Guess What I'm Doing!

Still painting...

This morning I got the third coat of paint on all of the flat panels on the bus. I still haven't reached the point where the paint is opaque but I am making progress. I've made another slight modification to my painting technique over the past few days that has helped me get even closer to a mirror like finish without using any sand paper. I purchased a second 4" roller that I leave dry and use it to pop bubbles/evenly spread paint. Now my system is to use the paint roller that has been soaking to push the paint over an entire panel. I work quickly but now that the bus is getting smooth I can't press hard or I will slide. I then stick that roller back in the paint to soak while I use my second dry roller to smooth out the paint and get rid of any bubbles. I've also noticed that the side that remains in the shade almost all day has turned out dramatically better than the side that catches the sun. From here on I will only be painting in the shade. This isn't really a problem provided I get started nice and early. I have reached the point on most of the bus where it really doesn't make sense to keep painting until I can wet sand the stuff I've done already. The build up is starting to approach bumpy so I think it is time to knock it down. I'm planning to go with 800 for this next round of sanding in the hopes that I can keep as much paint on the van as possible.

In addition I've also been painting a few trim items. I painted the rear air vents to match my front vents with the subtly textured black plastic paint and they look really nice. I also painted the door handles last night and am going to add the wiper arms either tonight or tomorrow. I need to decide what I'm going to do with my side mirrors as well. I've got some cheap replacements that I may put on there or I might just try to stick with the stock ones that I've got and paint a few bits of them. Finally, I think I'm going to do a quick rattle can job on my bumpers just to complete the newish feel.

I've still got a really long way to go on my paint job. I can't stress how much work this job is requiring. It is the kind of work that offers a lot of satisfaction but its work none the less. I am super confident that I can make the flat panels look absolutely amazing now but I am still doubtful of the harder to reach areas. I've been trying different small brushes in the hope that I can find something that offers a finish similar to the roller. It is really hard to get a smooth finish on the areas that are difficult to sand and paint. I am guessing that I will finish the main body panels long before I finish the smaller trim details.

Finally, I'm at 95% positive that I'm going to give my bus the "GoWesty black out treatment". Basically I will be painting the lower 15% of the Vanagon with truck bed liner painted gloss black. It should give a kind of rugged off-road look and will help to protect against road rash and salt. I want to do the entire undercoat but its not going to be an easy job to try to do in the street.

Once I get all this exterior painting done I'm going to turn my attention back to the interior and focus on getting the Vanagon trip ready for next Spring. Allison and I will be having our first baby next February and I want to be ready to start showing him the world in our little mobile home soon afterwards.