by wylee Wed Nov 18, 2009 4:58 amanybody shave the drip rails. if icut them off, will i have to weld the roof? will the come off if i cut the rail off?if i cut i know iwill have to grind. and thats ok. its the welding- dont want to much heat to warp.
5 posters
i was wunduring????
wylee- Number of posts : 922
Location : middletown,ny
Registration date : 2009-04-03
benwah- Number of posts : 1135
Location : the land of broken dreams and shattered hopes CT
Registration date : 2008-07-05
Yes you will have to weld the roof, I actually have a roof section cut with the drip rail in tact you can see how everything is pinched welded my pc doesnt like photobucket, so PM me with your email if you want a visual.
donivan65- Governor
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Location : San Diego, California
Registration date : 2008-05-12
So does look something like this Chevy roof?????
donivan65- Governor
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Location : San Diego, California
Registration date : 2008-05-12
wylee- Number of posts : 922
Location : middletown,ny
Registration date : 2009-04-03
thanks guys.......
benwah- Number of posts : 1135
Location : the land of broken dreams and shattered hopes CT
Registration date : 2008-07-05
Yes kinda like the chevy roof, only diffrent 
itruns- Number of posts : 1605
Location : Chicago, IL
Registration date : 2008-07-03
These are from Ben:benwah wrote:Yes kinda like the chevy roof, only diffrent
donivan65- Governor
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Location : San Diego, California
Registration date : 2008-05-12
So how do you shave off the rail? Looks like a pretty nice place to hold moisture in this set up,,,,,,
benwah- Number of posts : 1135
Location : the land of broken dreams and shattered hopes CT
Registration date : 2008-07-05
Thats the reason why you find so many As with "roof rot". 
donivan65- Governor
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Location : San Diego, California
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,,,,,and that is why all the van people should be spraying some kind of rust converter up in that inner roof rail pocket,,,,,,,,
itruns- Number of posts : 1605
Location : Chicago, IL
Registration date : 2008-07-03
I typed in "gutters" on the Search icon. Nada. Also went into "search" - Nothing
Can someone hook me up with the "gutter" thread from a while back? I'm gonna have a lot of questions...
Can someone hook me up with the "gutter" thread from a while back? I'm gonna have a lot of questions...
benwah- Number of posts : 1135
Location : the land of broken dreams and shattered hopes CT
Registration date : 2008-07-05
Donivan, What kind of rust converter spray would you recomend? I know POR-15 works awesome but you have to brush it on, tough to get in all the tight spots. And try not to make a mess- it's there forever. Larry, I rember reading the "gutter " thread too. Ill have to look myself. What kind of questions do you have?
itruns- Number of posts : 1605
Location : Chicago, IL
Registration date : 2008-07-03
I have almost all of the van stripped done to the bare metal and some of my fears been brought to light. I'll be making another thread next week to show what condition the body is in. One of my concerns is the body seams. A Previous Owner (PO) had Bondo'd in the body seams. When I chipped out the filler today, there are some areas with rust in there. The is also some rust in the 'A' pillar seams. I have yet to dig into the gutters 
I'm also probably going to have to put some sheet metal in. I have a through hole beneath the windshield gasket which had rusted out some of the floor. I have 1/2" thick Bondo where there was body damaged in the front and rear.
I'm gonna have to learn how to weld sheet metal, bondo, block sand, prime, etc. I don't want 100 point Van, but I'd like to aim for something presentable that will look good for at least 10 years if stored inside.
I'm also probably going to have to put some sheet metal in. I have a through hole beneath the windshield gasket which had rusted out some of the floor. I have 1/2" thick Bondo where there was body damaged in the front and rear.
I'm gonna have to learn how to weld sheet metal, bondo, block sand, prime, etc. I don't want 100 point Van, but I'd like to aim for something presentable that will look good for at least 10 years if stored inside.
67a 100 pickup- Number of posts : 1319
Location : ann arbor, mi
Registration date : 2009-01-29
Yeap... need pics to see what kind of sheet metal you're going to need.
donivan65- Governor
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Location : San Diego, California
Registration date : 2008-05-12
benwah wrote:Donivan, What kind of rust converter spray would you recomend? I know POR-15 works awesome but you have to brush it on, tough to get in all the tight spots. And try not to make a mess- it's there forever. Larry, I rember reading the "gutter " thread too. Ill have to look myself. What kind of questions do you have?
You kind of want something that converts rust into a black coating at least to kill the rust. I used ZeroRust under and inside my van, its like POR15,,,,,,but I had to smuggle this Purple Power stuff into California,,,,,,it works pretty good,,,,,look, it even made these Ford parts pretty,,,,,,,,Advance Auto in Chicago is where I got it,,,,,,,,need to stock up on this stuff,,,,,,,all our vans kind of collect moisture inside from the temperature changes and people in it,,,,,,and inside that railing that the roof and drip rail are spot welded to the sides needs to be sealed,,,,,,and they never painted it when they built the vans,,,,,,,
donivan65- Governor
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Location : San Diego, California
Registration date : 2008-05-12
donivan65- Governor
- Number of posts : 12246
Location : San Diego, California
Registration date : 2008-05-12
On page 45 of WHAT ARE YOU UP TO, we were talking drip rails,,,,,
https://vintage-vans.forumotion.com/vintage-vans-general-discussion-f1/what-are-you-up-to-t2299-660.htm
https://vintage-vans.forumotion.com/vintage-vans-general-discussion-f1/what-are-you-up-to-t2299-660.htm
wylee- Number of posts : 922
Location : middletown,ny
Registration date : 2009-04-03
i cleened a spot on my drip rail. the spot welds are about three inches apart. now if i weld the roof the same, at evrry three inches. or do i have to weld every inch of the roof?
benwah- Number of posts : 1135
Location : the land of broken dreams and shattered hopes CT
Registration date : 2008-07-05
Ah yes Purple Power, I used there degreaser a few months back, I liked the results. I'll ask the boys at napa about the de-ruster. Is this stuff paint friendly or does it attack clearcoat? My van is half finished inside. I baught some stuff from kano labs few years back called x-rust. It came in a gallon container.The directions call for rinseing with water, Im not sure what will happen if I just spray it and leave it. Guess Ill have to run some tests . Think Ill go to my parts emporium bring out a roof gutter blow off the dust and start with the X-rust . Ill post the progress.