Pauls splitscreen van project

Painting under side Red

It was a bit of a impulse decision but I decided to paint the bottom of the van red, I mean RED. There was a little bit of persuasion from the other half, some thing about Louboutin.

I trialed a few colours on the belly panel, the candy red looks a cool red but with two coats and a lacquer I thought it to much for the bottom of the van. So I decided for a bit of both colours, a darker shade but with a matt lacquer.

I picked up a litre of paint and thinners some, extra tubes of stone chip to finish what Id missed around the gear box.

I started each area in sections this also allowed me to get use to the spray gun and help setting it up.

If the bottom of the van was flat a quick spray left and right and job done, but I had to spray into all the nooks and cracks under and over pipes to get a good coverage, this took more than a liter and a half of paint, so another trip to the paint shop for half liter was needed.

Here's the compressor and gun I used, the pot on top of the gravity feed spray gun was a bit orquard to get into some of the tight spots

I used the trial spray can for the really tight spots but this run out very quickly

With all of the red painted I called it a night and let it dry over night, I would have left it in this colour but this is a base coat and needed a sealing coat.

With the van dry over night I was going to spray a matt sealing clear coat, but Rachel perswaded me to go with a gloss, so another treip to the paint shop.

The clear went on a lot easire, but a little harded to see where you've painted I had to keep catchiung the light to see where Ive missed inbetween the structural parts.

Spraying the underside with wash primer, stone chip, red base coat and clear coat took 4 days and cost about £300 in paint and materials, but was good fun. Still not sure if its the right colour.....

Painting the under side primer and stone chip

After sweeping up and hovering the garage floor I started to hang protective sheet around the garage, got board so left the rest,as all I wanted to do was get on with spraying.

I brought a litre of wash primer and activator This was just enough to do all of the underside

I used the wash primer to make sure there was paint in all the panel gaps

This was also an easy step into my first time spraying such a big job.

It was easy to spray on just a bit fiddly to get into all the tight spots whet the gravity feed pot on top of the spray gun kept getting in the way

A couple of seams I forgot to seal up

I then broke out the stone chip gun, This is the same as I used for the cavity wax just with out the tube. I'm using Dinitrol stone chip 447 this is the grey version, It also comes in black.

This was fun and easy to spray, I took it in sections and made sure I got into all the tight gaps before I sprayed over the hole panel. I did a couple of coats in the wheel arches.

I was hoping for a smoother finish, So I varied the pressure to the gun but less pressure made it spit more and more pressure flooded the areas I wanted to spray making it drip.

I decided to leave the cab floor area as I have an original panel to cover that.

I used up 6 x1 litre tubes and still needed to finish above the gear box. My mask also became saturated with the solvent so it was time to finish before I started hallucinating that my van was finished.

Rolling a camper using a home made rotisserie roll over rig.

If you did not see how I made my rotisserie check this link out-

building roll over rig rotisserie

If you did here is the latest addition

Whit the first bit of sunny weather of 2013 I decided it was the best time to try my roll over rig for the first time.

I hurriedly grabbed some 100mm caster wheels from B+Q (cheaper at screw fix)

200mm would have been stronger but to big for my garage. some threaded bar, a box of nuts, shiney ones. and welded and drilled these wheels onto some spare scaffold pole that I then clamped onto the frame.

With the new wheels on and a call for help to my mate Nic (and family)

we carefully tugged the van out of the garage

With a couple of air beds on stand by I used a pole on each frame, one side to help lift the van onto the first angle.

Steadied by the helpers on the opposite side the van sat comfortably at 45 degrees.

Another gentle push and the van was on its side with a couple of chocks to stop it rolling on top of us as we pushed.

The air beds were easily pulled out from underneath and used as trampolines for the rest of the afternoon.

We then removed the caster wheels from the now vertical side

A quick action shot, as I forgot to video this.

Then fitted the wheels on the lower bars with the help of a jack on the jacking points and a narrower bar down the end of the frame.

I designed the frame so you could stand on the floor through the cargo side doors.

I also wanted the brace the two now horizontal bar together but this didn't feel as loose or unstable as I thought it might.

My calculations were very close when squeezing the van back inside the garage. Id measured from the roof beams but forgot the door is lower than the roof when open.

My little bit extra just in case was just enough.

I could now for the first time get a decent look at the underside of the van.

There was still some rust, I think this was because a pocket of air could not escape when submerged.

There was a key stuck in one of the cab drain holes, I have the previous owners address I go and try it out.

The creasing to the corner of the engine bay is a lot more visible now the filler is no longer there.

Seam sealing the roof and engine bay

With the Van back from the dippers it was time to get the van rust protection started

The rear shelf above the engine bay had some signs of rust treatment that had not been cleaned out properly, I got my wire wheel to this.

I treated it with a spray of Dinitrol Converrust RC900, this converts the rust and stabiles it so it can be painted over.

There was a small amount of rust still between the panels of the roof and the gutter.

Again I wire wheeled this and treated it with RC900. I decided to do this around the hole roof seam just as a precaution. I used a small brush to guide the liquid between the panels.

I cut the nozzle of a tube of seam sealer at a 45deg angle and made my way carefully around the van covering the joint of the gutter and the roof panel with light grey seam sealer.

A little trick I learnt from working with aircraft sealant was to use a soapy solution on the end of a gloved finger to gently smooth the lumps and create a smooth curve.

The roof turned out ok.

I went over the area above the engine bay that I have treated with the Dinitrol rust cure

I then went around the seams in the cab.

Then onto the engine bay. To seal the seams in the hard to reach corners I attached a tube to the end of my nozzle. This took a bit a guess work and a steady hand but turned out very well.

Chemical stripping the van at Enviro strip

Here's a few pict's of the van getting dipped will up date the blog and describe the process when I get time

I hired a van and trailer for £80 and cost almost the same in fuel

Got the van delivered by just after midday after the hassle of collecting the van and trailer

A couple of the guys there very kindly said they would remove the front beam and rear IRS for me as I was in a rush to get the trailer and my help back home.

Loaded up the panels, then checking out the other van there I realised I'd forgot my bumper that were left hanging in my garage

Here's another van waiting for the treatment.

These shots were taken while the dipping was taken place, and I scanned then from a print out.

Here's the first strip process.

The proud owner of a rust free split screen van.

Fitting the front beam and rear A arms and steering column I thought would take about an Hour for Rachel and I. This turned out to be 3.

Once the wheels were back on we could strap it to the hired trailer.

A few shots to take in the extent of the

The bullet holes in the corner were from seat belt mounts, interior brackets and the VIN label That I remembered to remove before the chemical strip.

A 2 hour ride back home safe with out any rain or scary articulated lorries overtaking us.

The etch primer hides a few sins but the body has turned out as good or better than I expected.

The van back in it garage ready fro the next phase of restoration.

Here's a bit of window gutter I thought was OK, or was hoping was OK so I didn't repair it, but will have to know that the rest of the van is done.

You can see here where the original Lead loading has come out from the manufacture joint also from the gutter seam. Ill have to check out you tube and learn how this is done.

This is the hole I knew about normaly hidden behind the hindge, it has spread further along the seam than I thought

The engine bay turned out a lot cleaner than I expected as there use to be surface rust all up the inside of the air vents and on the fire wall infront of where the fuel tank sits.