TheSamba.com :: View topic - Re-making my interior

Wed Jul 20, 2016 6:16 am

To make my point a little more directly: For the rust pictured, I don't think you should bother with a 'half-way' durable repair. Fiberglass body-filler I think will last as long as the fiberglass mat and epoxy approach. If you could thoroughly clean up the inside and put the epoxy and mat on that side, it might last awhile, but I don't think that will be possible.

Now that I'm looking again and more closely, I see that some of the holes are pretty big. I suggested short-strand fiberglass body filler before, but now I think long strand might be better. If I were you, and if I didn't have much time, I would seriously just put some globs of filler over those holes and hit it with a spray can.

But, just looking at it, I have to tell you -- I want to get at it with a cutting wheel!

Wed Jul 20, 2016 6:59 am

Haha... yeah I know the feeling - but today I opted just to do the best quickly with what I have...

[BTW yes I think the windows are leaking also - thanks for the reminder... in fact I know FOR SURE that at least one side window is majorly leaking, so they probably all are... the PO(s) installed those double plastic windows and did a kinda butchered job]

So today I sorta 'cut open' the floor a bit just enough to get my Vanagon Dentist Drill in there... and I just drilled away by feel as much as I could... put some rust converter in there, waited, then drilled again. Now I am ready to put a few very small pieces of fine weave fiberglass mat and primer on there... I might later buy some bondo and fill it a bit. Anyhow this will buy me some time (a fair amount actually, I presume), and some peace of mind.

Regarding the big hole on the other side where the bed needs to attach to, I simply made a steel patch and glued it in with normal epoxy - I know this is not ideal, but certainly it will last for some time, and will be easy to re-do later.

One day I will have a welder and some experience, and more time... for now, these stop-gaps will have to do, and they are a lot better than doing nothing :) :)

Wed Jul 20, 2016 9:33 am

zuhandenheit wrote: the bedliner treatment

What's that?

- - -

pics of progress made this afternoon...

Fri Jul 22, 2016 12:45 pm

...sittin' here feeling like I just smoke 10 Cheech and Chong joints man! :-& ...the whole day painting and painting... good ventilation and had a fan on inside... but still that stuff has FUMES!

I am really satisfied with how that cream colour paint works on the floor panels.

Sun Jul 24, 2016 7:32 pm

Hey Ed,

I can't say that I love the patches, but if your glue and primer are good, it will probably hold for a good while!

I mentioned that if all your rust repairs are on the lower panels, you might consider using a bedliner treatment to save yourself the trouble of repainting, and to cover imperfections in your work:

epowell wrote: zuhandenheit wrote: the bedliner treatment

What's that?

Here's mine, using monstaliner (a two-part roll-able coating):

It's easy to use and covers up a lot of defects in your body work.

Sun Jul 24, 2016 7:38 pm

I guess I don't have a good picture of the front, but here's something:

(There were taken when I was in the middle of the project, so there are lots of bits missing.)

Remember, I replaced the front panel, the bottom of the DS door, the rear corner, and had lots of old dents on the lower panels (which had been filled with bondo). So I had a ton of bodywork to do on the lower sections, and using this liner saved me a lot of time. It also allowed me to make a nice surface around the engine cover, and steps for the doors! (These were rusty and the stupid rubber pads kept falling out.)

Oh, here's what those steps look like (there's a bit of missing paint I had to fix later):

Sun Jul 24, 2016 9:53 pm

epowell wrote:

Here's mine, using monstaliner (a two-part roll-able coating):

Did you roll or spray the liner on?

Mon Jul 25, 2016 2:16 am

It's rolled, using monstaliner's special roller.

Tue Jul 26, 2016 12:36 am

So "bedliner" means a very thick tough textured paint normally used to line the beds of pickup trucks?

I can see the PO already used something like that along the lower part of the van.

Yes my patches are pretty bogus... but this time it was just a question of getting it done quick with what I have. I certainly don't intend to now just cover them and forget about them... I will keep a keen eye on them with the certainty that all of this work will sooner or later have to be re-done - although secretly hoping that it will last as long as possible :D :D :D

Ben, man your van looks beautiful.... these days whenever I look at my van's body reflected in the light and I SEE all of the waves and warping of the panels etc I always remember you and your "obsessive" flat sanding - checking - flat sanding again - re-checking - sanding again ordeal, and appreciate the results you got. I always tell myself that I 'want' my van to be a bit grubby on the outside to deter thieves - but secretly I would love it to look really SHARP :)

Tue Jul 26, 2016 5:17 am

I hope this doesn't come across as rude. I can appreciate a "quick fix" on a non- structural area of the van but I can't say that I agree at all with your approach to this area. This is a crucial area of suspension "tie in" and the way you've repaired it is dangerous to you and others on the road. I've seen other T3s with rust in this area that have literally have broken away from the chassis in a severe pot hole.

epowell wrote:

Tue Jul 26, 2016 6:18 am

You are right - however the main point in doing this was to temporarily slow down the rust. I know it will need to be done better, when I have more time, tools, experience and know-how.

How would you suggest best to do this? Would it be best to simply completely cut out all affected areas and weld in new metal? [obvious answer is YES :D ]

Thanks for the feedback - it's not rude at all!

Tue Jul 26, 2016 9:32 am

I'm glad my comment wasn't perceived as rude.

if you are going to leave this as is. I would highly suggest that you keep a very close eye on the paint in that area for any "movement" ie: flex. If the paint cracks then you know that area is greatly weakened and will need to addressed immediately but honestly I wouldn't leave that as is. It would be the one area that I would take to a shop and have welded up properly. the other floor patches, etc are fine (not great but not bad) with fiberglass cloth repairs.

Tue Jul 26, 2016 9:53 am

Well at least I put a halt to the rust for now... I did look closely at the main frame members and there is no rust in/on them... in fact the entire body work (new panels) was all done quite recently. This is just some new rust caused by a few stupid kitchen related water leaks... it is not an old chronic thing.

That said, I agree - it is a top priority to get this done properly.

I DO appreciate all feedback and comments - ESPECIALLY the negative ones, cuz otherwise how would I know?

Mon Aug 01, 2016 12:06 pm

Wood Progress... a race against the clock somewhat > doing things the best I can, but many things temporary > and somethings to be completed later.

The Main point right now is to get the stinky varnish ON all of this wood ASAP because in 3 weeks we intend to take our first trip in GEorge - and we don't want to be smelling toxic fumes when sleeping.

Mon Aug 01, 2016 12:56 pm

Osmo PolyX is non-toxic, not even bad smelling AND very durable. it is used for floors in Germany.

I can buy it locally at a green store and I bet you can too. Use a scrubby to rub it in well, then a rag to wipe off.

I love the stuff. All the wood in my house is done with it.

Mon Aug 01, 2016 2:00 pm

oh... too late... I already bought the varnish, and I'm sure it is super toxic. That's what I wanted - something that will last and last and last.

Mon Aug 01, 2016 2:36 pm

epowell wrote: yes I think the windows are leaking also

Good project, lotta work!

I had a serious leak under the side window that turned out to be an unsealed seam between two sheet metal panels. They are spot welded together where the rubber gasket fits over them, two sheets may buckle and have space between them. If unsealed, rain water pours in from the window glass. Rather than remove the entire window, I pushed silicone sealant up under into the crack from the inside. Probably not a real solution but I live in dry New Mexico and am not worried about rust. For any normal van you may just be trapping water where you don’t want it. That area where the gasket grips is infested with rust mites.

Mon Aug 01, 2016 7:47 pm

'62 SO33 with SO42 interior... and... 2002 Ford with Vanagon Westy interior.

Tue Aug 02, 2016 1:18 pm

Wed Aug 03, 2016 10:24 am

PROGRESS!!

Tomorrow the epoxy wood filler goes in, then I fine sand, then varnish
.....then leave the toxic smelling varnished boards in a shed for one week to DE-FUME!