7/26/00 Last night was another milestone. I decided to attempt to mount the tail and backup lights. This went very well, and was good fun. The initial holes cut using the templates were too small, so I needed to enlarge then. Glad I bought the Dremel tool. This is a great tool for working the glass. The holes look professional, and the lights fit! I found that the quality of the lights aren't very good. Something else to throw money at. Down the road I'll go junkyard shopping for replacements. For now, I need to figure out how to get the mounting hardware long enough to get the nuts and ground wires on. This sure is keeping me thinking. I mounted the backup lights with the mounting studs side-to-side so I will be able to reach the studs after the tail is mounted. Got some pictures with all the lights in, and completed another roll last night. More pictures on Friday. On this Sunday past, I decided to see if I could clean the rearmost carpet section. I spent an hour, and it looks great. This is good. $100 saved. Tonight I'm going to fuss with the trim for the gas filler. As I was thinking about it this morning, I realised that there are no mounting points to keep it in place. Good thing there is a hardware store clsoe by. Maybe I should just mail them a monthly retainer check??? I ordered the epoxy yesterday, It's being drop shipped from the manufacturer, coming via priority mail. Maybe it'll be here for this weekend. I'd really like to have the rear clip firmly attached...
8/1/00 The new epoxy arrived Saturday, it was waiting for me when I got back from working on the project. This past Saturday, I wanted to relocate the battery to the trunk, so I can start working on the front conversion. Seemed like an easy goal, leaving me time to perform other tasks. WRONG!!! Henry told me when I picked up the kit that the battery remount kit was different than the one he was using, and just follow the instructions. Well, it turned out that the remount took 9 hours, and three trips to the hardware store. I kept looking at how to do this and eventually the light went on. I realised that the box could be under the cross brace (where the trunk lid mounts) because I can put the battery in the box, then put the box in place. Found out I need to buy another battery, I need a top post to fit in the box. Well, after having to buy a propane torch to solder on the connectors, turning the bolt on the starter 1 flat at a time, and various other problems, got the remount completed. I was installing the battery, and the mounting bolt fell against the positive terminal. There was lots of noise, sparks, and melted lead. Smelled bad, too. Got past that emergency, and now I'm ready to start the car. I turned the key, and NOTHING. Oh, no! What did I fry?? Couldn't find anything burnt, or blown. What's wrong? Finally figured it out The electrical system is fed by that small wire that connects between the battery and altenator. The one I connected to the terminal on the firewall. Another trip to the hardware store, add 2 feet of wire, and connect that wire to the starter. Only another 1 1/2 hours, but... IT STARTS!!! Also decided that Henry hours = 2 1/2 Ralph hours...
I got the hole drilled into the rear trim panel for the trunk latch, but I'm still trying to figure out how to mount it. Probably just use long screws. I also got the original interior trim panels cut down to trim out the rear area. This took several hours but it was worth the time. I didn't want to cut off too much, 'cause it's much easier to make them shorter. This is the biggest freehand part of the project to date. The final appearance is very good. I followed the coutours of the body well, and it really adds a nice finish to the trunk. This makes Sunday the big day. I'm going to attempt the attachment of the rear clip, again.
Mike came by on Sunday to help with the project. I'm really glad he's helping on this. It makes it more fun to share, and his insight on things mechanical really helps. We brainstormed on how best to align the rear clip for proper alignment and came up with the idea of using locating studs. We installed the index screwa, and cut off the shaft, leaving about 1/2 inch sticking out. We enlarged the holes in the glass, so it would slide easily over the studs, and marked lines on the body and glass so we could find the studs. This worked great! The new glue (PC 7 Epoxy paste) was just the ticket. It's hard to get out of the can because it's like cold peanut butter, but stickier! It took about 15 minutes to empty the can. Also very hard to mix this large an amount at one time. I'd suggest two piles per side. This stuff is very good to use on vertical surfaces because it doesn't run. It also has a long working time, seems like 2 - 3 hours before it starts to set. No problems with rushing to align the clip this time! We glommed on 1/4 X 4" per side, just on the metal and placed the rear clip. Popped right into place, over the index pins (3 per side) Finally, progress! I'll be moving forward and starting the cut down of the extra glass on the rear clip. Hope I can make straight lines...
8/21/00 Well, this was another good weekend. I got the rear end almost complete. Saturday, I decided to tackle the trunk lid. During the week, I hung the drivers door, and the body lines look good. I started sanding down the extra glass at the doors. It's going to take some quality time to get the edges straight. I'll work on that when I get it home. As long as I can shut the doors.
This weekend I mounted the trunk lid. This was easier than I expected, but it didn't go perfectly the first time. What a suprise there! I decided to mount the release cable for the trunk differently than suggested, and this worked well. Only 1 foot of exposed cable. It goes through a hole near the wheel well, low to the floor and close to the side. A good fit, and looks good.I made the bracket for the male part of the trunk latch and got it mounted on the trunk lid. Not too hard, but I forgot one major step. I didn't check for the alignment on the female part of the latch. Another OOPS! I was off by 1/2 inch. Since I had to drill and tap the trunk lid, I couldn't move the bracket. So I had to move the receiver. I expected this when I mounted it. Only took about 1 hour to relocate. No big deal. The next question, how to align the prong that mounts to the lid bracket. A great idea! I'll just put the prong into the receiver, then mark the bracket. This worked. It was hard to reach the bracket to mark, but I got it done.
