Hi,

As evidenced by my initial postings regarding the move of ATSF 999403 to the Mechanized Museum aboard Camp Pendleton, I'm now somewhat of project leader for a caboose in need of extensive repair.

In short, I want to turn this:



... back into something resembling this:



Initial Goals/Questions:

1) Acquire replacement glass and rubber molding for all windows. Does anyone have a source for this?

2) Repair massive area of corrosion along side of car. Picture can be seen here. I'm thinking that cutting out a good chunk of the affected sheet metal and replacing it entirely will be the best bet here, but I'm concerned about flammable insulation. Is this a valid concern, and if so, what precautions/steps should be taken to prevent problems? Any other suggestions/tips/etc?

3) Repair bent steps.

4) Remove loose and flaking paint. Abate any additional rust. Prime. Repaint. I take it that I should use some sort of specialty primer for the galvanized roof? Suggestions? The interior is currently (or was most recently) gloss white. The white is flaking away to reveal a green color. Should I repaint the interior gloss white, or green? If green, does anyone have paint codes/suggestions?

5) Acquire interior light lenses. Are these still available? Source?

Thanks,

Brian

PS: It is probably worth noting that we're on a shoestring budget - figure less than $1000, not including paint. If nothing else, we're looking to get the caboose back into fairly presentable shape until the time and money comes along to do a full-on restoration.