New Year....New Car?
So much is getting done, yet I am getting impatient to have this car DONE. It's as if every new little thing is a tease for what the finished project will be. After waiting over 20 years to get this car going, I think it's funny that I am now so impatient.
There have been a couple of leaks we've been chasing down this month - I think we have them stopped. Of course, working on them gives us reasons to fire up the engine and listen to it - which is always fun. The painting process is up next. The "plan" is to leave the roof as is, and paint the body. We were actually thinking of painting ourselves. Obviously, this was insanity. It's going to a paint shop that does quality work, and to save money (which allows us to go to a higher end shop), we're doing most of the prep work ourselves. Sanding and Stripping 101.
We aren't taking it completely apart as some window gaskets are not available, plus we are doing it in pieces. The front fenders, hood and tailgate went first. They have the preliminary color coat on. We put them on to check the fit, then off they came again - except for the tailgate. The only thing harder than taking a tailgate off is putting it back on. The rest of the car goes in next, and it will get the same - then it's reassembled a final time and everything gets another color coat so everything matches. This will be followed by clear to protect it all. We opted to use modern paint - it holds up better than the original stuff, and I am not doing a 100% like original resto anyway - why not have it pretty, shiny and durable?
It will be the original color - Barcelona Taupe Poly (which meant metallic in the day). It's a beautiful color, and the white roof sets it off well.
I've been working on the bumpers - the rear bumper had some stickers that needed to be removed. I put them on - it's fair I got to peel, scrape and soak them off. FYI - they are easier to put on than take off.
Lots still to do - the interior should be ready in a month or two, and I have cargo sides to repair and hubcaps to paint.
OK...pictures.....the last one shows the Rambler down to bare metal. I call it the Ramblorean.
There have been a couple of leaks we've been chasing down this month - I think we have them stopped. Of course, working on them gives us reasons to fire up the engine and listen to it - which is always fun. The painting process is up next. The "plan" is to leave the roof as is, and paint the body. We were actually thinking of painting ourselves. Obviously, this was insanity. It's going to a paint shop that does quality work, and to save money (which allows us to go to a higher end shop), we're doing most of the prep work ourselves. Sanding and Stripping 101.
We aren't taking it completely apart as some window gaskets are not available, plus we are doing it in pieces. The front fenders, hood and tailgate went first. They have the preliminary color coat on. We put them on to check the fit, then off they came again - except for the tailgate. The only thing harder than taking a tailgate off is putting it back on. The rest of the car goes in next, and it will get the same - then it's reassembled a final time and everything gets another color coat so everything matches. This will be followed by clear to protect it all. We opted to use modern paint - it holds up better than the original stuff, and I am not doing a 100% like original resto anyway - why not have it pretty, shiny and durable?
It will be the original color - Barcelona Taupe Poly (which meant metallic in the day). It's a beautiful color, and the white roof sets it off well.
I've been working on the bumpers - the rear bumper had some stickers that needed to be removed. I put them on - it's fair I got to peel, scrape and soak them off. FYI - they are easier to put on than take off.
Lots still to do - the interior should be ready in a month or two, and I have cargo sides to repair and hubcaps to paint.
OK...pictures.....the last one shows the Rambler down to bare metal. I call it the Ramblorean.
