Total Work Time: 2.5 hours
Okay! Can I just say that I am really starting to LOATHE rivets! What a pain the rump! And every single panel in the interior of the van is attached with 90% rivets and 10% old rusty screws. I have a bruise forming on my right inner palm from getting those 40 year old rivets out. Grrrrrr!!!
Even with my loathing rising up, the progress today uncovered more good quality bones. Before I remove each panel, I write the side it is on, L or R and then a number. Then I take a picture of the number so I know where and how it will go back on later on.
No major deterioration or major issues that are scaring us yet as I remove the panels. You never know what you will find in an old vehicle like this. I was concerned at first as when I unscrewed a certain portion of the right upper panel, the screws were wet as they came out and so I knew there was moisture…but how much? Uh oh! But when the panel came down, there was a little moisture but no rotting or rust so kinda strange. I took a picture and you will see it in the slideshow below.
Once I get all the panels off, then we will start sealing and fortifying the interior body as much as possible. The metal floor has a ton of holes from where the factory screwed the plywood and linoleum in and the screws went right through the floor. So when I removed the flooring and the screws, we now have holes all the way through. Ugh! So, we have a ton of welding to do sealing those holes n the near future before I can even think about sound dampening and insulation. That will be a fun day when the cargo space is actually ready for all that.
So bare with my posts of panel removal progress as this is a very time consuming part but each panel that is removed is like Christmas or a nightmare…not sure what we will get! 🙂 One step to many more! Here is the progress from today!
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Happy Thanksgiving fellow adventurers and vanner family!!!
— Owl
Wandering with Owl 