Here's the last update for 2012:
I received a call from Mike, so I was a bit concerned, but he actually had good news.
The windshield has arrived. It's sitting in a big box at the shop and I'm not going to touch it. I asked if it was going to be in the way and Mike said, "No." I then said, "It's staying here then."
He then said he was working on the rear panel and that I would probably want photos before it's all finished and seam-sealed. He was right. He also had the right front inner fender done and the left was ready for color. So, as though I didn't already have enough to do on this, the day of the end of the year, I added a trip across the valley onto my list.
I showed up at the shop and snuck in a shot of Mike welding:
Needed a tripod and a longer shutter speed to make it all stancey.
Here's the progress:
There is a gap on the bottom because the bottom of the trunk floor needs to be raised to meet the panel. Everything has been measured multiple times and all panel gaps are perfect at this time, so whoo-hoo. Mike knows exactly what it's supposed to look like and what to do (such as the seams under the tail lamps), so I'm confident there are not going to be any issues. He explained how the factory did it and how he will be doing it and that's good enough for me.
I'm also glad I decided to just replace the panel.
Up front, here's the left inner fender, prepped and ready for some silver base coat:
Here's the right side. They did a great job masking, but I'm still glad it was all done before I did all of my suspension refreshing. They cleaned the wheels too, so add $500 to my asking price on these lovely style 8s!
Shit just got real. The tire pressure sticker has been removed:
The import tag will come off next and then this jamb will be prepped like the others.
All of the removable panels sans trunklid are fully prepped and ready to be painted. Blocked with 180, 320 and finally 600 grit paper. All edge buildup has been removed to provide a clean base from which to work. As I may have mentioned before, the doors did have a repaint on them, so they took them down to the original sealer, then addressed any dings/dents, and prepped the entire door. I've never seen reflections in primer before!
Then, I popped on over to the paint booth and saw my new hood prepped for paint on the underside. I did tell them that the DOT-R sticker must be removed though. I know it's been replaced. He knows it's been replaced. Everyone knows it's been replaced, so let's not ruin it with a sticker.
The underside of the hood will get basecoat and clear. The factory didn't do it this way, but I want the protection provided by the clear, so a dulling agent will be added to the clear to ensure it's as close to factory appearance as possible while being protected and easy to maintain.
So, Mike is working tomorrow as "the old lady gets annoyed when [he's] around too long." He figures it will be ready for paint by the end of the week. Exciting.
I wished him a Happy New Year and left.
