It is time to tackle the rusty floor. Really have not been looking forward to it so I've had to force myself to work on the bus. You can see below how much 'fun' is ahead of me.
The first step was to use a wire wheel in a grinder to remove all the loose rust. A good mask and lots of fans are a must for this part. I started with a small area to test my process before tackling the entire bus.
After lots of research I decided to give this Rust-Oleum Rust Reformer a try. Got to admit that I was very skeptical that this would work, but WOW- I'm impressed! After removing the loose rust I painted this on and waited.
After an hour or so I was left with a sound, black, rust free surface that is ready for paint or primer.
I believe in miracles, but the Rust Reformer can't reform what isn't there. The areas around the wheel wells needed to be totally rebuilt.
Some areas needed the structural supports rebuilt before I could work on the sheet metal.
Instead of piecing the floor together we decided to install new steel all around the wells. I picked up some custom bent 16 gauge steel to patch the holes in the rusty floor at a local fabrication shop. The front and rear wheel wells will each get 3 pieces that will basically create a new floor. The total price was $500 for labor and materials! Money well spent. I provided them with a drawing of what I wanted with the measurements and it turned out perfect.
The 3 pieces fit together like this with a healthy serving of Sika-Flex 221 under it.
After the corners are bent to match the contour of the wells they are all welded in place and more Sika-Flex on the seams. Now the floor is sound and read to be built on. At least the front is. The rear wheel wells are a different story that I will get to later.
