[FC] Rampside body work and paint

[Kent Sullivan]

Ben,

The key thing to tell these folks, assuming they have not worked on this
sort of vehicle before, is that much of the body is double-walled
construction, which means lots of opportunity for hidden rust. If they have
the ability to look down inside panels (Harbor Freight sells a scope and I
think Sears does too, so they aren't science fiction priced any more), it
might be a good idea to do that. The insides of the panels are bare metal so
if they have ever been compromised by moisture, there is going to be some
degree of nastiness in there. The most common problem area for this is the
ramp itself, followed by the quarter panels, in my experience. Tailgate too,
if organic crud has sat on the vehicle (outside storage under a tree...).
And there is likely junk in the side panels that has gotten in via the stake
pockets and etc. over the years. Good to vacuum that out.

Another thing to look for is poor body fit from the factory. Check the
corner panels in the lower front that wrap around from under the bumper to
the front of the door. I have seen vehicles where this panel was sucked in
on one side. If you wanted to go to the trouble, you could drill out the
spot welds, heat up the panel, and it will probably go back into its
original shape (and therefore the correct position). These panels often have
rust issues too.

Finally, the narrow, triangular shaped piece with the gas filler often
rusts. I assume it's due to the gasoline stripping the paint and rust moving
in.

--Kent
-----Original Message-----
From: corvanatics-bounces at corvair.org
[mailto:corvanatics-bounces at corvair.org] On Behalf Of Ben's Bus
Sent: Tuesday, January 01, 2008 5:15 PM
To: corvanatics at corvair.org
Subject: [FC] Rampside body work and paint

Greetings all:

HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope your FC antics have been good.

Today I "stripped" the brightwork off of the Rampside in anticipation of
taking it to my school tomorrow. The boys in the collision repair shop are
going to give it the old 1-2! The teacher is talking about a complete
strippping and bead blasting to bare metal, repair of all soft/rust spots,
and then a respray in a new color of my choosing.

I know it is a very broad subject, but what tips can you offer me to offer
them in their process of stripping/repairing and repainting an FC? Anything
you can add from past experience would be helpful, I am sure.

Lynn will have the garage bay for her Jetta for a few months! She deserves
it, and the truck certainly deserves the makeover.

I will take lots of pictures and write it up for the newsletter as it nears
completion later in Spring.

Thanks!  Ben
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