Date: Sat, 25 Sep 2010 15:41:23 -0500
Reply-To: Tom Hargrave <thargrav@HIWAAY.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Tom Hargrave <thargrav@HIWAAY.NET>
Subject: Re: Seem rust restoration, etc
Content-Type: multipart/mixed;
Peter,
You are doing it right. The key is to remove, protect, seal. When done
there should be no opportunity for water or air to touch steel at the
trouble spots.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless Phone
-----Original Message-----
From: Peter Lapp <carrothospital@GOOGLEMAIL.COM>
Sent: Saturday, September 25, 2010 3:12 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Subject: Re: Seem rust restoration, etc
I've actually been working on my seams the past two weekends and am
painting
them as we speak. I don't have it bad at all, but there were a few seams
that were beginning to show a little rust, including the infamous driver
side "kitchen seam". I took the whole interior out and found a little on
the
inside of that seam as well. Not much, but enough.
I sandblasted the inside seams and put POR-15 on top. I also cut out and
sandblasted a few problematic seams on the outside. Then I resealed them
and
am in the middle of putting on some zinc chromate, primer, and paint. I
don't think my paint job is going to be that great, and it may not be
exactly the same color(I got my original color from paintscratch.com),
but
slightly mismatched paint is better than rusty seams.
I have no body/paint experience at all. I'd like to take it somewhere,
but I
don't think anyone would do it right for under 5-10k. It is one big PITA
to
do by myself though.
On Sat, Sep 25, 2010 at 1:35 PM, Tom Hargrave <thargrav@hiwaay.net>
wrote:
> Zolly,
>
> The reason body shops don't do this kind of work is a typical Vanagon
or
> any
> other vehicle owner won't pay for body PM type maintenance unless it a
> "apparent" good deal that's shoved down their throats when they bought
the
> car new. Ziebart undercoating is a perfect example. The sales pitch
goes
> something like "if you don't buy this expensive undercoating package
your
> car body will rot away and the doors will fall off in 3 years and it's
NOT
> SAFE FOR THE KIDS!!!". While this may have been the case in rust prone
> States in the 70s, it's no longer true for any good car made over the
past
> 20 something years.
>
> So it's "drive and forget" until someone is willing to pay a body shop
to
> cut out rot and weld in new steel or worse, cover it up with Bondo!
>
> But you already know this - maybe some Vanagon owners in your area who
are
> in it for the long haul will enlist your services. I've replaced
enough
> rotten steel over the years to know that prevention is always cheaper
than
> replacing.
>
> Thanks, Tom
> www.stir-plate.com
> www.towercooler.com
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM] On
Behalf Of
> Zolly
> Sent: Saturday, September 25, 2010 12:05 PM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Seem rust restoration, etc
>
> I have been busy with restoring Vanagons now for years. Full
restorations
> and partial body repairs, beside the general repairs I do, or the
regular
> fuel line renewals.
> But some of you only would need seem rust elimination, which I do on
all
> the
> vans I do and can be done without painting the whole car, saving the
van
> from destruction.
> The most common rust is long seam under the inlets on the driver side.
It
> can get out of hand and occasionally would lead to replacement of the
> rocker
> panel. Mostly it is rust coming from the inside from the insulation
being
> soaked with water and keeping the seem wet all year around. It is not
a
> problem for the non-camper vans though.
> An other common area is the right rear side seam, just above the wheel
> arch.
> Behind the rear wiper bottle. Although not as bad but the constantly
wet
> insulation does the same from the inside and at times it can be
terrible
> also.
> The Vanagon has about 43 feet of seam on the outside that by now has
> hardened and cracked most places.
> I cut it out as deep as possible, treat it with anti-rust agent, paint
the
> inside with POR15, prime and apply new seam sealer, then paint it with
the
> original color. Insulation is replaced with non water absorbing kind
after
> the area has been similarly treated.
> It is a delicate job, requiring steady hands and experience.
> The removal of the camper's kitchen unit and restoring the area behind
it
> is
> obviously the most demanding and time consuming work, but it has to be
done
> to save the vehicle from certain destruction by rust.
> This kind of work is not a standard body shop item and would not be
> received
> well. Very unusual and awkward to them.
>
> I have pestered the List members before with my advocacy of fuel line
> changes, which I do very often, being also a "Save our Vanagon" item
that
> is
> urged by the passing of time that makes the rubber hose hard and
cracking
> and being under 36psi pressure, the 25 years old hose will start
pissing
> onto the cables that may jump sparks or the hot exhaust that would
start
> the
> fire. Some of you will lose your van to fire this way, others will
get the
> fuel lines changed.
>
> If anyone is interested in the above items, may call me at 425 773
4646.
>
> Zoltan
>
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