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Old 07-07-2015, 02:41 AM   #1
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Best/Quickest/Cheapest Roof Sanding Method

Hey all, I'm new to the forums here. All the information has been super useful! My girlfriend and I own a 77 Gillig bus who is in desperate need of new roof paint. From what I can tell its been painted once and it is a chipping rusty leaky mess. It stays about 1,000 degrees inside on a nice day outside because of it too. I just ordered elastomeric paint to redo the roof and I am wondering what the best plan of attack should be.

60/80 grit sandpaper on a power sander with a good rinse after is the only idea I've had. Using my angle grinder with a wire cup on the whole roof seems like a very tedious and involved project. We're also road bound on the 23rd of July so I'm trying to get this done quick.

Any tips and advice to get a good coating on a roof in very poor condition right now?

Side question too. I need to do a lot of sealing up there (we went through a huge storm in ohio last summer and found out the bus basically leaks from everywhere) is 3M 08300 Ultrapro Autobody sealant a good choice?

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Old 07-07-2015, 06:17 AM   #2
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hi and welcome!

Our roof was not so leaky as yours is described so hopefully someone else can add their 2c.

I'd suggest some POR 15 or Ospho to your plans to deal with your rust issue.

The grit you're suggesting seems pretty aggressive...would hate to hear the roof broke through while sanding; though this may not actually be an issue.

I'm thinking knock the big flakes off, coat with Ospho, then elastomeric it unless you need to patch weld (in which case, you'd do that before coating with anything).

Logic is that few will see the roof and our 4 coats of Henry covered all. Also, make sure your seams and rivets get very well coated in case they leak.
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Old 07-07-2015, 01:48 PM   #3
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I used 3M 08505 Fast N Firm seam sealer on the rain gutters of my Land Cruiser. Seemed to work well, and didn't shrink as it dried. Also didn't leak, which was the main idea.

That 08300 looks like good stuff, too. Lots of 3M options...
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Old 07-07-2015, 10:29 PM   #4
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It's seems that your bestest choice would be the very choice that Hubby & I chose not to do and hope to never have to do.

Pull down your ceiling and take it down to bare metal and start over. I don't think that just putting extra blobs of paint on every rivet & seam will solve your leaks and problems.

Many, many, many people here have done it, it looks a big pain in the YOU KNOW WHERE but I don't think anyone who has done it has come back & said that "that was the biggest waste of time. never again".

We don't have a lot of time & money put into ours as of yet, but what we've done I know I want to keep in all it's glory, right or wrong. I think you will probably share that same feeling once you start your build. It don't matter how good of a job or how sucky of a job you did......you did it & you will be proud of it.
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Old 07-07-2015, 10:37 PM   #5
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Old 07-07-2015, 10:55 PM   #6
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^ did that once. never again!
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Old 07-08-2015, 12:33 AM   #7
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Old 07-08-2015, 02:50 PM   #8
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Solar Fan

Maybe this is not the thread for this, but is about keeping the bus cool, any opinions on this:

http://www.costco.com/Solar-Attic-Fa...100154226.html
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Old 07-08-2015, 03:07 PM   #9
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Maybe this is not the thread for this, but is about keeping the bus cool, any opinions on this:

http://www.costco.com/Solar-Attic-Fa...100154226.html
That's a good option for us, this whole thing is ways to keep the bus cooler. 35' metal tube in full sun is rough. We don't have any working fans currently and I've been looking into more solar options.


I'm thinking the best way is just get up there with a palm sander, respirator and a lot of motivation. I was thinking of using the 30800 3M stuff because I was concerned about the fast n firm being too... firm. Our old diesel has a lot of vibration too it so I want something that's more flexible.
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Old 07-08-2015, 03:11 PM   #10
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Originally Posted by Seroflorus View Post
hi and welcome!

Our roof was not so leaky as yours is described so hopefully someone else can add their 2c.

I'd suggest some POR 15 or Ospho to your plans to deal with your rust issue.

The grit you're suggesting seems pretty aggressive...would hate to hear the roof broke through while sanding; though this may not actually be an issue.

I'm thinking knock the big flakes off, coat with Ospho, then elastomeric it unless you need to patch weld (in which case, you'd do that before coating with anything).

Logic is that few will see the roof and our 4 coats of Henry covered all. Also, make sure your seams and rivets get very well coated in case they leak.

I think it has mostly been the seams and rivets. Something is leaking in the front though that causes small waterfalls to come in through the dash and windshields. I blame the almost 40 year old rubber gaskets for some of it. We have to get the windshield replaced this week so hopefully that will help. I haven't looked at the roof in awhile and I am hoping I am imagining more rust then there actually is. Won't find out until I can get back up there this week. Previous owners did take it to Burning Man though and that dust is about the worst thing any metal can go through.
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Old 07-08-2015, 07:31 PM   #11
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we have a gutter that goes along the front just above the wind shield...like a unibrow...anyway, some ambitious soul belonging to the church that owned her got up there and gooped on so much caulk in the gutter that it created a dam on either end. result, pooling water in the middle of the gutter and a bit of rust and overflow that ran down the inside of the wind shield...maybe check yours for a rusty unibrow.
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Old 07-08-2015, 08:20 PM   #12
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That's a good option for us, this whole thing is ways to keep the bus cooler. 35' metal tube in full sun is rough. We don't have any working fans currently and I've been looking into more solar options.


I'm thinking the best way is just get up there with a palm sander, respirator and a lot of motivation. I was thinking of using the 30800 3M stuff because I was concerned about the fast n firm being too... firm. Our old diesel has a lot of vibration too it so I want something that's more flexible.
The fast n firm sealer was still pretty rubbery feeling (dried, but resilient) after a couple weeks. Then I sold the truck, so I dunno how it feels now, a couple months later. I bet either one would be good to go, though.
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Old 07-09-2015, 10:59 PM   #13
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Originally Posted by The-Breeze View Post
It's seems that your bestest choice would be the very choice that Hubby & I chose not to do and hope to never have to do.

Pull down your ceiling and take it down to bare metal and start over. I don't think that just putting extra blobs of paint on every rivet & seam will solve your leaks and problems.

Many, many, many people here have done it, it looks a big pain in the YOU KNOW WHERE but I don't think anyone who has done it has come back & said that "that was the biggest waste of time. never again".

We don't have a lot of time & money put into ours as of yet, but what we've done I know I want to keep in all it's glory, right or wrong. I think you will probably share that same feeling once you start your build. It don't matter how good of a job or how sucky of a job you did......you did it & you will be proud of it.
If anybody here has successfully removed the ceiling in a Gillig please tell the rest of us how you did it. Pictures please.
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Old 07-16-2015, 02:58 PM   #14
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That is the current state of the roof. Even worse than I remembered!
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Old 07-16-2015, 06:29 PM   #15
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Ah sorry, hopefully this picture works
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Old 07-16-2015, 07:56 PM   #16
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I would use airplane paint stripper remover let it sit for like 10 minutes then you should be able to wipe it off
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Old 07-16-2015, 08:11 PM   #17
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I would use airplane paint stripper remover let it sit for like 10 minutes then you should be able to wipe it off

Do you think it would bleed back from the seams or does it rinse fairly well with water?
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Old 07-16-2015, 10:25 PM   #18
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It rinses well but I'd be very careful using it...
Don't put it on too thickly or it will run and eat every bit of paint in its path. It will burn like fire if you get it on your skin. Harsh stuff. I held out as long as I could doing it the HARD way till I broke down and got a couple gallons of the stripper. wish I'd done it to begin with.
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Old 07-16-2015, 11:39 PM   #19
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It rinses well but I'd be very careful using it...
Don't put it on too thickly or it will run and eat every bit of paint in its path. It will burn like fire if you get it on your skin. Harsh stuff. I held out as long as I could doing it the HARD way till I broke down and got a couple gallons of the stripper. wish I'd done it to begin with.
Thinking this might be the best route to take. How much do you think I would need for a 35' roof? There are quite a few bare spots as well.
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Old 07-17-2015, 01:40 AM   #20
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That looks like someone painted the roof with something like Snocoat.

I would think as much as it is peeling that hitting it with a pressure washer would get rid of most of it.

In all my years of experience with Gillig buses I have never had one leak like what you are describing.

If your bus had roof ventilators they can leak as well. Our church has a 1979 Gillig and we need to always park it in one particular direction. If it is parked heading the opposite direction the prevailing winds tends to blow rain into one of the roof ventilators.

Be aware that at the front of the bus at the top there is a fresh air inlet vent that will leak if everything isn't sealed up correctly. Our 1979 doesn't have that kind of ventilator and it has been forty years since I have been on the roof of an older Gillig so it is hard for me to visualize what it looks like.
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