… and we’re off
Team Ratsey assisted in pulling the body off.
Seems quite strange seeing the chassis exposed again, but gave me an opportunity to remove the oil pressure gauge that has given me such grief over the years. Will be shipped out to Speedhut and configured to use their new, all improved, oil pressure sender. No more heart stopping moments seeing that indicator drop to zero!
Looks like I’m going to have to shift the ignition box and coil over a few inches to accommodate the new mechanical throttle linkage. Good to see that all my electrical work behind the dash seems to be in place and nothing loose.
Cleaned up the underside around the wheel wells – planning to put something under there and smooth it out. Not sure if I’ll go ‘all in’ on undercoat as some do though. Also cleaned up the area around the side louvre openings – I have a pair on order but can’t size the holes until they arrive.
Today is unseasonably warm so recall to Team Ratsey to assist in moving the body onto the driveway where I can sand to my heart’s content without covering the entire garage with dust. Took advantage of that and knocked down most of the wheel well flashing with the Dremel and 60 grit wheel. Left some in place as they will need rounding off with filler.
Sun started to go down and the temperature quickly dropped so Team Ratsey recalled to bring the body back into the garage.
And that’s when wifey hit me with it. “I think you should pay someone to paint it”. Admittedly she’s said it before, but I’ve never really taken seriously the thought of shipping the car off, mostly due to the cost. “It ain’t cheap” as the saying goes. Will need to do some research. There’s certainly a reasonable outlay in doing it myself, not withstanding having to buy/rent a compressor and paint gun, plus paint, etc. And build a paint booth. And … And … And …
There are some things I want done though, which I’d need to negotiate with a painter. I want the hood scoop cut out and replaced with a riveted/bolted on one (yet to buy). I also want hidden trunk hinges – which would mean welding back in the trunk curved bar and mounting hinges to the inside of the trunk. That may be a victim of expense – will need to get quotes.
On the upside, it would free me to doing the under the hood work – the mechanical throttle linkage and the ventilation system. Of course, the painter would want the car for initial fitting and final fitment, so that might be tricky too.
Too many decisions.