Rust Buying Advice

[jhobson]

I like the advice of finding a van that hasn't recently been resprayed. The white one has been and it doesn't look as good as mine did when I bought it. I don't think anyone could guarantee what the state of things is under the spray and filler.

So, my van had no visible rust anywhere when I got it. In 4 years, the back quarter looked like this:

[Slider2]

from my playing about with a cut-off section of arch...


320= good clean original steel under factory & aftermarket paint..


510= something dodgy happenning - here I reckon it is filler tapering out to cover over the rust hole..



- = here is it ~1mm filler and paint over nasty rust


590= this is just pure scaley rust... just reading as ferrous!


10= clean uncoated steel


another view of what can look OK on the surface being total grot underneath.

All in all it is a fairly valuable tool in assessing 'restored' areas.

[hagg1s]

Thanks again guys. I’m definitely starting to build a better picture of what to look out for.

sarahandthebear - if we ever find ourselves in the Warwick area soon I’ll take you up on that offer. Would be good to have a guided tour of a van.

Slider2 - many thanks for illustrating the advantages of a paint thickness gauge. It certainly looks like a useful tool. As one can be picked up fairly cheaply, I think I’ll add one to my van viewing essentials.

The advice to go for one rough around the edges does seem crazy but I’ve had that a few times now and can see why. There are a fair few out there with rushed resprays to hide the rust and rot. I suppose bubbly surface rust is just the start too, with a multitude of sins potentially hiding beneath shiny new paint...

[sarahandthebear]

Always happy to help remember buying the van is just the start you then have the fun of spending the first year fixing all the problems you find it can feel daunting at first but once you know your way around the van you will be fine

[Sir Brixalot]

I think you've moved on anyway but that van's too pricey. That's quite a lot of bubbling under a newish paint job. You never know with these vans, sometimes the rust is not as bad as it first looks but often the reverse is true. I's spend less and looke at vans that haven't had a paint job so you can see what's what. You can spend the money you've saved on a paint job in your favourite colour!