Peavey T-40 Renovation

[peaveyfiredude]

I'm renovating my old Peavey t-40 bass that burned in a gas explosion some years back. I've removed the pickguard and knobs and have bought replacement switches for someone else to install, as I'm terrible with electronics. My question here is first about the metal on the thing. I'm not taking the bridge off, as I think its glued in but I want to clean and shine it, the machine heads, and the knobs. Any suggestions?
Second, is there a way to go about sanding and re-varnishing the body without removing the electronics? What kind of sand paper and varnish would you use? The body is clear ash and I like the wood grain. I'd like to keep some of the charring for sentimental reasons -- and because it looks cool.

[mech]

The bridge is not glued. The paint probably melted due to the heat and has the bridge stuck down. Place a peice of wood against the bridge and give it a few sharp raps on each side with a hammer. 10 to 1 it'll pop free at the first rap.

The electronics need to be removed. The only wires that need to be cut or de-soldered are at the output jack. Make a note of what color goes where for when it's reinstalled.

With the apparent damage, I'd start with 100 grit and go up to 400 grit in steps and then use satin poly or tung oil to retain the original look. The grain will need to be filled to have a slick look. The original filler was darker than the ash to make the grain stand out more. All the old finish needs to be removed, even on the un-burned areas.

[TheEmptyCell]

You'll have to take it completely apart in order to do a decent job refinishing the body.

[nutso42]

Originally Posted by peaveyfiredude

....the machine heads, and the knobs. Any suggestions?

The machine heads and knobs are super-duper easy to take off. You'll have no trouble whatsoever with those. Go ahead and take them off to clean and shine them.