Vanagon EuroVan
Previous messageNext messagePrevious in topicNext in topicPrevious by same authorNext by same authorPrevious page (September 2010, week 4)Back to main VANAGON pageJoin or leave VANAGON (or change settings)ReplyPost a new messageSearchProportional fontNon-proportional font
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
Comments: To: Peter Lapp <carrothospital@GOOGLEMAIL.COM>
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 >


No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 9.0.856 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/3158 - Release Date: 09/25/10 01:34:00


Back to: Top of message | Previous page | Main VANAGON page

Please note - During the past 17 years of operation, several gigabytes of Vanagon mail messages have been archived. Searching the entire collection will take up to five minutes to complete. Please be patient!


Return to the archives @ gerry.vanagon.com


The vanagon mailing list archives are copyright (c) 1994-2011, and may not be reproduced without the express written permission of the list administrators. Posting messages to this mailing list grants a license to the mailing list administrators to reproduce the message in a compilation, either printed or electronic. All compilations will be not-for-profit, with any excess proceeds going to the Vanagon mailing list.

Any profits from list compilations go exclusively towards the management and operation of the Vanagon mailing list and vanagon mailing list web site.