Prepping the Interior on a Baja and Frenching a Dash

[david58]

Here are a couple of interior shots of my Baja. I have noticed a lot of you guys leave it like this. I see roll cage installed and these areas of the car to put it bluntly look like crap. After the cage is installed it is harder to sand these areas. So for however long it me I will be removing the surface rust, priming and painting the inside of the car. I bought a few different things like sponge type sanding blocks, sand paper 320 grit if I remember correctly. It takes quite a bit of elbow grease to get a paint-able surface. So it is understandable why these areas don't get the attention they need. I meant to hit the pawn store today, but didn't make it, so I could pick up a electric sander to use on the flat areas to speed things up.


In the pic below most of what looks like rust is glue is there anything that will remove the glue without costing a arm and a leg?

[perrib]

You have a lot of work in front of you. Instead of a electric sander the Scotch Brite style stripping pads that attached to a die grinder will speed up your task as will a small paint gun style sandblaster for the deep pits. I thjink a sponge with muratic acid would work but might get a little bit to interesting without a rain coat and eye protection. A heat gun and scraper also work for removing glue and seam sealer.

[Lotrat]

Spray on rust converter is your friend too. I made quick work of my pans and wheels with it. I sanded off the heavy surface stuff and converted the rest. I really enjoyed the fumes too.

[bajaherbie]

X2 on the fumes.

[Big Dave]

I would just prep and paint the dash and doors. For everything else its just easier to cover with cheapo carpet from the flaps. The carpet does help with noise levels and it keeps stuff from sliding around. Gives things a nice finished look without all the work.

[rte592]

I'm at this step also with my burn victim....
After removing all the Vynal, I just plan to brush/roll on some cheap paint.
Paint over whats left of the glue that does not seem to want to come off with Anything I've tried thus far?

Carpet the rest

[david58]

I won't be using any carpet in my car, so I will be cleaning it up and painting it. It already has new floor pans and heater channels. The floor pans have been sprayed with Line-X. Putting carpet in a off road car isn't something I would do. If the carpet gets wet it takes for ever to dry. Without carpet you can use a wet vac and suck out the water if need be. I think it is best to clean up the rust and use some preventive maintenance rather than cover it up.

[Big Dave]

I don't carpet the floor, but the rear parcel shelf and wheel wells are fair game.

[bajaherbie]

down here on the farm i used van sickle implement paint on the inside of my vw.

i used light grey.....

http://www.vansicklepaint.com/tractor/tractorhome.html

[david58]

I hear ya herbie I am going to use tractor paint but in orange.

ǝnlq uı ǝɯɐu sıɥ sʇuɐʍ ǝıqɹǝɥɐɾɐq os

[Sneaks]

I brushed muratic acid on instead of spraying it and it helped some with the eyes and nose, but I'd still recommend good goggles (not safety glasses) and if not a respirator (which I didn't have) then a fan stuck in the door sucking out for ventilation (what I did). You might want to cut a drain plug or two into the rear footwell areas as well. After 30 minutes of bailing this out...I plan on doing the same with mine.





I'll be using rubber mat cut from an old rubber truck bed mat instead of carpet. Removable, waterproof but heavy enough to help dampen some of the vibrations through the floors.

who cares what bajaherbie wants, I think pink is more his color

[david58]

Sneaks that is exactly why I don't want any carpet in my car. How did all that water get in there?
What I found is working best to clean up the interior is a side grinder with a twisted wire wheel on it.

[Sneaks]

those twisted wheels work well, I have one for my angle grinder and I love it. The 3M flapwheels work well too.

The water got there cuz of this:



Not my car, is Franz, NLW's car that fusername tried floating in a mud puddle and lost. My son and I drove out in his truck to pull them out and stuck around to help bail.

Second recommendation...keep some small buckets or large cups in the car. If the 'road' they were on wasn't part of an old landfill, it could have been really cold bailing with cupped hands.

[bajaherbie]

david, i see that you have both hands on the grinder....

did you take the photo with your foot?

[david58]

I got one of those fancy cameras herbie it's got a built in delay. Those aren't my hands that is a young guy that wants to help me work on the car.