That’s a pretty ropey looking van, I think most folk will quote high money on that without seeing and probably higher when they do
Is it a lost cause then? Should I cut my losses, get rid of it and look for another? It’s funny, since I had another look around it yesterday evening, I was beginning to think the worst part was the off-side roof and gutter above the sliding door and I might be able to sort the other issues one section at a time as suggested earlier.
In my opinion and past experiences I would suggest this is not the time to be spending what could well be a large sum of money on welding and paint for a vehicle which is just a hobby and not essential. Metal work and paint is a skilled job and professionals in business would charge the market rate, they have to make a living after all. Financially it doesn't make sense to throw large amounts of money at the van and you would not get that money back in a future sale. I think if you have a bit of spare cash, then better to spend it on the mechanicals and keeping the van safe as you would be taking your family out in it. Brakes etc are more important than a fancy paint job. Tough times are ahead and you would be wise to conserve your money. As suggested, you could tackle the van yourself, if you have spare cash then why not learn to weld and paint. I am sure there are many on here who have done just that.
Its never a good idea to leave newly repaired metalwork in half-painted state, as you need a good coverage of paint (and filler to smooth the surface) to stop water seeping through primer and gaps and recreating the rot you paid to have removed. Normal metal primer is basically porous, so it will rust underneath the primer if that is not painted with some proper paint. Even a pot of Hammerite/Rustoleum paint will do something to stop the damage (but people may hate you when it comes to repainting it, because of its incompatibility with some car paints) Have a go at rusty bits with sandpaper and kurust rust converter after sanding. Pick off flaky paint and then sand down the edges of the remaining paint to fair it off. If a hole appears, take a picture of the location, sand the metal to shiny on the surrounds of the hole, knock the edges of the hole in a bit , and then use chopped strand fibreglass filler to cover the hole over, then smooth it with body filler. Then sand and paint it. It may look rubbish but it will have slowed down rusting. If you can get behind things, spray the back after painting the outside with Dynax wax (actually it sticks quite well underneath the bus anywhere.)
having seen the updated pics i thin you're right just re-read on p1 an indicative 24k to fix /paint - seems nuts. better to buy this one FOR SALE - 1973 Westfalia Campervan £16750 | The Late Bay then stick your existing bus on ebay for 6-8k and see if there are any takers.
It’s been a while since I posted my original query and reading back, I realise I never got round to thanking everyone who replied. I deliberated between getting rid and buying another or keeping it, but I’ve decided to have a go at sorting it out myself, concentrating on a bit at a time. It won’t be concourse standard, it’ll take ages and I’ll probably throw more money at it than it’s worth, but (as stupid as it sounds and you’ll probably all think I’m an idiot for saying it) in the end I just couldn’t face letting it go. Once I get started properly, I’ll start another thread to show progress (or lack thereof) and ask for advice of which I’ll need plenty!
