Start by removing the structural pieces of the bench, and clean up with a wire brush. Next I sprayed a coat of "Rust Treatment" on all the pieces. This is supposed to stop the rust from degrading the metal, and actually seals it up. Finally, take all the pieces and spray a couple coats of your choice of spray paint.
I drilled out all of the old rivets, and reinstalled stainless screws and locknuts, when re-assembling.
After realizing that the front panels were in pretty terrible condition, I chose to rebuild them. Plus, being a "larger individual," I felt better having something a little more substantial under me. If you decide to keep the original front panel and frame, you simply have to drill out one of the corner rivets, which allows the framework to open up, and you can slide the panel out and replace it, should you choose. I ended up building my new front panel out of 3/4" plywood, and 2 X 2's. This is the back of the panel- newly constructed one up top, old one on the bottom.
Here is the front side of the panel- new up top, old on bottom. Formica was used as the facing. In retrospect, I wish I would have nailed the bare 3/4" plywood to the 2X2's on the back, then glue the formica to the front. Instead, I glued the formica first, then ran screws through the front, into the 2X2's on the back. I then copied the 2X2 support piece, that holds the table, when being used as a bed. This was redwood, and sealed with a clear varnish. Carriage bolts were ran through, and secured with nuts on the back side.
Here is the rebuilt bench structure. Notice that I notched the top of the 2X2, where the steel piece is screwed to the top. This is so there are no sharp metal pieces sticking up, for you to catch a finger or hand on.
Note the 2 pieces of angle iron where the bottom of the panel meets the floor. Went to our local metal distributor, and bought a 10 foot piece of this. There are all kinds of sizes and thicknesses for you to choose from. I then marked and drilled the holes, for the screws to go through.
This photo is to show the angle iron that runs the full length of the panel bottom. Makes the entire assembly very sturdy!
