Time to tidy my van.

[Woodyyellow]

So after a long long time an update! Very little seemed to get done during the summer but some progress.....
I managed to clean up and refit the roof, not quite so easy to lift it back into place but managed in the end. Very pleased with the snug fit I managed to achieve.


Insulation in the form of foil backed bubble wrap stuck into place with high temperature spray glue.

Then the window surrounds were cut back to good steel. I managed to find a steel supplier who would cut steel into strips ready to weld. 

So cardboard templates cut for all the repair patches made and checked for fit.

Managed to bag a set of tasty alloy wheels and managed to get them machined by an ex 'A' level student, now a qualified Tool Maker.


They do need refurbishing so that is now an ongoing mini project. 

this shows checking the front wheel fit over the grease cap.
Best news of now, is that I've bought myself a mig welder as I was unable to borrow the set I used to use at College.

So today.....
passengers foot step replaced

wheel arch by passengers seatbelt mount

window surrounds on ns replaced


and a few other small areas all on the same side done.
Tomorrow should see the os work done. Very pleased with progress.

[monster]

Looking good

[mbcamper]

Really good progress, the window surround repairs look good.

I've got a question about the roof as I too will be refitting mine in a few weeks. How are you fixing it to the body? Are you just glueing it down or using additional fixings as well?

[Woodyyellow]

Thanks for the kind words.
Regarding the roof refitting, following extensive reading on the forum, I used 'Sikaflex 512 Caravan Adhesive & Sealant for Caravans, Motor Homes & Trailers'. I was a little apprehensive at first relying just on a glue, but with careful observation of where the top touched the roof, I was able to use a good bead of glue and the results are rock solid. The final result is neat and tidy with no screws, bolts or rivets to hide and of course no extra holes in the steel roof to worry about!
Remember if buying Sikaflex, check the "use by date" as it has quite a short life span prior to using.

[mbcamper]

I like the idea of not making holes in my newly mended roof.

How many tubes of the Sikiflex did you need?

[Woodyyellow]

With careful planning of where to place the goo, I found that two tubes was enough. I was able to add some extra for peace of mind from the inside at the front as well.

[Woodyyellow]

Well, a milestone day for me today. Over the last few months I had identified all the welding areas I could find, all 40 of them! Some were tiny areas of rot at the very bottom of the wheel arches, others larger like the bottom strips along the windows. Yippee all done and dusted today! I'm sure I will find some more later as I prep the van for paint but for the time being I recon all done!
Couple of pictures for you, drivers side foot step patch tacked into place

and now welded. Should clean up well with the angle grinder, similar to the passengers side already done.

I've welded up the holes that the rubber treads fit into, so that should be one less thing to worry about in the future!
And here the corner of the window repair behind the driver

So onwards and upwards, what's next?

[Woodyyellow]

How many acres of bodywork?
Quick update, September has been kind to me, able to continue working on bodywork due to the dry weather. Spent the time doing the extra welding that I had missed (!) small amount of filler needed to blend in areas etc. The rubbing down for painting has taken a huge amount of time, not because of problems but just because there is acres of paint work to do. Some of the areas are so intricate, around the door opening that it just seems to take ages, preparation is everything after all. I have the two front doors, sliding door and tailgate still to rub down, no rust on either of them, am I lucky or what!
I've ordered the paint - RAL 1023 - a good yellow very close to original VW Bamboo yellow, not the blue it was or pale yellow as i bought it, and hope to start soon on small areas. 
 So this is how it looks at the moment



Looks a bit of a mess at the moment but with time and effort I'm confident I will get there, still lots to do though!
I do need to advertise those wheels soon so I can buy new rubber for the wheels that are also being refurbished.

I'm using 'Nitromores' and by placing the wheel in a plastic bag can leave it to get on with it's work without drying out, seems to be working well, all four wheels now striped just need final cleaning and painting.

[boatbuilder]

What paint are you using?

[Woodyyellow]

After searching the forum and the web, went to Halfords for paint. Sadly they had very little paint suitable for alloy wheels, maybe I went on a bad day for them but only 6 cans of "steel colour" and 1 can of primer available!
A quick search on 'bay' and I found a set of 8 cans for a fraction of the cost of anything Halfords had. 1 can of cleaner/degreaser, 1 can of filler/primer, 4 cans of silver spray and 2 cans of clear lacquer. All for around £34!
The final stages of painting are still on my list of things to do, will include details and photos when I manage to do them.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/E-TECH-Silver ... 4177a790da" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Woodyyellow]

So, paint at last! When I first saw the "paint your van with a roller" topic I was very sceptical that it was possible to do, but not having the funds for a respray, this was the route I took. After all the preparation this week end was forecast bright and dry, so give it a go.
I must say I was impressed with the paint, looks a bit like an enamel paint and a little goes a long way. I mixed up 200 ml of paint with 40ml of thinners, loaded the roller and away I went! I was pleasantly surprised with how it went. So after 2 days work and 3 mixes latter, this is how it looks. 


I do have to be very careful about moisture around at this time of year but a good week end.
OK so only one thin coat but I'm very impressed so far. Time now to let it harden whilst I get on with others bits n pieces.
Talking of which, some of you might have seen my other posting of a question regarding the South African twin headlight grill I have bought. I could not at first see how it fitted with the bayonet pins, "Titus A Duxass" to the rescue number 1, bayonet pins just "push" in, of course!! Then I could not see how the very outside pins located, there was nothing there! "Titus A Duxass" to the rescue again, showed me a photo of the corner and of course the location sockets are part of the headlight!! I must say that Titus A Duxass was very kind to me and did not say what a dullard I was! With my van stripped down I had of course removed the headlights so no location points!

So now the grill has been cleaned, a previous owner had spray painted it white whilst it was fitted to their van, so 4 hours and wet n dry paper later I now have this,

Getting there!

[eiret25]

Nice work

[what2do]

You've been mighty productive from what I can see. Hat off to you. Small tip, I spent a whopping 5 minutes sand blasting my grille before painting it, every nook and cranny was cleaned up in no time at all. A handy tip that I gleaned of here ages ago.

[Woodyyellow]

Small tip, I spent a whopping 5 minutes sand blasting my grille before painting it, every nook and cranny was cleaned up in no time at all. A handy tip that I gleaned of here ages ago.

Would be great to have access to a sand blaster! What paint did you use on your grill? I'm thinking of using a satin black spray after a plastic primer from Halfords.

[what2do]

Small tip, I spent a whopping 5 minutes sand blasting my grille before painting it, every nook and cranny was cleaned up in no time at all. A handy tip that I gleaned of here ages ago.

Would be great to have access to a sand blaster! What paint did you use on your grill? I'm thinking of using a satin black spray after a plastic primer from Halfords.

That's the same paint I used, it looks a treat and is still fab after 2 years. Blow me, you've invested in a decent sized mig - sand blasting guns are cheap as chips!! I tried several medias but found the guns weren't man enough for heavy corrosion but were great for 'etching' plastic. I'd like to know if anyone has had better results with a cheap gun.