Ajitvagon

[trentjim]

Lol... Nah, last thing I welded was fillet 20mm bar to the top of some angle iron... And fillet is perhaps making it sound neater than it was. I'm expecting holes & mess when I stick it to anything thinner... At least until I warm up...

[ELVIS]

i have a template for the step rubber holes though at this stage it may be a better case of removing the bits of the mats and bonding them on as its a real bad design in my book,
any thoughts on this?
mm

We keep having lively debates over this MM.
Obviously being a flat surface allows any water off ones footwear to drain but obvious drawback is water can get in. If the step mats are bonded in with no holes at all underneath then if there is the slightest gap in the bonding water will puddle under the mat and be trapped.
We considered leaving the two bigger holes 'uncut' but leaving the smaller ones to locate mat, even just have two of the holes left that are diagonally opposed then bonding around the holes and locating pegs so no water can get in but there is some sort of airflow under the mat.
Last one we haven't researched further is to find a 'very good' waterproof Velcro product so all holes can be filled so no water is trapped above or can get in from below , half decent airflow and circulation , mats won't slip or fall out and lastly they can be removed to wipe any trapped sand and fine dust and dirt that will hold water on the surface. Might be the best solution IMHO but will take some research to get right product that doesn't turn into a mush after a few months of getting wet. As has been said, wasn't the best design solution but having a viable alternative will take a little bit of head scratching

[Plasticman]

indeed, it has caused me much thought and will continue to do so ,
mm

[skippymoss]

Hi ELVIS,
Have you come across this stuff before?
http://solutions.3m.co.uk/wps/portal/3M ... /?MDR=true
Available in external grade.
They used some for signage at work some time ago...and it's still there.
Also been told that there is a grade suitable to mount cladding panels on buildings without mechanical fasteners!
Reckon the low profile stuff might suit your needs?

@MM loving your work btw

[Plasticman]

Hmm, in the past i have severley dosed the step with dynax then affixed the rubbers and treated the same from under the van , still beleive it would be better to completely seal the rubbers to the floor, will definately explore the problem,
elvis i take onboard what you say .
mm

[rob1927]

What a great thread, a real pleasure to read and an eye opener, thanks for taking the time to put this together.

[Mickyfin]

@Rob, I agree, Mickey is the master when it comes to welding for sure

[ELVIS]

Mm, only issue I have with the 3M solution we were considering is it would look a bit 'naff' and bit of a bodge if the wrong stuff was used and it went south badly

[Plasticman]

well welding 99%done, a couple of little bits to attend to
front repair went reasonably well

just needs a bit more work with the finger file, quick coat to protect overnight and in common with the other repaired bits it will be reblasted and attended to in one go

front is now a lot happier

I have trial fitted the lower grill to ensure it sits square and the profiles are correct.
nice new fuel tank arrived so its been well dosed and new grommets fitted with breather hose so back on it will go tomoz

then hopefully a small amount of filler and it will be ready for paint
mm

[Plasticman]

Well not much to show in respect of pickies ,as busy removing a few dints and such and cutting into the seams and blasting them,
fitted the fuel tank back and new pipes etc so that will nbe good for na while.
now i have noticed a couple of marks that im curiouse about , its on the os cab door, 2 rusty marks and ragged holes through the door seal??
not a clue but ....


mm

[Plasticman]

well last lot of paint onto the welds underneath after sanding the welds to make them presentable so this can all dry and double seam seal tomoz

you may just see the slight gap between the inner and outer sill, paint has gone into this, it needs treating with dynax but i do all this after paint as it gets everywhere and is not 'condusive to medium adhesion' , there thats my bit of pc office speak done with..
back of front panal is hard to get at, even harder with the seamsealer but needs must

and the step

mm

[Plasticman]

last few jobs done, replaced the hose from head to peripheral rail

finished sealing stuff


then a couple of days sorting the seams and reblasting all the iffy areas

using really fine grit at the end,


in the past its had a repaint, well a couple of them and they had used a flex disc prob 36 grit and really scoured the face then a high build paint on top , seam was still full of carp though,
products applied


there is a small area that I err, forgot so will do this in the morning and then a painting we should go
mm

[moospop]

Just a thought on your mystery marks....
Could they be from a CB aerial gutter mount bracket?

[Plasticman]

No marks on the gutter, nothing anywhere but those, ah one of lifes mysteries
well the major item i nearly forgot..its got a new aerial so the old holes to reinstate and one had some nasty rust so

weld and lead

surform file to remove the excess and then a quick coat so the rust wont try and get a grip

then while we were at it the step, this the frylux

now leaded


then a quick coat of paint ,
I always try to do this as moisture in the air will attack the metal straightaway,
zero filler


so a couple of days sorting little things then paint work from this saturday

mm

[DustyBiscuit]

It's all getting nail-bitingly exciting!