A little splash of colour

Some excellent progress has been made on the T van since our last post!! Since you last saw it, only one panel had been sticked and the ends sanded.

North side 98% complete

We have since completed sticking the entire van!! Once we worked out the pattern and routine on the easiest way to put the boards on, it was a breeze with the entire van being done within 3 days!!

As mentioned in the last post, we ended up removing all the old tin behind the boards. We replaced this with sisalation. This is commonly seen on housing as a moisture barrier between the insulation and either bricks or weatherboards etc etc. The same theory is applied here, to stop any moisture in the cow hair from sitting against the boards.

South side while the sisalation was being fixed.

The sisalation also made it much easier to fix the new boards on, as we didn’t have to screw through metal, and also, it’s much thinner than the tin, therefore any overlapping doesn’t make much of a difference in thickness compared to tin.

Lauren needle gunning the crash protection bracket

The last of the needle gunning was also completed on the crash protection brackets and all the fittings for the doors etc. An annoying but essential job to the restoration.

Adisson needle gunning all the door fittings

With all the new boards fixed on, it was time to bog up all the screw holes and imperfections. With that done, the bog was then sanded flush with all the timber to give it a perfect flat finish. While this was being done, everything was rubbed back in preparation for primer.

Lauren sanding the south side.

With both sides ready for primer, our attention turned to the ends. Before we bogged anything, we timber sealed the ends, door jambs and doors. This was all done in a couple of hours.

Fletcher is seen rolling the last bit of sealer on the west end.

Lauren rolling the sealer on one of the doors.

With the boards on the ends being so old and dry, it sucked the sealer straight in, leaving next to nothing on the surface. The ends took about 3 thick coats to seal properly!!

East end Bogged up and ready to sand.

Once the ends, doors and door jambs were bogged and sanded, it was time to prime!!

Most of the vans brackets, door fittings and handrails.

Priimmmeee

All primed and ready for some colour

Today (17/1/21), we fitted all the crash protection brackets back onto the sides and welded them back on. Thankfully Riley was able to assist with this bit

Welding one of the brackets

As we used a majority of the wagon red on the underframe a few months ago, we only had enough to do the ends. So while more wagon red is being ordered and delivered, we sprayed the ends with what we had.

We expect to get our shipment of wagon red this week, so we should be able to complete the sides this week at some stage.

Look absolutely gorgeous

But before we do that, there’s a few things to put back together!!! Keep an eye out for more progress.

The YVG are always working on exciting and unique projects! If you would like to support us in our ventures, please consider donating – http://www.vgr.com.au/donations.php

If you or someone you know is aged between 15 and 35 and interested in joining the YVG, Contact Fletcher for more info – yvg@vgr.com.au

Out with the old.. in with the new

Saturday 2/1/21 was a busy day on the T van. We had 5 people all over the van doing heaps of different tasks.

Lauren & Henry sanding the No. 2 end.

We had 3 people sanding different parts of the van all at once. The No.2 end saw about 85% of it all sanded yesterday, with only a small amount to go… which of course…. is the highest part of the van.

One part of the van has almost been re sticked… bearing in mind, it’s broken up into 6 sections. In 2 days one section was completed, with only the end boards of that section needing to be cut in… but they are the annoying ones… so that’ll be done once all the other sticks are on.

New panel with most screw holes bogged up.

We even got the chance to bog up the screw holes on the new panel, and sand it all smooth!

Mini Baz sanding all the bogged holes

Another task which was also tackled yesterday, was some more dreaded needle gunning.

While all this was happening, Fletch pulled the last couple of boards off above the door on the “non platform side”, and also most of the tin cladding.

The Tin cladding is only there as a barrier between the cow hair and the timber, so if the cow hair gets wet, it’s not sitting directly on the timber.., which over time, would cause it to rot.

Stay tuned for more updates!!

The YVG are always working on exciting and unique projects! If you would like to support us in our ventures, please consider donating – http://www.vgr.com.au/donations.php

If you or someone you know is aged between 15 and 35 and interested in joining the YVG, Contact Fletcher for more info – yvg@vgr.com.au