Ok, I'll start of by appologising for the following photos.... im well aware how boring they will be to some. I'm (very!) slowly working my way around the van panel by panel, Total of around 7 hours so far just in three panels, the panels/paint are far from straight and there is some corrosion so its never going to be a show finish but I'll be happy with shiny and scratch free. Starting with the lower rear quarter, someone has very kindly keyed two quite deep scratches down the drivers middle and rear quarter panels. After a quick clay bar'ing and a first cut with a 500 compound the bulk of the years of neglet and grime are gone just leaving the scratches. I honestly didnt believe that these would come out anywhere near as well as they have. Second and third cuts with a more agressive compound (G3) and harder pad, scratches have faded but still visable. Final cut before polish, with a smaller 3" pad to concentrate on the scratches, they are no longer visiable to the naked ete but there is still an indendtation in the paint. It may be possible to get this out with some wet and dry but its adequate for now. Looking good if compared to the top photo Polished and buffed,
More of the same on the middle panel, grime/decay/scratches including the same pair of deep keyed scratches. And completed,
Lots of photos im afraid, sadly I cant get it outside in the natural light to check it properly. Cab door was yet more of the same....
Last few I promise!! Final coat of wax protection, Think im going to have to polish that water tank now! My arms are hanging off now but it was worth it, probably just another ten hours left in the front/rear and passenger side.
If you were to tell me that you could spend in man hours well over a week just polishing a bay I'd think you were crazy but that's what's now gone into this and its certainly become a labour of love, I'll let the pictures do the taking, Some very bad swirl marks and scratches on the sliding door and n/s quarter panel,
Being in the 'zone' I forgot to take any front panel before shots, I've just got one door left to finish but im going to have to sort of paint first as this has a very deep score mark in it which is going to need touching in first,
Ok going to try and plod on regardless of photobucket trying to abolish my dreams and memories! Thanks to a mixture of gout and an incident in work I've been laid up for the last 9 weeks although it feels best part of 6 months! Lets do a tester......... and screw you photobucket!.. I'm still missing a few bits and pieces (Sliding door glass being the vital bit if anyone can help) and its going to want a good service (i'll do the fuel lines/clamps too while im there) but the van is pretty much ready to go off for its MOT, So efforts are now moving onto the inside, not really looking forward to this bit as its not really my forte. This probably goes back to may when I was last on my feet and down the garage, luckily my mate has some new door card blanks lying around which gave me a template to work from. I had some very tatty old kick panels to use as a pattern but they took alot more work to get to fit than they should of done. So since I've been sat around on my ever growing arse feeling sorry for myself I thought I'd drag out the old sewing machine and see what sort of mess I could make. As it turns out it was quite a big one! now its been many moons since I've done any trimming, way back in the 90's I.C.E boom era to be precise so many youtube videos later... So far it's all been a little trial and error to see what I liked and more importantly what I could actually make half decent looking, in fact a quarter decent looking would do.. I started with the kick panels knowing that they actualy wouldnt really be seen, In my head I wanted a retro looking cheque fabric insert and found this wonderful little off cut which ties in with both the grey and the blue of the van. Me being me though I wanted to go a little fancy looking with it and decided on some tuck and roll. So it all started with some experimentational test pieces with various widths and hidden stiching etc After seeing if I could replicate this over a large enough panel to use, I would of liked to of done it with hidden stiching but it was spoiling the whole chequered effect I was wishing for. Then attaching the vinyl, experimenting with two diferent methods again. A french seam and again a hidden seam, niether of them I could do very well! but im blaming the domestic sewing machine for that! lol
So since it'll hardly be visable I decided to use it on the kick panel, Its a little wobly in places but im sure that will improve with practice, hopefuly before tackling the larger and more visable door cards. Ive ordered a grey thread now too so hopefully my dodgy wobbly stiching wont be as visable. I think with the door cards though i'm going to loose the tuck and roll as I think it actualy spoils the pattern on the fabric? Still at least two more weeks off work but at least I have something to keep my mind busy now.
So been playing again today, second attemp as expected (or should that be hoped!) is better than the first. It looks a lot better now with the grey thread too. Then I went and made a monumental cock up... I'm sure its easy to spot. After telling myself all morning... must remember not to do that and did it anyway.. i'm putting it down to lack of sleep! So one of them will needs re-doing. I then thought every silver lining, as I can re-do the first one with the white stitching that I was not happy with but sadly they were cut to fit around the parcel shelf thats fitted in the van. So left has to be left and right right. I'd had a mare with the sewing machine which took me ages to suss out but when it all finaly came togther I plumped up the courage to have a go at the door cards. There not perfect but all in all im happy with how its turning out and it's almost what I had planned in my head lol, cost me £40'ish in materials so far but that doesnt include glue as I had a load left over from another job. Gutted over these glue stains and im hoping they come out, again my inpatience I think not letting the glue go tacky before sticking the material down and its bled through. One to go tomorrow, cant wait to get down the unit to try them in the van.
Looking great. will the glue stains come out with any sort of stain remover? I've done that doing something the wrong side at work before....usually with solvent weld Hope you get better soon, at least you've got some smart door cards to show for your time off .
