Project No-Flight Update
May 2006
The car is back from paint. It's amazing how a little paint can turn it from a project into a car. Every time I go out to the garage I'm surprised to see a car there instead of a gray hulk. I've even had to get a car cover for it and started dusting it off each time I come in from the garage.
It arrived home on 5 May, just about 2 months after leaving. I was anxious to get it home so went to retrieve it as soon as they said it was done. When I got to the shop the painter was giving it a final buff so we waited an hour or so for him to finish before loading it up. The car looks great and is a long, long way from what I brought up to the paint shop.
We brought the car back on the paint shops flatbed. The hooks were wrapped and taped to protect the chassis paint (the same way I learned from the shop when moving my old street rods), and a large moving blanket was used to protect the bottom of the radiator support. In the rear we used my "garage" tow strap (which is used to pull the car up our steep driveway when I need to move it around in the garage) to wrap the rear axle and attached the tow hooks to the strap. The rear suspension is still cranked up a couple extra inches to make it easier to get loaded (one of the wonders of coil-over suspension), but will be lowered back to normal shortly.
The hood was left off for the trip home and the injectors taped so the red dust covers would not blow off.. The Dzus plates were removed for the painting, and I didn't want to re-install them until the paint had a little more time to dry and I had the time to put them in permanently. So, with nothing but tape as an option to hold the hood on we decided the safest place for it was in the back of my pick-up, wrapped in more moving blankets.
I re-attached to tow strap to get ready to lower the car down the driveway and back into the garage. While it was out it was time for a new signature picture or two.
Next it's time to start putting all the pieces stored in boxes in the garage and basement back onto the car. First in were the new tail lights, which really add some flash to the rear. The headlights were re-installed (would you believe I couldn't get 4 headlights from the local Pep Boys? I bought all the round 5-3/4 lights they had and have to wait for them to order some more to get the missing high beam) along with the new turn lights. I was able to rescue the original license plate light unit (make note as it is one of the few original pieces on the car) which is not visible in the photos. I put the headers back on but haven't put the side pipes on yet as I need to do a little touch-up/overspray removal from one spot on the frame rail. I would have installed the freshly chromed rear bumpers but can't for the life of me find where I stored the bumper mounts, so I guess I will have to fabricate a new set of mounts first.
I also installed the carbon floors and transmission tunnel which I have been working on while the car was off in paint. The toe boards are done but not installed yet as they go in after the AC plumbing to hide the hose routing through the firewall.
I still need to finish the rear wheel tubs but I ran out of carbon fiber. Due to the current world wide carbon fiber shortage (bet you didn't hear about that one on the evening news) I had a difficult time finding someone who had the weight and weave I needed in stock. When I did find it, the price was 2-1/2 times what I paid for the first roll. The wheel tubs are now in work so should be installed soon.
As May wraps to and end with the long memorial day weekend a few more parts have found their way on to the car. The rear bumpers are installed on new mounts (I never did find the original set, and the new ones I think will give the body better support).
The Foose Design mirrors (both sides) and the new door handles are on also.
I also installed the side pipes. I still need to decide what I want to do where the rockers would be, either trim two sets (to accomidate the lengthened wheelbase) or possibly a simple single aluminum trim piece.
I also have most of the carbon work for the interior completed. The center panel (between the wheel tubs) still needs to be sanded and given a final gloss coat, and I need to fabricate the panel that closes out the back compartment under the rear window ledge. Note: I got a new digital camera and it seems to do better at photos of the carbon fiber without getting the fringing from the weave pattern that the old camera did.
