Prep for Paint....FINALLY

I am now actually seeing the the light at the end of the tunnel. A few times, I actually begun to doubt I'd ever be this close to having a final paint job complete. I was ready to farm the next step of prepping for paint out because I just don't have the patience and I'm ready for the project to be done.  I know I'm well past the halfway mark but it's time to get on the road.
Jon talked me out of (just like the welding) and I'm going to do it myself. He was a big help once again to show me the ropes. It's not that difficult but requires the time and patience to get it right. 
 Again, I would rather staple my head to the floor than do this but I want to get it done right and I only trust myself and Jon to get it right. Even if there are imperfections, frankly, I don't really care because I would only have myself to blame.

Here I am working on the gas tank while Jon works on the Holy Grail of aircooled vehicles....the "W" decklid.  I think he's particularly pleased to say that he has done some body work on this piece. It's bragging rights for certain. Kind of like when you can brag about the girl that everyone wanted to date but could never get close enough to talk to. 
 The gas tank is in great condition but it has some typical pitting from the fuel that's spilled over the years.

Here is the right quarter panel that Jon and I worked on.  He did most of (ok.....all of it) the Bondo work.  There was a quarter sized hole that needed to be filled.  We covered it in fiberglass and then Bondo to top it.  He did a fantastic job.

 The front nose has so many pitting spots.  They're not hard to fill and take care of, but they are in tricky spots and there are just so damned many.  It took me hours to get this done and have it look right.  I'm still working on some of the areas still.  You can see the pink spots all along where the hood seal will go.  The trunk has some trouble spots too so I want those to look good since I'll be painting this area as well.

 I worked on this area and it came out pretty well.  The front corners of the nose needed to be smoothed out.  There were some gaps when the new front apron was welded in.  The fiberglass and Bondo is getting it to look "sealed". 

    Last, the fenders have pitting and holes in some typical trouble spots.  I had to spot weld in the holes where I could, grind them down and then Bondo over it to make it look right.  I've had to push this part off for a couple of months because I could never find a time when Katie wasn't taking a nap or having to watch her.  Grinding is so loud and usually wakes up everyone around you.  You can see how long it has been because of the rust around the edges.  That will come off when I grind it down....no worries.

Home Sweet Home

Well......IT'S BACK.  It was a extremely rainy morning but a short ride in a U-Haul and a little help from Jon and my neighbor, Steve, the Oval is back in my garage.  Katie is so darned cute.....she came rushing over to see what was inside.  I don't think she really even remembered that this was in the garage really.  But BOY she was excited.  With the help of Steve and Jon, we just just unloaded it right into the garage onto the 4x4's.  At this point, it seemed logical to just set it right on top of the chassis to see how well it fit.  No time like the present.  It fit fantastically great.  I was a bit nervous because when it went to Chris Bolin's we didn't intend to replace the heater channels.  When they come off, it's a bit scary because you just don't know 100% for certain that it will all fit exactly as it should. 

Nick was ready to go for a ride.  He jumped in the back and found his spot.
 

 

It was very cool to look at the rear of the car and see that classic "W" deck lid.....one of a kind for sure. And take a look at that engine.  Nothing is finer than a clean engine that has been rebuilt.  Especially sitting below that oval window.  Not a common site.  Check out Jon.  What a great sport!  I think he's enjoying this moment too! 

It was a short day for certain but it was so important.  I've been a bit of a wreck not knowing how or when I would get this back.  Chris did some great work on this car.  I love seeing the body in it's expoxy primer.  What a joy and I got so caught up in the moment, that we put the seats on their track and took some pictures with the kids!  What is amazing is that it's actually starting to look like a car! I think I went back into the garage six times that night just to take a peek. A went to bed with a warm grin that evening :) The next step is to get ready and prep for paint.