Found this odd bit of rot in the end of the front beam. It looks like someone hit it with a grinder then just filled it with filler. Chopped out and welded some 2mm steel in. Searching for solid metal:
Rear corner all welded up. Needs another skim with a flap wheel to tidy it up a little more. Only had a 80 grit one. She looks a little sorry for herself at the moment.
Front corner is about 3" from the wall but theres just enough space to work if i push it forwards a little. Better than being outside working on gravel.
Bugger of a place to get a grinder into. Accidentally cut into seam and the rear corner. Got the remains of the rot cut out of the back of the rear arch. I'll need to remake the lower edge of the inner arch as it was rotten from water getting between the inner and outer panels.
Got the inner corner welded in today: Would be a helluva lot easier with the engine out and sat in the engine compartment. Will give it a tickle with a flap wheel on the grinder, some seal sealer and a coat of stone chip. Lip on edge of inner arch made and welded in and the outer panel trimmed to fit. Just needs some hole drilling for plug welding to the inner lip.
Ground down and seam sealed: Rust cured the surface rust on the battery tray too. Arch repair panel welded in and filled. This is how much space i have to work in.
Weather was horrible, i still had no roof on the garage so i painted the vise and pinstriped it. Seemed the thing to do after its spent the past decade sat on the floor in the shed susrviving everthing i've thrown at it. Arch just need to be sanded down and it can be primed and topcoated. Weather has now turned again and i need to do the front corner. I could really do with turning the van around and putting it in nose first but with no rear hatch or back lights on at the moment it'll just get wet with no garage doors on.
Primed the battery tray and repair to the bloody stupid bulkhead water trap. Did the other side too. Chopped a couple of bits of rot out of the bottom of the cab door, welded new metal in and fillered it.
Got a little more done today, though just red oxide priming stuff. Piccy shows how far into the garage the wind has been blowing the rain. I did paint a wheel though (before i get a new tyre fitted to it) which makes it look a lot prettier that it was: Halfrauds had no silver wheel paint in stock so ended up with steel coloured instead. I bought some new paint brushes, a new wire brush and some black gloss enamel paint to do the battery trays with too.
