Progress Update

I've got the Vanagon about 80% wet sanded with 800 at this point. I was really happy to see that the color remained relatively intact during this last round of sanding. My plan is to do another three coats and then either do one more 800 pass followed by a final coat or just cutting directly to 1600. Once I've done the 1600 pass it will be time to use rubbing compound and a buffer to get the final finish. This last 800 pass has really got my confidence up though. The Vanagon looks like it may actually look quite nice when I finish this insanely long process. Still no pictures though so you'll just have to wait.

My biggest issue now is that the weather has finally caught up with me. It is getting pretty chilly here early in the mornings and the evenings so I've got to try a new painting strategy for this next round. I'm going to try painting in the middle of the day this weekend but I'm going to do the painting in a parking garage at my office to avoid direct sun. The biggest problem I see with this is that I just don't know how many coats I can get on in the near future. I've got to get this thing done before the temps drop too far below 50 if I want a good finish on the paint. I'm not sure how I can possibly get more than a coat or two on during the weekend since I like to wait at least 24 hours between coats. I would just do a coat a week but if I am looking at four more coats to go then that puts me towards the end of November before I finished - that is dangerously close to bad weather.

I'm also thinking that I'm going to try to get at least the sliding door body work done before the winter as well now. There is a huge dent in it with about a gallon of bondo in it. I was originally thinking that I would just replace the door but now I'm thinking I may try to actually fix it. My plan is to grind out all the Bondo, then get my buddy to weld nails to the dent, use a puller to pull the nails out, grind off the nails, apply filler, and repaint it. This would be by far my most ambitious body work to date but I'd save a pretty big chunk of change if I can do it successfully.

As far as the engine goes, I've suspected that my O2 sensor was faulty right out of the box ever since I replaced my exhaust system. The engine was smelling rich and seemed to be chugging a lot harder than it was before I replaced the exhaust. I bought a replacement sensor and installed it on the van a few nights ago. I still haven't really driven the van but just turning it on in the street and giving the engine a good workout made me think that I've fixed the issue. The engine sounds a lot smoother now and does not seem to be running as rich.

Next up with the mechanical stuff is to replace my temp 2 sensor and thermostat. The heater isn't working in the van and I believe my thermostat is stuck open. I can get hot air to blow in the summer but not the winter and I've read online that the thermostat just needs to be replaced every few years or you'll end up with a problem similar to mine. I hope to tackle this job before it gets too cold. I'm a little bit intimidated with the cooling system mostly because I really don't want to dump antifreeze all over the place. I've read online about using a shop-vac to drain the system so I suppose I should just jump in there and give it a shot. I don't know what I'm so worried about - antifreeze is a lot nicer liquid than gas and I've done plenty of work on the fuel system at this point.