77' G20 Rebuild

[JoRow]

Hey Everyone!

I just brought home my first van today. She's an old beast but only has 120k and seems to run strong and shift smooth (and was cheap!) so I took the risk. The other thing that I liked is already has all of the appliances that I need so I'm hoping that they all work and or can be repaired. I'm pretty mechanical and have good access to tools and a decent amount of cash to put into this build because I was able to get my van for much less than I had planned. Anyway I just wanted to document my rebuild here because I'm going to have lots of questions and I'm a total noob so it would be cool if you guys gave me your thoughts on what I'm doing.

So far it's just been tear down. And testing the appliances. So far I know that the fridge gets cold on AC power but the seal is shot. It can also run on 12v too which I have yet to test.

Also does anyone know anything about ancient power inverters? Should I probably just buy a new one? 

those seats in the above image are just sitting there. i'm thinkin about trying to swap them out for the current ones which are uncomfortable AF

 

[Gary68]

good start,use real wood or plywood no osb or particle board,if you hit craigslist there is usually some hardwood entertainment centers/desks for free or cheap,good oak and cherry

what did you give for the van?

 

[JoRow]

good start,use real wood or plywood no osb or particle board,if you hit craigslist there is usually some hardwood entertainment centers/desks for free or cheap,good oak and cherry

what did you give for the van?

Sweet. Thanks for the tip!

$900 for it. Only time will tell if it truly ends up being a good deal tho.

 

[Txjaybird]

Hello and Welcome,

This is the place for info, ideas, & help, at least it is as far as I'm concerned.  I just wish I knew about this stuff when I bought my last van in 2000 it was a 1978 3/4 ton Chevy high-top camper van & looked a lot like yours.  I didn't do a thing with it and ended up selling it and a 1977 1/2 ton chevy cargo van to the same guy because I had too many vehicles according to the neighbors and the LEO who came out on the complaint.

 On this same forum Got Smart has just gutted and rebuilt his 1991 Dodge short van using beadboard panels that he stained and I think they look "rustic" and sharp, that's just MHO.  He also rewired his elec. system and I almost understand some of what he did.  As a good friend of mine used to say "I'm a study'n on it".

How long did it take you to "unbuild" your van?  Please be sure and keep us updated.     Have Fun!
              
Jewellann/TJB

 

[highdesertranger]

cool, you didn't waste any time tearing that interior out. that orange carpet screams 70's. keep us updated with your build, we love build pics. oh yeah welcome to the forum. highdesertranger

 

[highdesertranger]

oh yeah get rid of the old convertor. the newer ones are light years ahead of the older ones and they are not that expensive. highdesertranger

 

[JoRow]

oh yeah get rid of the old convertor.  the newer ones are light years ahead of the older ones and 

thanks the warm welcome fellas. It's comforting to have other people think my projects are cool instead of crazy 
So far I've just got one good day in to the demo. Today I plan on finishing the sub floor tear out and going to town with some sort of rust inhibitor spray and primer/sealer. I was actually pleased to see that most of the floor is in really good condition but there is definitely some rust at the bottom of the door pockets and such.
More pics to come this evening!

 

[ArtW]

Welcome, and good luck with your new (to you) van

 

[steamjam1]

Hey another Surveyor! (Atleast thats what I think it says on the hightop from the pic)

I got one too, cept mines a Dodge, and is a pile of doodoo! Thats not a crazy project. It looks like it has no rust on the outside. I just welded in like 200lbs of sheetmetal into my Surveyor cause it was so badly rusted.... I'll trade ya!!.. :-D

J/K... Looks great! Ill watch this one..

 

[JoRow]

mwuaha my Surveyor buddy!

Yeah she is actually pretty rusty in some spots inside but the floor aint bad at all. I'm just concerned about some hard to reach spots but to be honest, I think she's going to hold up just fine for my needs. Plus one of my main goals with this baby is to chase that sunshine

I just finished gutting the inside, now it's time to go to town with the wire brush.

Quick question about the rust spots that I can't reach with a brush or wire wheel.... I plan on spraying those spots with a rust converter and then coating them with "flex seal". Is this a shit idea?

Pics to come this evening....

 

[highdesertranger]

have you thought about doing the rust convertor then Por-15 as the top coat? highdesertranger

 

[steamjam1]

mwuaha my Surveyor buddy!

Yeah she is actually pretty rusty in some spots inside but the floor aint bad at all. I'm just concerned about some hard to reach spots but to be honest, I think she's going to hold up just fine for my needs. Plus one of my main goals with this baby is to chase that sunshine

I just finished gutting the inside, now it's time to go to town with the wire brush.

Quick question about the rust spots that I can't reach with a brush or wire wheel.... I plan on spraying those spots with a rust converter and then coating them with "flex seal". Is this a shit idea?

Pics to come this evening....

There were a few spots on my Dodge I couldn't reach either, and I couldn't be bothered to do it right with a sand blaster, so I cleaned out whatever I could, vacuumed the area, sprayed NAPA rust converter all over it, then used Loctite contractors glue to seal up any holes.
[img=82x212]http://www.loctiteproducts.com/img/products/big/pl_ca_prem.png[/img]
Its strong stuff...

Then I covered the entire floor in Chassis Saver. It ain't ever going to rust again...
[img=282x211]http://oi66.tinypic.com/2ah7gig.jpg[/img]

 

[JoRow]

There were a few spots on my Dodge I couldn't reach either, and I couldn't be bothered to do it right with a sand blaster, so I cleaned out whatever I could, vacuumed the area, sprayed NAPA rust converter all over it, then used Loctite contractors glue to seal up any holes.
[img=82x212]http://www.loctiteproducts.com/img/products/big/pl_ca_prem.png[/img]
Its strong stuff...

Then I covered the entire floor in Chassis Saver. It ain't ever going to rust again...
[img=282x211]http://oi66.tinypic.com/2ah7gig.jpg[/img]

Oh that chassis saver looks perfect thanks brotha! I've been kinda thinking about hitting the undercarriage with some sort of rhino liner but that looks like it would do the trick for that as well


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[steamjam1]

Oh that chassis saver looks perfect thanks brotha! I've been kinda thinking about hitting the undercarriage with some sort of rhino liner but that looks like it would do the trick for that as well


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Yeah when I first discovered how bad the rust was in the Dodge, for a while wanted to name the RV the "S.S. Tetanus Shot" cause thats what I though I would need just by looking at it.

 

[JoRow]

Back with a new update! I skipped the last few days because one day was pretty much just scraping, sanding and treating rust. Very uneventful. 

I've made some pretty good progress since then...

I skimped out on the "Chassis Saver" and just spot treated the rust because the floor was actually in really good shape, considering she's almost 40. After I got her all cleaned out I cut strips of 1/2" polyiso insulation and glued them to the floor, between the raised sections. The white globs are sealant for the holes from the screws that held the old flooring down. 

For the walls I ran 1" x 2" furring strips horizontally and glued on my polyiso, to maintain and air gap between the metal and foil side of the insulation. Then I duct taped the crap out of the seams to hopefully create smaller thermal pockets. I figure it can't hurt at least! This next pic shows some wall insulation and the plywood floor down. I went with 11/32" plywood because it was cheap (and I'm pretty light) and I'm still not sure what kind of finish floor I want to go with. I figure if I end up needing my subflooring to be any more rigid, I can always add another layer.

I originally bought some reflectix to insulate the ceiling because I didn't want to lose too much height but after getting the floor in, I still had 6+ inches above my head (I'm 5'9"). Instead, I puzzled in polyiso with duct tape. I didn't follow all of the contours completely so keep some airs gaps behind it (from what I understand, this is what the radiant foil barrier requires). After I got it all in place with the tape, I drilled some holes in the polyiso and shot some spray foam up in there to secure it to the ceiling. I know spray foam in hotly debated here but the high top is fiberglass so I didn't think it would have adverse effects (I hope at least).

I picked up an "indoor/outdoor" throw rug type deal for $18 and decided to try putting that down on the floor in the cab area. I needed something to cover up that metal. It was killin' my vibes. I started by gluing it down with some caulking adhesive crap that I had laying around (dumb idea), it was kinda ok but I gave some 3M hi strength 90 spray glue a try and it was muchhh better. Some of the caulking leaked through but I'm gunna live with it. You can also see some seams that but they look worse in the pic than they do in person and when I throw some cheap rubber mats on top I think it'll be sweet! 

In this last pic you can see some of the high top with carpet on it and I started fitting 1 of the panels. I'm going to piece in that gap on the bottom of the panel but I'm not too concerned about how that will look since this part will be behind my couch. 

After looking at this last picture I decided that I should probably hit those wheel wells with the carpet too..

 

[JoRow]

have you thought about doing the rust convertor then Por-15 as the top coat?  highdesertranger

Hey sorry. I just now saw this somehow.

That sounds like an ideal way to treat rust in hard to reach spots. Is POR-15 the same thing as "chassis saver"? I'm planning on doing as much treatment as possible to the undercarriage. I'll have to apply this method.

Do you know where I can buy the POR15 or is that something that I have to order online? 

much appreciated

 

[highdesertranger]

if there are any classic car places around you they will have it or know where to get it locally. highdesertranger

 

[steamjam1]

Hey sorry. I just now saw this somehow.

That sounds like an ideal way to treat rust in hard to reach spots. Is POR-15 the same thing as "chassis saver"? I'm planning on doing as much treatment as possible to the undercarriage. I'll have to apply this method.

Do you know where I can buy the POR15 or is that something that I have to order online? 

much appreciated

POR-15 can be bought at any auto paint store, or NAPA auto. Its expensive, which is why I used Chassis Saver instead. Its cheaper, and it a one-part coating. I don't think its quite as strong as POR-15, or has the same abrasion resistance, but its just there to cure, and prevent further rust.