3/10/00 Undercoating, and suspension

I think I’ve hit my undercoating threshold. Just in time too, because I’m just about done. I think it had something to do with the POR-15 I spilled on myself while lying under my car trying to paint the frame. As I’ve mentioned before, this stuff will not wash off skin, so when I felt the paint leak through my coveralls, past my t-shirt, onto my skin, I jumped up from under the car cursing all sorts of profanity! I had to stop what I was doing to strip out of my clothes and wipe the POR-15 off with laquer thinner before it dried permanently on my shoulder. With two layers of clothing soaked with paint, I had no choice but change into another coverall/t-shirt combo. When I finally got started again, I managed to find the only puddle of POR-15 left over from the previous incident with the same shoulder! That makes two ruined t-shirts, and more stained coveralls. My shoulder will return to its original color after a few days when the paint finally falls off my old skin! Not exactly a good day!

As I was getting myself covered in paint, the transmission tunnel was painted today. I tried photgraphing it to give everybody some kind of proof of my toil for the last few weeks, but I don’t think it comes close to describing this akward, and filthy process.  I only have the driver’s side floorpan section to complete, so an end is near!

Refurbishing the front suspension is moving along. Francois returned the parts I stripped with a fresh coat of nickle plating. They look great. It’s too bad all this shiny metal will be obscured underneith the car, but I’ll be pointing them out to anybody who’ll look!

As all the pieces are rapidly coming together, I need to continue painting parts. The front spindles were stripped and painted, along with the steering box. (It’s hard to photograph black parts, but trust me, they’re there.) Francois replaced one of the bearing cups in one of the spindles. The rest of the cups are serviceable, but I will need to locate new needle bearings. I will simply replace them all as soon as I find a supplier. Francois had some new ones at his shop so I had some for samples.

When Francois dropped off the parts, he drove up in a black 330 GTC. He was getting it out of winter hibernation for a customer that uses the car regularily. It had the comfortable look of an old leather jacket, with all it’s blemishes, and wear marks, but when Francois drove away, and the V-12 sung in first gear, I couldn’t wait to get my car fired up!

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