6/29/01
Fitting the Shields

You’re probably all bored to death about these exhaust shields, but I’ve just got a couple of more steps to complete before I finally finish these things. One of the dogs found at François’ shop, however, still seems interested, and was happy to pose for this picture! I carefully marked and drilled the holes for the shields today. The better these are fitted to the exhaust manifold now, the easier they will install when the engine is in the car. Everything lines up perfectly, so the next step is prepping for paint.

I sanded the aluminum down with some coarse sandpaper to rid the surface of the scratches, and hammer marks. It will also give the primer a good surface to adhere to. I used a “self-etching” primer since it will stick better to aluminum than a regular primer. Although it was a real hot day, it was well past midday by the time I was ready for the wrinkle paint, so that step will have to wait until next time when the sun is good and hot for the best results. I promise, only one more mention of these heat shields next week, and I’ll move on!

Since Scott Garvey’s 250 GTE is in for some repair, I had access to his shields, so I took the opportunity to make some templates. Notice how these are very different from the 330s I just made. Every model has a different shape and size, so now I’ve got patterns for 330 2+2s, and 250 GTEs if anybody needs new exhaust shields!

Speaking of Scott’s car, François is moving along on the progress of the car. The heat shields are painted, as you can see, and the under carriage was inspected and cleaned. The engine bay was filthy, and oil was covering everything. After some power washing and degreasing, much of the dirt was removed, and the suspension is looking much better.

After 40 years, the nickel plating is still all there, and is pretty serviceable. The calipers seemed to have been rebuilt recently, and the rotors will probably be fine after some of the surface rust is removed.

More on Garvey’s car.

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