Hi all, When I bought my Estate wagon in 2011 it had been sitting outside for three years since it was brought from Cali in '08. Back then it looked like this: When I acquired it in 2011 it was like this: I found someone offering woodgrain replacings for a decent price so I took it there, got it back looking a lot better: Sad enough, I discovered that the product they had used was not 3M but something cheaper. The woodgrain started cracking around the wheel arches after six months.. I was even more lucky when I discovered this woodyguy had disappeared and so did his workshop.. After comparing many, many patterns of 3M Di-noc I picked one close enough AND UV-resistant. Today me and my old man started to pull off the replacement stuff, and decided we wanted all the original plastic off too, since there was a little bit of rust starting on the doors, strange place by the way.. So after a few hours of scraping and peeling: I will be posting more pics along the way, next will be some filling and sanding to prepare it for primer.. Thanks for looking! PS > Does anyone know where to get replacement trim clips for the lower trim panels and woodgrain moldings? Some of them broke of course. Can't find them on e-bay..
Good luck. Thanks for the before----after ---and rebefore photos. Now get after it so we can see the after after photos.
If you need any woodgrain trim redone or any decals, I will recommend T/A Truck Painting & Graphics Website: ta-graphics.com Brandon tagraphics@sbcglobal.net 262-691-1410 Brandon did a lot of work trying to match my 1963 Ford Country Squire wood grain -- both the dark vinyl and the light trim. It looks fantastic! Seeing this man work makes me think that he can do almost any kind of wood that you would like. Tell him John with the '63 Squire recommended him.
Making progress... After ALL of the two layers of plastic were peeled off the sanding started. I also had to brush out rust pitted areas on both doors. Never seen rust on a spot like this before.. After everything was cleaned well I applied a layer of Hammerite Direct over rust to protect the bare metal and rust pitted areas. Coming up after finishing this part all around, is sanding and smoothening out the surfaces with a tiny bit of filler here and there, since the paint under the plastic has some severe damage in some places from scraping.
As I've written before, I love a wood grained wagon of any kind. But after seeing all the problems and all of the work there are only two ways I'd have a wagon with wood grain. #1 It would have to be a mint original that I keep in the garage and only park in the shade when I drive it. #2 I or someone else would paint it with a wood grain pattern then clear coat a semi gloss. Many years ago I did wood graining fairly original on several car dashes and window trim. True these are small areas but with patience one panel at a time can be finished. There are kits and books showing how it's done. Having it done would be expensive because of the labor. But we are all our own cheap help! I really don't believe there is anything made today that will not shrink, peal, and or crack. Just keep in mind paint thinners, etc and a rag are our friend.
Update: Finishing touch Fellow wagon people: it has been a while since I posted my last update, after hours of heat gunning and cutting its finally finished!
Was that a small sandblaster in one of your pics (blue steel bottle)? What media did you use? I did mine back in 2009, and like yours, it died, so I have to remove it too. :banghead3: Nice work.
@ stormin The spray can is just primer. I sanded all panels and used a soft wire brush on a power drill to remove anything that looked like rust. Big patches I brushed down to the bare metal. I would not recommend anyone to use Hammerite for this type of job, the product is not made to apply in more layers. This got me into a bit of trouble and more work. If the paint is severely damaged, it needs to be sanded, primered and painted, like my bodyshop did on my RR quarter panel (first pic outside). The panel had been dented and the wheel arch was poorly repaired, so I got it fixed and it's nice and straight.
Another pic to get a better idea of the result in daylight: It's a bit dirty from a camping trip to Berlin and south Belgium last week (2000+ miles in one trouble free week) The only thing left is the emblems, job done!
Good to know. I'm gonna buy a small media blaster tomorrow to clean up some parts and the suspension. But I like how you did the woodgrain removal.
Your wood grain and the wagon look great! Hope it holds up much better than the last. Here in Florida I don't believe I'd buy a wagon with vinyl wood. The sun is just too hot. So you'd rather take the family camping than put emblems on? I'd done it at the campground.
