Grumman the Backcountry Box Van____1997 Ford E450 7.3l Power Stroke diesel

Petrolburner

Explorer
It was a productive painting weekend. I got home from FlightSafety on Thursday afternoon, attended the Smokejumper's Christmas party and a friend of mine drove over from Corvallis to help out. Friday morning we got started with the painting/sealing of the base layer of plywood. This is 3/4" pressure treated plywood using this paint.

Untitled by Petrolburner, on Flickr


Paint by Petrolburner, on Flickr

Paint by Petrolburner, on Flickr

I used a roller to do the bulk of it and Larry used a brush to fill in the voids. 2 coats on all sides. In between the coats of white paint we did the final prep on the subframe of the box van. Washed and scrubbed all the metal with some Purple Power degreaser. Then we let it dry overnight and taped everything up in the morning. We basically made the box into a spray both with the plastic skirt.

Paint by Petrolburner, on Flickr

Paint by Petrolburner, on Flickr

Paint by Petrolburner, on Flickr

Paint by Petrolburner, on Flickr

Paint by Petrolburner, on Flickr

Paint by Petrolburner, on Flickr

Paint by Petrolburner, on Flickr

To everyone who said don't spray that POR-15, use a brush, you were right. This was awful. I immediately couldn't see out of my safety glasses. It was also going to be impossible to get the gun into position to spray everything, so we just switched to the brushes I had on hand as a backup. There were some areas that would have been much better to spray but oh well. It took the two of us until after dark to finish the first coat. We had company coming over for dinner that night. I still thought I was going to go back out there and power through the second coat in the freezing cold anyway, but I was just too tired. POR-15 needs the 2nd coat applied in 2-6 hours while it's still a little tacky. Working by myself it would probably take 8 hours. Applying wet black paint over glossy black paint in the black of night just sounded stupid. I let it cure over night and Kathleen and I went over everything with Scotch-Brite pads in the morning. We ran into town for new brushes and lunch. We got started painting again once we were suited up. You're guaranteed to bump into wet paint at some point, and since this stuff takes 2 weeks to wear off, I wore my spray suit again.

Paint by Petrolburner, on Flickr

Paint by Petrolburner, on Flickr

Kathleen helped out for a couple hours until she had to go to a previously scheduled event. I finished up by myself. Again, I was done after dark and it was ice cold out. I did find a few areas that had been missed the day before so it was good to be applying a 2nd coat. I also painted the leaf springs since they had so many drips on them it seemed like the best option. They weren't exactly cleaned and prepped like they should have been so we'll see if it just peels off.

Paint by Petrolburner, on Flickr

Paint by Petrolburner, on Flickr

Paint by Petrolburner, on Flickr

Paint by Petrolburner, on Flickr

One item crossed off the list!

Paint by Petrolburner, on Flickr

Stockpiling parts!

Paint by Petrolburner, on Flickr
 

java

Expedition Leader
Nice!!! Did you get it on your hootus though, that's the real question!

I did zero prep other than wire brush the loose stuff off last time I used POR, its still stuck like crazy.

Did you go air or coolant heater on the Webasto? I dont remember what you had planned.
 

Mat Mobile

Adventurer

I think we all have a picture like that! I certainly do!

To everyone who said don't spray that POR-15, use a brush, you were right.

Ha ha! Told you so! :elkgrin:

Awesome job! This is a cool and unique project! It's so different from mine but, because it's unique, I enjoy it because it brings up new and interesting ideas! I'll just keep following quietly in the background. :coffeedrink:
 

Petrolburner

Explorer
Nice!!! Did you get it on your hootus though, that's the real question!

I did zero prep other than wire brush the loose stuff off last time I used POR, its still stuck like crazy.

Did you go air or coolant heater on the Webasto? I dont remember what you had planned.

Air heater. If I had more time and money to build this up at my leisure I'd have loved to do an air and coolant heater with PEX running back and forth through the floor.
 

Petrolburner

Explorer
So I think I have a plan for the first big project with the spoolgun. I've always planned on making provisions for walking on the roof and sitting up there in camp chairs to watch the sunset, concert, race, etc. I was initially thinking roof rack but I think I've got a much better idea now. I'm going to use my spool gun to weld aluminum angle or tubing to the existing Z channel. I'll double up all the existing ribs and maybe put some stringers in too. Might as well frame out the MaxxFan too. Then I'll glue and screw furring strips to that just like I plan on for the walls. Then spray foam, then paneling.
 

RC413

Observer
You and me both.... Air heater will be fine!



Third this... The air heaters just seem so easy and can be a stand alone system vs the water/air heaters witch require WAY more planning/work.


What size heater did you go with? Any special ductwork?

Thanks Ross

Ps, good call on brushing... ha!
 

Petrolburner

Explorer
Yes of course white. I really wanted to use a ceramic paint that repels heat even better. I wonder if I should add another layer of aluminum on top first. I probably should. It will go on the outside so no rush I guess.
 

Petrolburner

Explorer
Third this... The air heaters just seem so easy and can be a stand alone system vs the water/air heaters witch require WAY more planning/work.


What size heater did you go with? Any special ductwork?

Thanks Ross

Ps, good call on brushing... ha!

AT2000ST, 7000 BTU. No special ductwork yet. I might plumb it into the cabinets with the water tank and make vents on the cabinet wood so the whole cabinet gets heated. That will help keep my water from being ice cold and also increase the thermal mass of the interior.
 
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