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April 2008
It's been a slow time on the project. The last major bit of work I was able to do was back in June of 2007.
It was then that I picked up the rebuilt gearbox and overdrive from the shop (on 6/23/2007)
and completed a test-assembly of the 4 "wings" to the dolly-mounted body tub. This taught me a lot about the
little nuances that I will experience when I put them on for keeps. Next step is to finish working
out all the minor dents in the sheet metal, drill through the sills for the eventual drainage tubes
(so that rain water can drain from the scuttle to the road, as opposed to directly into the body itself)
and send all the body parts off to Metal Rehab for stripping. I think I've also got my painter selected.
Right now I'm in a holding pattern while I build up to successfully complete the body work. During this "down time"
I've replaced the fan extension in expectation of an electric fan, and also upgraded to alloy steering rack mounts.
My body plan calls for having all the dents worked out then cleaned to bare metal. I'll apply the primer
and prep for paint. Once I'm done with it, I'll take the parts over to the painter and have them do any additional
work they might notice, and lay the paint. Still not decided if I will take over the body parts as individuals or pre-assembled.
I see pros and cons with both approaches, and would appreciate hearing some success and/or failure stories with each option.
Finally, with the drivetrain fully mounted on the chassis, I have reach milestone number two!
However, I purposely did not fit the manifolds, thinking they might possibly interfere with the mounting of the body
tub to the chassis itself. I will add those once the body tub is on.
As always, thanks to everyone for their gracious help and support.
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