Kevin,

To begin, the best practice is complete removal of original paint, down to
bare metal.
I sand blasted my van, but blast material made its way into the bell housing
(and just about everywhere else), the rear main seal and clutch had to be
replaced after the blast.  If you sand or chemical strip the paint, that may
be a bit safer.

Once all metal or body work is complete, then have your painter seal the van
with a good epoxy enamel primer (no air to the metal = reduced resurfacing
of rust).
Then a base coat followed by a clear coat.
See link to my restoration completed in 2006 (no rust has returned!)
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/d9eg49zqldz2y62/AABFW1b40gKX6tjQfuZQEoKEa?dl=0

It is also a good time to pull the window glass, and replace the window
seals with the new Euro-seals.  Consider tinting the glass at this time too.

Also, took all the screws to the local hardware store, and found Stainless
Steel Replacements.

I found my painter by going to a local auto paint supplier and asked for
referrals of good "independent" auto body painters.  Found a true expert and
could not believe the low labor cost per hour.  He has remained a great
friend to for the past 9 years too.  He let me work alongside him, removing
parts and replacing parts, applying tape and basically being his assistant.

Just won a trophy this year at a local classic car show here in Detroit.

Hope you find this helpful.

Jack R.
84 Westy, N. of Detroit.

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
Kevin P Gilleran
Sent: Thursday, August 27, 2015 11:19 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Paint preparation resource - sources

All,

I am looking for a good resource that I can use to prepare my van for
painting by others. I would like to do as much of the prep as possible to
reduce cost and ensure quality control.

Also I saw some comments on the use of franchise painters like Maaco. Any
advice in this area would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance for any comments.

Kevin