Moke Body Preparation

The biggest job was the actual body. The body was in good condition considering it is the non-galvanised type. It was evident that rust had been removed from the floor pan previously. The underside, and inside of the body had been rust proofed to prevent further rust. There was minimal rust in other locations. Most note able was under the fuel tank cover on the underside of the body (see below). There were a few sections where the rust had eaten through.

I removed and converted this rust and it required new panels to cut and added. There were a number of panels that required work to straighten them up.

You may notice that there is a large hole that has been drilled out of the underside of the body. This was for an extended rod gear change tat was fitted before I took ownership. 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 however it is very functional. 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, please contact me). Also, there was a section under the drivers seat that was cut out and drilled for a radio of some sort. I assume it was put under there so it was out of sight.

Sand Blasting

The body was sandblasted 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 got it on the day. 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 in my opinion. 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.

All damaged panel work was been cut out and all parts have been primed with etch primer (one of the best surface for paint adhesion money can buy). I owe a lot of thanks to Dave Mitchell (owner of SmashFix in Wollongong) for this work. 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 was an outstanding mentor for this project and I am truly thankful.

Body Painting

The body work on this vehicle was extensive. A number of old previously repaired underside seams were removed and new panels were fabricated and welded into place. All surplus holes (approx. 40 in total) were braised and filled and all panels were straightened and levelled.

All seams were sealed using seam sealer and drip check. This is to prevent any chance of rust forming in any of the seams.

The body was then sprayed with high fill followed by a dusting of black paint. The black paint served as a guide of the areas that were hand sanded in order to obtain true flat panels. By sanding over this black paint, it is easy to see the high spots in the body work so that they could be levelled out.

The underside of the body and all cavities (boxes etc) were sprayed with rust proofing and sound deadening paint. This has a matt finish and it can be sprayed right over the top with the desired colour. This was the case for the underside of the wheel arches for example.

Then the colour went on and lots of it! The most of the photos on this page were taken from my phone and are a little dull in colour however the outcome was nothing short of fantastic.