I have a question now though, once its all stripped i need to protect it from surface rust as im working on it. Whats the done deal here? I was thinking that i would go over the van with a sander to make sure any surface rust that may have formed since i started would be completely gone. Then spray a coat of etch primer to protect the body. Does anyone else have any suggestions?
Etching primer will work fine as long as there is no moisture making direct contact, and it's not the only protection for a long persiod of time. Depending how long the body will set unpainted, another option is to prime it and use a sealer over the primer. Used on 'rat rods' that want to keep the primer appearance but be driven in the real world. When you want to the final paint job, just sand the sealer, then paint. A little more work, a little more expense, but better protection over a long period of time.
