Over the past several weeks I have come to terms with the fact that I am not very good at project management. There are big projects on the van that need to be started. I have tried breaking those big projects up into smaller projects, but even then I get so overwhelmed that I find myself giving up and working on much smaller projects that are inconsequential to the completion of the van. I need to get started on the van’s floor. Instead, over the past couple of weeks I’ve installed a MaxxAir fan, replaced the stereo, and, as of this weekend, started repairing small rust spots on the van. These small wins make me feel like I’m accomplishing something even though deep down I know I’m procrastinating on starting more difficult projects.
Yesterday, on my day off, I installed a pair of stick-on window vents above my front windows. Each time I walked from my workshop to the front of my van I noticed the same spot of rust on side the of my van. My 2007 Ford Econoline E-250 was a work van in its previous life that I bought because of its low miles, not for the shape of the body. One side of the van has light hail damage. There are minor paint chips and rust spots all over the van. Why I felt compelled to fix just one of them, I’m not sure. I just needed a win.
This was the spot that was driving me crazy. Compared to my fingernail, you can see it’s really not very large. It stands out because it sits in that horizontal channel that runs the length of the van, interrupting the natural line your eyes follow. I initially thought all those dark spots around the rust spot were also rusty scratches, but they turned out to be smudges of grease.
The key to any painting project is preparation. This was the first product I used. In my video I said that I ordered this from Amazon, but now that I think about it, I think I bought it at Dollar General. The main mistake I made with this degreaser was not letting the degreaser do its job. Like Goo Gone and most other cleaning products, this degreaser works best when sprayed and then left to sit for a minute or two. Once I did that, all the spots (except for the rusty one) wiped off with little effort. Once the area was cleaned, I used a spray bottle of water to wipe everything down. If you watch the video you’ll see me use the water bottle half a dozen times, but in reality, I probably sprayed and wiped the area 30 times.
Next I sanded off all the rust using a Ryobi orbital sander. In general, I like Ryobi’s 18v battery powered tools. Overall I don’t think they’re as powerful as most corded tools, but the little bit you give up in oomph you gain in convenience. Dragging an extension cord out to the driveway every time I want to sand, drill, or cut something is a pain in the butt. My workshop is always full of crap and I invariably knock over piles of stuff by yanking on extension cords. I do have several corded tools that I use in my workshop, but these Ryobi ones are generally good enough. If I were a general contractor and doing this stuff for a living I might have a different opinion, but I’m not.
Every time I see myself in one of these screenshots or videos I am reminded how overweight I am. Most of the #vanlife people I follow on YouTube are much younger, much thinner, and much more attractive than I am. Also, before painting or sanding I always put on old shirts with holes and stains on them. I’m going to have to up my wardrobe game if I’m going to keep uploading videos to YouTube and Instagram. Maybe I will buy an old tuxedo and wear it while doing van projects.
With all the rust sanded away, I used a sanding block to even out the levels between the bare metal and the original paint. My dad taught me a long time ago that anything you can feel with your hand will show up after you paint it. I think I mentioned this a dozen times in the video as I continually rub my fingers across the area to make sure that everything was smooth. Any areas that feel lower or higher will show through a paint job.
After the area had been sanded and wiped down, it was time to apply a layer of primer. Using primer on a project costs more and takes more time — that being said, every single paint project I’ve ever used primer on has turned out better than all the ones I did where I didn’t prime. Primer sticks to metal and wood (in theory) and paint sticks to it. Not only does this create a stronger bond, but all those layers tend to smooth things over.
That being said, this $6 can of Krylon primer is just about the worst primer I have ever used. While this product has a nearly 5-star rating on Amazon, if I had scrolled down on the page I would have noticed the dozens of 1-star reviews left by other customers. Every negative comment and complaint I found to be true. This primer was so thin that it took me 10 coats just to cover the exposed metal. When I moved the can quickly I couldn’t even tell where I had applied paint, and when I went more slowly the primer ran like water. Again, when doing a project like this I feel like applying primer is a mandatory step, but I won’t be using this brand again.
Once the primer had dried it was time to apply a few coats of Dupli-Color Perfect Match paint. Dupli-Color sells paint colors that exactly match the original factory colors used on cars. The color on my 2007 Ford van is listed as Oxford White, a color Dupli-Color sells. This paint is not cheap; this 8oz can costs $16 on Amazon, and contained just enough paint to repaint the inside of my rear doors and finish this project. The good news is, it does appear to perfectly match the color of my van. The bad news is, to paint all the areas that need painting I would need to order multiple cases of the stuff. I had originally planned to repaint the entire interior of my cargo van (which is all exposed metal) with Dupli-Color before applying finishing to the ceiling, walls and floor, but at $16/can I think I will find a semi-gloss primer that is close enough in color and use that instead. For areas that won’t normally be exposed, that should be good enough.
As stated in the video, I didn’t have any master plan going into this project. I didn’t know if the spot would require one, five, or ten coats of paint. After two coats I could still see a few areas of primer and after three I couldn’t, so that’s when I stopped. Your mileage may vary depending on the type of primer used, the size of the area being painted, and what color you’re painting. Black and white paint seem to be pretty forgiving when it comes to small auto repairs; other colors, not so much.
The last step involved wet sanding the new paint. For this step I used a sheet of 3,000 grit sandpaper. 3,000 grit is so fine that it almost feels like notebook paper. Using my trusty spray bottle, I kept the area wet while sanding down the new paint and making sure to blend the edges between the old factory paint and my newly applied paint. Wet sanding gets rid of the dull feeling left behind by the spray paint and brings out a shiny finish.
At this point there were two additional steps I could have performed but chose not to: buffing out the paint, and applying a clear coat. If you are painting a newer vehicle and attempting to match a factory paint job (particularly one that is not white or black), buffing out the paint and applying a clear coat will really help match an original shiny auto finish. The thing about white auto paint, especially on something like a work van, is that it’s so forgiving.
Here is the final result. As you can see, there is no trace of the original spot. I wiped the area down one last time with a damp cloth, and by the time the summer sun had dried everything, the area completely disappeared. If I were to point out the exact location and hand you a magnifying glass you might be able to spot the repair, but fixing the spot to that level was never my intention. My goal was to paint the area so that it didn’t jump out when looking at the van, and would not appear visible from a few feet away. No one parked next to me would ever be able to find the spot. To be honest, from six inches away, it’s still pretty tough to find. To perform a high quality paint job on a vehicle you would need to start with a pristine paint booth and some actual auto paint. For repairing a small spot on a vehicle that’s parked outside in your driveway, this worked pretty well.
If you want to watch the entire process, I uploaded a ten minute video to YouTube that shows all the steps and explains everything step-by-step.