1970 DORMOBILE - COMPLETE RESTO - IT PASSED :)

[pinheaduk]

well all i can say is whoops, its been a while since i updated, due to working and a few shows that ive been to but managed to do a few jobs

finished welding the sliding door as at the time id only done the bottom repair sections but i had a few jobs to do on the window lip and a repair down the side of the door

as you can see it was quite bad

lip

side

so i repaired the side area first doing both the inside and outside

then i removed the inner and outer window lip area and replaced them, using some cargo floor repair section for the rear of the lip as it had a nice curved and was easy to manipulate into place

i have put a skim of filler on the door but no pics as yet

put on the v channels on both sides for the track covers

and did a small skim on the inner rear corners due to cutting out and placing the rust

 

[pinheaduk]

most recently i have started on the cab doors which is one of the last weldiong jobs ive got to do apart from a few extra licence plate holes in the engine lid

passenger door first the bad bits

i thought it would be easier to repair the door in small sections which would give me a better chance to get it to look right

cut

replace

grind back

door bottom one of two areas needing work

both areas can be seen here

final bit

all in place ready to be welded up ground back and a very slight skim on the inner side to keep the curves looking curvy

 

[pinheaduk]

over the weekend i have concentrated on filling and sanding the side panels on the vehicle which is going well sofar, building up to checking toe corners and the front panel so there are no wobbles when it gets sprayed [touch wood ]

 

[pinheaduk]

ok today i decided to do a bit of bodywork as i was in the mood to choke and eat filler

i am going to work on one panel at a time but do a bit of work on other panels whilst the filler is hardening

my tools are homemade a single sheet block and a double sheet block which is over a meter long but works wonders

but i focused today on the o/s middle

as you can see the panel has already been started before i took some pics but there are some low spots which have been remedied

the low spots - 3

down to 2

all gone and the panel is as straight as ill get it

 

[pinheaduk]

been working also on the seams as the b posts were repaired but heres the seams both sides of the o/s middle, still need tweaking but looking good so far

b post

rear seam

whilst the filler was drying i started on the roof and the o/s rear panel, the roof looks like theres loads on there but theres hardly any thanks to my trust panel hammer, its mainly to get rid of the seam due to welding the rear roof on plus a few low spots

o/s rear, you can see the low spots due to the colour of the filler

roof

 

[pinheaduk]

i also had a bit of time to cut my old exhaust off and custom a back box that i found at a carboot for to massive price of £3.50 hehe

its big but sounds awesome

loverly pipes

and i was given a set of scat twin 35mm carbs so put those on after cutting the blower pipes of the shroud as my 36hp style tinware has not arrived yet

more updates tomorrow

 

[T2-Nate]

Man will you be happy when you get that first coat of primer on.... :roll:

How do you feel towards sanding the whole interior prior to put some primer on it?
Are you gonna bare metal the whole interior or just sand it, remove the rust and so on?

Personally the finishing bit is what puts me off, I really like the cutting, welding and grinding the most :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

 

[pinheaduk]

hehe before the primer im gonna barcoat it first as im not sure what the old paint is, as it was brushed on .

and the interior area ill give it a quick rubdown around the window areas as i have got some flashing tape for sound proofing etc, so the majority of the floor and sides of the van will be covered, but ill give it a flash coat of paint in white as i got hammerite and black primer on the bottom already

its getting there, cant wait to get it all barcoated, primed etc as it will be in one colour sick of staring at 9/10 colours and not liking any of them, and yeah i totally agree, this bit all the prep work etc is a nightmare as you think youve got it right one way then you feel t the other way and its nowhere near, and you think how much filler is used when you see empty tins but then you remember you rubbed it all off lol :lol:

 

[sparkywig]

Looking good.
Can't wait to get to the filler, primer and paint stage myself.

 

[Camperdan]

Looking good.
Can't wait to get to the filler, primer and paint stage myself.

Couldn't agree more!

 

[pinheaduk]

ok did a bit more bodywork on the rear panels and also started sorting the rear corners out

still a bit of sorting low and high spots out on the rear panels due to the slight curve on the panel

but getting there, so far its 100times better than it was

 

[pinheaduk]

well today its been more bodywork, still trying to get these rear panels correct, they've been a nightmare but there as close as ill get before putting primer on and flatting back

this side was ok to do,

this side was pure hell, not a clue why but it just would not go flat, there are a couple of high and low spots still but im not touching them until the layers of barcoat and primer are on and i can then flat back and see how bad it is

have also started to tweak the panel seams to try and get them as close to original as possible, i just keep adding and removing until the seams have a good width and depth

also started the sliding door which i skimmed and have started to remove, and thankfully nearly all the filler is coming off, so the door is straighter than i thought

 

[Guest]

i reckon your time and patience wil pay off :wink:

had you any experience of filling and flatting before?

 

[pinheaduk]

yeah worked in a bodyshop for 6months when i had a beetle to get a free paint job , but that was a few years ago.

the hard bit i find is keeping calm as you think youve got it right then you run your hand another way along the panel and its way off hehe

plus you take to much off and got to put a little bit back on. driving me nuts but just keep thinking of putting primer on

 

[Guest]

it looks like youve done it before :wink:

 

[pinheaduk]

i just try and get it perfect, which is harder than ever, i run my hand and might feel the slightest imperfection and i try to alter it. When the layers of high build primer go on hopefully it will smooth everything out that i cant get, if not ill have to keep trying till i get it right.

im just sick of digging filler out of my ears and nose :lol:

 

[DongKG]

Great job! Keep us posted!

 

[pinheaduk]

ok today i had a crack at the o/s rear corner and a few other bits and peices

managed to get the shape quite well but i noticed a few spots which needs work

and i marked them up for the next time i attack it

always struggle on the rear corners as the shape has 3 directions to get and i always managed a nice shape on two but can never get the third curve. to be honest i think im trying to get it perfect which is awkward

i also had a crack at getting the rear hatch gaps right and finally after a bit of fettling i got them, so now im happy they've been bugging me for ages

also the sliding door is nearly done, have marked on the door with a marker pen the low spots

 

[T2-Nate]

Brilliant work, as ever!

But why don't you just dust the filler with spraypaint after you're done applying it? The low spots will remain visible so you know where to keep sanding and where it's flat already.
There's also a black powder for this job, from 3M .
Thought I'd share this tip

 

[pinheaduk]

i usually do to be honest but, i have completely run out and havent been able to get some from usual supplier, and the other reason is didnt get paid properly so didnt want to run out of cash until its sorted hehe, hopefully monday or tuesday ill have some if it gets delievered.

the last time they sent red primer which has given me reaction problems and runs like water