Removing rust from a van is a multi-tool, multi-day challenge. There’s no one way to do it, instead it requires a combination of approaches, different methods and a lot of patience.
Having bought an infamously rusty LDV we’ve had more than our fair share of practice, and over the years we’ve honed our technique for busting rust. We also get a lot of questions asking how we manage it, and realised we’d never done a dedicated post about how we do. in yesterday’s video we detailed the technique we’ve found to be most thorough, which works on both internal and external rust that’s not so serious that it needs welding.
We’ve found that using an angle grinder with a flap disc is the best method, to remove any loose surface rust and grind it back to bare metal. We also use a chisel and a wire brush to get into the corners and difficult areas. We used this technique on the chassis, the cab floor and the roof of the Bedford, as well as on the gutters and pretty much everywhere else of our LDV- wings, arches, sills, doors, you name it.
Recently we discovered the virtues of red oxide primer, which seems to be what everyone uses on their vans these days- originally we used to use Kurust, but that didn’t work half as well. We coated all of the exposed metal in it immediately after grinding, and once that was dry we were able to paint over it with either Stoneguard or van-coloured enamel coach paint.
Another handy tip we wanted to share with you all is how we sealed the leaky gutters and windscreen on our Convoy (all you LDV owners know what we’re talking about), using Bostik Flexacryl Instant Repair for flat roofs. It’s brilliant stuff, a little pricey and very very sticky, but it has almost completely cured our leaks better than anything else we’ve tried in the past. Just make sure the rust is completely gone before applying, or it’ll just seep through.
We hope sharing these tips we’ve picked up over the years will help somebody else with their own van conversion, and if you’ve got any tips you want to share with us let us know! We’re excited to bring you more progress updates on the Bedford as the project continues.
