Practically Classics Forum

Maserati V8 Spyder in last week for paintwork detailing

1973 VW Camper for full two tone paint job - several panels + welding / making good prior to paint - currently on with the worst panel - side loading door - bottom of the door and lower of the outer skin is dead and been the subject of several pervious failed repairs I get really pi**ed off when I find filler in excess of an inch thick piled over the top of a dent / scrape because they can not be bothered to remove the inner door card and dress the damage out

Just lazy bodgers ! - needless to say I have now dressed the scrape out now - took all of a few mins old door bottom & skin removed lower skin & door bottom tacked / trial fitted

Now fully welded and dressed back - ready to rehang tomorrow in order to recheck alignment - it then has to come back off so that it can be prepared for paint

superb work Chris

Kev

I'll have to share some of the pictures of the Lancia we started working on, that Camper repair you found is really professional in comparison and has barely a smidge of filler.

Always good to read a new update from yourself, whatever it's on.

- sliding door remounted, sill / wheelarch closing panels welded in and sealed, sill panel under the door is past its best so that has been removed to expose hideous amounts of rust The van has seen lots of previous work (if you can really call it work) the lower floor pans look like they have been held in place with a couple of self tappers prior to application of elephant dung applied by a sawn off shotgun at close range - others may call it welding but not in my book - it's a matter of where do I stop - the camper has come in for a paint job and a few outer panels and my client has a budget so I will just have do the best that I can - I will have to make up a inner sill panel to attach the new outer sill to first.

Bottom of the B post on the nearside was a bodged previous repair which had perforated so this was cut out new section made up in 3 pieces / welded in & cleaned up - had to run a solid weld down the panel join / swage line which I then cleaned back then cut back into with a thin disc on the angle grinder prior to gently opening up with a flap wheel to reinstate the panel join front edge of the step has rotted out on both sides so these have been rebuilt Although appealing there is no way I would own one of these vans - everything is a box section and every time I open up one of the numerous box sections a kilogram of rust flakes fall out With the majority of the van being the subject of previous rust repairs everything has just been plated over leaving the rust just to continue to fester

I commenced repairing the front panel but the more bare metal I exposed the more perforated metal I found - next to nothing of the windscreen aperture lip left Given the amount of work / making good required I have cut to the chase and ordered a new front panel which should be here tomorrow - it's £170 but I would spend four times that amount trying to repair the existing panel

These old things really do like to rust, don't they?