HZ panelvan resto

[DuncanM]

Hi guys

Ok - I've been stalking the site mostly for about 18 months, some great info and some great projects on here!

My background is in Chryslers - restored about 9 Chargers and decided I wanted to travel around Australia with my pup and so wanted a van. So, after looking for a Valiant van, preferably a Drifter, I realised they are rare as rocking horse shit for half decent ones!! So I went to my next option which was a Holden van. Always liked them as a kid and young teenager, seeing them drive past...

So, I ended up picking up a mostly rust free HZ van from a nice guy in Mildura. 308 4 speed and original paint being Volvo Driver's Beige (original colour name... ;), with a Dog Shit Brown (again original colour name) interior. Bench seat etc...

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GTS guards, pretty much no interior except the worn out bench seat and two buckets. Mechanicals are generally done, but I'll be going through them myself anyway. I was sold on the lack of rust in the gutters and van roof/quarters seam

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Also, the floor pans were excellent.

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So, I'll be updating as I go. The plan is to go with Papaya (yes I know not an HZ colour, but I love it) with a black interior, although the black headlining does concern me a bit with just looking like a mine in the back, but we shall see how we go The other thing I plan on doing is welding up the rear windows and putting the bracing in to make it windowless. I've done a lot of mig welding on my other restos, but this will be a challenge not to stuff it up given the potential for heat distortion.

However, I've got a lot of stripping to do first, and I'm sure (as with all restos) I'll encounter a HOST of issues along the way that I can't see yet, but that's part of the fun, right? (I say in jest...)


EDIT - I should note that I've started stripping and the primer is just sitting on top of the original paint - not upset as I plan on stripping it all back to bare metal anyway....

[HZSM50]

Welcome on board.
Looking forward to seeing all the updates on your build.
Lots of good advice here not just Sandman stuff, a lot of knowledgeable people here.

[Geopaj]

Welcome. It looks like an awesome base to start with. I look forward to reading your progress posts.

[DuncanM]

Thanks guys. Yeah, the basis was really good so I was pretty happy with it.

So, as mentioned, the stripping begins. Started on the doors. Used paint stripper for the outside and the old trusty wire wheel and nylon strip discs for the fiddly bits, where I didn't want paint stripper getting into crevices...

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Both doors were about the same - excellent, no rust (apart from one small section I found on the top of the door of all places), and original paint and lines. A couple of very minor dents that are easy fixed...

Stripped back to bare metal, and in etch primer ready for those minor repairs. I'll do all the stripping first, then I'll do all the repairs...

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So, very happy overall with the doors and what I found... Although damn that original red oxide primer is painful to get off!! Hopefully the rest of the panels are as good!

[Sandaro]

Nice to find them so good. Makes the next part easier

[DuncanM]

Definitely Sandaro. I've got an HX that will need a lot more work than this one... but that's 2026 Duncan's problem

On the note of problems, I've hit my first (not serious) one. Stripped the GTS guards, which obviously aren't original, only to find a huge amount of surface rust under the primer. Obviously had been sitting for years in the primer. Again, not a serious problem, but took longer than I'd hoped to strip them back.

Do love me some paint stripper....

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So the surface rust was pretty extreme... I did wonder if it was a coating... but nope, definitely surface rust...

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Anyway, took a while longer than hoped, but all stripped back eventually. REALLY happy with the condition of the panels - zero rust, one tiny dent in the top corner of one and that's it. Literally almost perfect...

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And in etch primer waiting for the repairs... Onto the nose cone next....

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[DuncanM]

So changed my mind and hit the bonnet first.... again stripper, wire wheel, orbital sander and then in etch....

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The bonnet was like the guards and doors - original paint, no previous repairs and about 2 tiny dents to repair... I'm jinxing myself, I know it....

[Sandaro]

With the guard with surface rust on it under the primer, was it pitted at all and if so how did you address that? Just curious because I have some panels that are lightly pitted from sitting unprimed.

[DuncanM]

Both guards unfortunately... However, after paint stripping I hit it with a nylon strip disc, then with an orbital sander with 60grit pads. You can see where I've stripped it here...

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Then I hit it with the wire wheel (the fine brass coloured one) on an angle grinder - pain in the arse as the little brass wires get everywhere, but it gets into any really fine pits in the metal. Then I wiped it down with deoxydene, waited for a couple of hours and hen finally a final go over with the orbital sander and wire wheel again. That way any tiny specks of rust that may have still been present have been treated. Long winded way around it, but effective.

[Sandaro]

Thanks for the tips. I had tried just the orbital, but of course that doesn't get into the pits.