VanZelst Restorations

VanZelst Restorations Van Zelst Restorations is a Father/Son team with a passion for restoring almost anything that needs bringing back to life.

A lil' cheeky sneeky peeky look at a very uneeky lower colour on Matilda.By the way, why does Meta feel the need to clas...
27/07/2026

A lil' cheeky sneeky peeky look at a very uneeky lower colour on Matilda.

By the way, why does Meta feel the need to class my post as Children's literature?

Mind you I've always wanted to write a Children's book about the adventures of Hilda the dual cab kombi! It wont have obvious spelling mistakes like my post above.

Whilst Andrew has been busy completing surgery on the Alfa, I've been doing a ton of work on Matilda. What we thought wa...
23/07/2026

Whilst Andrew has been busy completing surgery on the Alfa, I've been doing a ton of work on Matilda. What we thought was a pretty good kombi before work commenced has ended up needing welding repairs on virtually every panel on the car.
This is how it sometimes goes.
Once you disassemble and sandblast the vehicle, the true scope can be contemplated.

The owners have had Matilda for a long time so its getting the full makeover for its 52nd birthday.

After months of repairs and bodywork, im happy to say we are finally shooting some colour on.
The exterior was re-epoxied and has been shot in polyester ready for 1 more round of blocking.

The interior was primed and finish coated along with the roof.
Any area that is visible was given extra coats for a smooth finish as so much of what was painted is covered by cupboards, soundproofing, floorboards, carpet and trim, so having everything mirror finish is a waste of time and money.

The prep on the poptop roof is about to commence and this top is solid but the paint finish is knackered, so this will take some sanding and product to get smooth once again.

Anyway, unlike Trump, we're here for the people.

Filler work on the Alfas panels has been sealed up with a couple coats of epoxy.These will sit now until we have the bod...
15/07/2026

Filler work on the Alfas panels has been sealed up with a couple coats of epoxy.
These will sit now until we have the body up to speed and then the whole package will get coated in restofinish polyester primer. The whole car then gets blocked as one big panel.

Hop over to our YouTube channel and suss out our latest update video on this car. Major works happening.

When Andrew sends me subtle messages about using certain things 😅"But how am I supposed to cut my rough sandpaper son"?M...
13/07/2026

When Andrew sends me subtle messages about using certain things 😅
"But how am I supposed to cut my rough sandpaper son"?
My wife Linda says the same about her fancy dress making scissors at home 🫣
My motto is when something needs a cuttin, grab what's handy!

Steady progress on the Alfa with all the opening panels in epoxy and ready for first round of bodywork. Andrew has been ...
09/07/2026

Steady progress on the Alfa with all the opening panels in epoxy and ready for first round of bodywork.
Andrew has been cracking on with the drivers sill/A -pillar area, this is comprised of 4 layers.
So working from the inside out is the only way.
Meanwhile I've been on Matildas and Neumann's bodywork. It's all coming along nicely.
There's going to be multiple beautiful kombis on their way soon.

The Alfa's bonnet has obviously had a hard life. It's a front opening unit so im thinking its been pushed forward too fa...
06/07/2026

The Alfa's bonnet has obviously had a hard life. It's a front opening unit so im thinking its been pushed forward too far.
Anyway, more welding for Andrew

I was going to make a joke about Grego having lead in his pencil, but this is a family channel and anyone who know us a...
06/07/2026

I was going to make a joke about Grego having lead in his pencil, but this is a family channel and anyone who know us agrees that our minds are pure 😇😇
On the special jobs we drag out our lead wiping kit, and the Alfa GTV is such a job.
On this drivers door the swage line had a sharp crease in it and when we used the stud puller to straighten it, the metal was very thin and it split.
It was welded up and ground down but needed a little topping over the weld area.
Going through the whole process is a bit more time consuming than polyester filler but its a stronger option. You can literally hit lead with a hammer and it will dent with the metal, not chip or crack.
The lower corner rust repair was also loaded and filed and the panel is ready for a few coats of epoxy.
I notice my lead kit is getting low so ill be placing another order soon with Metal Man Tools

Alfa's opening panels required substantial rust repairs but Andrew has it sorted. The old renegade tig welder still doin...
03/07/2026

Alfa's opening panels required substantial rust repairs but Andrew has it sorted. The old renegade tig welder still doing its thing.

Happy Birthday egg two.The powerhouse that is Casey Van Zelst - Stokes
01/07/2026

Happy Birthday egg two.
The powerhouse that is Casey Van Zelst - Stokes

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Grantham, QLD
4347

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0447661226

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