Back to paint……….
It will be an ongoing theme here, for some time I suspect.
https://youtu.be/uXfRv_4nBcw?si=tC35J9Du-CIh8rxn
Funny how small things can become big things.
Sometimes a fix can lead to a second look, and reward the fixer as well.
When I first saw the Caddy on Zel’s advertisement, the one photo that made it look a bit tired (well, a few really did) was this photo……..
Posture and front wheel…. The wheel just looked tired, but my first thought was that a bit of silver would improve it.
Walking around when I went to look the first time, the rears were just as bad, in a different way.
Someone had smeared some silver over the rust scales with a brush, badly.
So once on my driveway, one of the first jobs to do was to get the wheels all looking the same.
Albeit also with a brush and Hammerite.
So I got straight to it, in fact the first job I got to, 36 hours after collecting, on the Thursday morning, even before the front Grille.
Up in the air.
Axle stands yes.
Sanded them all back, removing flagged lumps of old paint and rust.
Closer up, ready for the next step.
Trusty old Hammerite paint.
Not as good as the bad old stuff, lots of chemicals, carcinogens and poison removed now.
While I waited for the paint to dry, I also tried the Scruffy Micra’s wheels. After all, they cost me £200.00 get looking this good.
Not at all impressed, they are 14’s so the decision made to sell, and sold within an hour of listing for the asking price of £150.00 and collected next morning by 08.00
This meant the door was wide open to start looking for some other wheels to fit as well.
Of course…….. yes, a cheap runaround suddenly escalating and my wallet draining noisily like a bath in a horror movie.
Once I got over the disappointment of the copper alloy fail…….
I crawled around underneath while the van was up in the air.
I was not shocked, I was more than shocked. Zelandeth had warned that the structure underneath was in a crappy state, nothing was hidden, and even peeping under the van when in Milton Keynes was fine to my eye. Now I thought……. MOT Fail?
Flakes of rust the size of my hand waiting to drop off the rear section that had been added into the floor 21 years ago……
These conversions are clearly done at a budget.
Almost non-existent quality control and certainly no long term pride.
Like the saying “If it’s on, it’s gone”
I suspect the builders motto is “Get it done, grab the cash and run”
So another big job may lay in wait, I did not want to go prod with a screwdriver or hammer.
I also could not really figure out how the rear bumper sections will be removed if I can find an intact, undamaged one to fit.
I really do want to fit a decent one to the rear, currently it sucks to look at.
So I went to make a coffee when the paint dried.
Coffee and ginger nuts.
Life savers.
I was pleased with the result of the brush painted steel wheels.
When good enough really means good enough. A temporary fix.
Once refitted to the van I swapped it and the Chevy Astro around.
Took a pic, stood back and smiled.
Small improvements.
And of course opinions are welcome.
I had considered other colours.
Silver is just so, well, silver.