 18's roll signs and sign boxes! He writes with an update of his activities on Thursday:

I decided to go out to IRM, as the weather was supposed to be about 40. I thought I might wire brush and prime the interior of the 18's sign box.  However, I first decided that I would work to get the broken glass out of the bottom of the sign box. There is a metal fold at the bottom of the box, and by using two screwdrivers, I was able to pick out the glass. It all had to be done by feel, as you can't see behind that fold.

I then wire brushed some of the rusty spots. It was very dirty, so I got a vacuum. After wiping down the inside with mineral spirits, I decided that there was some serious rust. So, the next step was some rust converter. It needs to dry for 48 hours, so the priming would have to wait.  Not sure if there will be any days warm enough for priming.  But I masked off the glass and gears, and will prime it when I can.

Then, since I had a light and ladder, I looked at the sign boxes above the center doors.  UGH what a mess. The screws will need to be removed from the outside of the car.  They are however very long, and they stick out on the inside of the box. They could be Kroiled, and perhaps a vice grip might assist in getting them out.  The bottoms of both boxes appear to be flaky rust. Not sure how much steel is left.  Neither sign turns at all.  I'm sure the signs can be extracted, but that may take a while.

Thanks, Bill! I should be out this weekend and will try and take a look at the screws on those side sign boxes. Some Kroil to prep them can't hurt.