Rusty Gutters

[jesus_is_alright]

Thanks merlin. Yes i agree interior last, but if i'm changing from a white van to (who knows what colour) i'll need to paint the engine bay so the engine will need to be out?

[Merlin]

you can clean up and paint the engine bay while the engine is out .the reason for doing drive train first is you are going to be fairly rough on the body (climbing all over the car,greasy hands) also if you are like me and cant help modifying then you're going to be swinging grinders ,drills and gas axes all over and also it gives you scope for change  Cheers Neil

[mezzmo]

Soda Blast is the best, as soda wont generate heat, your panels will not warp at all, once its done, simply wash over the van with soap and water, then wipe over with wax and grease remover and spray a really light coat of etch primer - this will prevent any surface rust.

Unlike sandblasting, soda will not remove the rust, which i think is a good thing because it allows you to see first hand exactly where it is and how bad it is.

i paid 2K for mine and i couldn't have been happier with the job, if you've been quoted 1K - go for it!!!

[jesus_is_alright]

Mezzmo, i've only just bought my van, and its a long way from being anywhere near what i want it to be, but a few of the guys told me i should be focussing on drivetrain first.
Was wondering what order you did things in. As i'm wanting to change the colour of the van, i want to spray the engine bay too, but i cant do that till i know what colour i want.
Am i trying to run before i can walk?

[jesus_is_alright]

Oh, and soda blast the interior cargo area / engine bay as well or not necessary?

[restoreid]

If it drives Doo the bodywork first because if you find something nasty you havnt wasted all that money on mechanicals

[Bedfordcrazy]

Hey jesus, in my case i am starting from the bottom and working up. A great thing to have b4 you do anything is to have a list of things you want to do. I have 4 pages on my lap top, and we are working through them in order of construction. For me the easiest way is this. We are fitting everything up, ie: engine, we did the mounts, gearbox and tailshaft, doing the body work, welding up everything, then when we are happy we will strip everything back out, and send the shell off to be blasted, and final prep and paint, while one team are doing the paint my mechanic will be rebuilding the motor, gearbox and diff, so by the time my van comes back everything will be there to put back together again with very minimal drilling or cutting. The tip is to mock the whole van up, then strip it down and finish. You may say doing the job twice is time consuming, but the beauty of this is you are not cutting and drilling and scratching fresh paint and finishes, most things should bolt and screw together nicely.
george.