I have been working on my van (see Man with Van and Van:The plan posts for more information) and have started the conversion into a campervan. This post covers the removal of the old plywood lining and repainting some areas of metal.

The first job was to remove the old plywood lining. This had some damage and there was also a lot of dirt underneath, including what looked like a oil spill.

Removing the old ply took longer than expected as many of the screws heads were rounded. I found the best method to remove them was to cut a slot into the head of the screw and then us a flat screw driver. To do this I used a rotary tool (similar to a dremel) with a small cutting disk.
I was then able to remove the plywood and clean underneath. I will be fitting new plywood but have kept the old as a template.

The old plywood lining had been screw dicetly into the metal and as a result had made small holes in the floor. I deburred all of the old screw holes, on the top and the on underside where I could get access. I then gave the inside a clean again and also scrubbed the underside. The holes and any exposed metal was then treated these them with a rust inhibitor which also doubles as an etcher for galvanized steel. (Renault Trafic vans have a galvanized steel body and for the paint to properly adhere this needs a pretreatment). Next these areas were cleaned with panel wipe and several coats of straight to metal paint applied.

I wore a good quality mask, goggles and my overalls when cleaning under the van and repainting, this offered adequate protection from the dirt falling onto me and I avoid breathing in the paint fumes which I feel is important especially in a confined space.

I then filled the screw holes with PU sealant and repainted any areas of the inside where the paint had become damaged. I filled the screw holes as I am going to glue down battens and then attach the new floor to these. I think this offers a better finish, as I can then put insulation under the floor, and removes the potential for rust between screws and the metal of the van floor.

I took care to treat and repaint all the exposed metal edges as although the van is galvanised if rust starts underneath the floor or plywood lining it might only be noticeable when significant damage has already occurred.

The next step is to insulates the van with double foil bubble wrap and then reline the van using plywood. In fact in some of the photos you can see I have already started the insulating.