In May and June of this year, our latest project took Ron Corder Customs a good distance from the shop in Mississippi all the way to New Jersey. This project tasked Ron with making a sizeable cosmetic restoration to a hundred year old, eighty foot, Pullman Train Car.

The Pullman car is situated between a live railroad track and a busy parking lot. The size and condition of this project made the allotted thirty day schedule a true feat. We were grateful for the weather’s cooperation and the patience of the studio patrons and community which helped facilitate completing the project and meeting the tight deadline.

Once Ron sized up the project, gathered his tools, and the materials and supplies, he prepared a workable plan and jumped right on the project. His plan included:

• Prepping and painting the undercarriage
• Prepping and painting the roof
• Prepping and painting the doors, entrances,
  and porches on both ends
• Prepping, painting and lettering both 80’ sides

The Pullman car was hand and D/A sanded. Our paint supplier, Paul’s PBE Plus of Long Beach, MS donated a compressor for the project.

After the initial overall cleaning and sanding, the car was primed with automotive clearcoat and sanded again by hand and with the D/A. The black on the undercarriage was applied using a Shutz gun, and the roof was rolled with a black roof sealer. All the other colors were applied with Sherwin-Williams flat latex and cleared with an automotive gloss finish. The two-toned gray color palette with the red accents was chosen by the owner to compliment the color of the studio and caboose, which are located on each end of the Pullman car.

Other than a few days off for a medical setback, and a couple car-related shop visits and car shows with the Eightball’33, Ron stayed hopping to get the job done on time. When asked how many rivets he sanded, he answered, “Every single one of them—twice.” His raw and cracked fingers showed the evidence of that endeavor and his “bodyshop” paper towel and masking tape band-aids helped him endure the task.

Ron Corder Customs thanks everyone for their hospitality and help with this project. We also appreciate the wonderful New Jersey hot dogs and home-cooked meal provided by Carol and Brian from the Hotdog Caboose, the use of their tools, and meals from Heidi’s Home.

This was a huge undertaking that stretched and tested everyone’s endurance. But, the end result left us with a contented customer, a complimentary community, the satisfaction of a job well done, and a beautiful trainsformation to compliment the quaint Midland Park, NJ Veteran’s Park and the Wortendyke Pottery Studio and historical property.