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The biggest and
possibly scariest part is the actual body. The body is in quite good condition
considering it is the non-galvanised type. It is evident that rust has been
removed from the floor pan previously. The underside and inside of the body have
been rust proofed to prevent further rust. There is minimal rust in other
locations. Most note able is under the fuel tank cover on the underside of the
body (see below). There are a few sections where the rust has eaten through. I
have removed and converted this rust and it will require bogging or welding of a
new plate come the time for a new paint job. There is a number of panels that
will require beating to straighten them up a little. I am hoping to have all of
this undertaken in one go in the near future. I am looking to have the body sand
blasted, etch primed and painted in two pack glossy red. The underside will be
sound deadened and rust proofed and the inside will be rust proofed and carpeted
in black marine carpet.
You may notice that there is a large hole that has been drilled out of the
underside of the body. This is for an extended rod gear change. It brings the
shifter right up to the drivers seat. It is a bit ugly as the previous owner
didn't really tidy the hole up after it was drilled out. There is also another
section that appears to have been driller out on the right front guard however
it was never punched out. I am unsure why this was undertaken (if you know then
please let me know.
Click here).
There is a section under the drivers seat that was cut out and drilled for a
radio of some sort. Obviously it was put under there for security reasons. I
would hate to change the stations while on the move.
Click here for the detailed document that I will be handing to the panel beater/spray painter come the time to get the body restored.
Update 19th January 2008: The body was sandblasted today along with the wheels, roll bar, front and rear roo bars and all other separate panels. There was a rush to get is back to the paint shop before the rain go it. Sandblasters do not usually blast in humid or wet weather due to the risk of surface rust forming. In this case we were lucky otherwise it would have been straight back to the sandblasters! All up it cost around $750 for all parts to be blasted and it took the blasters about 2.5 hours to complete. When you take into account that it would take weeks worth of full time rubbing back to complete, this is well worth the money. Not to mention the amount of hidden rust spots and places where the vehicle has been filled with body filler. I cannot emphasise enough how much a full sandblasted job would benefit over a standard respray. I am now confident that the body is totally rust free and am told that I won't see rust on it in my lifetime which is all that matters.
In addition, all dodgy panel work has been cut out and all parts have been primed with etch primer which I am told is the best surface for paint adhesion money can buy. This is going to be no second class paint job once it is complete and will be extremely long lasting. I owe all the thanks I have for this top class work to Dave Mitchell, owner of SmashFix in Wollongong, NSW Australia. Not only is David probably one of the most knowledgeable people I know in this field of work, but is also the nicest bloke you will ever meet. David has been an outstanding mentor for this stage of the project and I am truly thankful.
The first image is on the way back from the sand blasters.
Note the dark clouds threatening rain and ultimately a disaster to the bare
metal. The remaining photos show all of the blasted parts in etch primer ready
for further beating, repairing and addition of replacement panels etc.
Update 8th March 2008: