Well, this old girl is looking pretty rough right about now.
Last night I got the high build on the fenders and the sides of the header panel blocked out in 220...
...and found some definite issues to be fixed up along the way. Pretty much the same as on the rest of the car.
Then I turned my attention to getting the rest of the header levelled out as well. Same story here, mostly good but needs a bit more work in places.
Here it is mid-process:
Once I finished the header, I blocked out the dark grey painted sections of the tops of the fenders in 320. I didn’t have to start with 220 here because they had been blocked and painted already. It was more to level out the surface and get rid of the orange peel and dust that was in it.
At this point, all that’s left to block is the tops of the doors, the two little sections under/around the quarter glass mouldings, and the trunk to back window filler panel.
This is the worst the car has looked in a long time, possibly even since it was rusty and full of holes as seen above. It’s a bit of a blow to be honest, to see it go from looking halfways presentable and fully assembled, to looking like this all within a week. I really didn’t want to share these “progress” pics with y’all as it doesn’t really feel much like progress at this point, but I also promised to share my tribulations with you as much as my triumphs.
But.
It’s also the straightest this car has ever been, including from when it was new. And that should be worth something all on its own.
Let’s be honest, this is the sh*t that no one cares about, no one wants to see, and gets the least amount of respect. Which to me is odd, because it’s the most critical part of getting a beautiful straight finished product. The block doesn’t lie, either it’s straight or it’s not and it’ll definitely show you exactly where it’s not.
You’re never gonna see 20 minutes of coverage on a block sanding segment on your favourite gear head tv show. They skip right over it because it’s not entertaining. Paint is much more glamorous and better for the ratings.
Anyways, tomorrow night I should be able to knock out the last of the initial block sanding, then it’ll be time to go back and start making the necessary repairs and fine tuning. Hopefully it’ll start looking a little better again then.
Wish me luck.
D.
Last night I got the high build on the fenders and the sides of the header panel blocked out in 220...
...and found some definite issues to be fixed up along the way. Pretty much the same as on the rest of the car.
Then I turned my attention to getting the rest of the header levelled out as well. Same story here, mostly good but needs a bit more work in places.
Here it is mid-process:
Once I finished the header, I blocked out the dark grey painted sections of the tops of the fenders in 320. I didn’t have to start with 220 here because they had been blocked and painted already. It was more to level out the surface and get rid of the orange peel and dust that was in it.
At this point, all that’s left to block is the tops of the doors, the two little sections under/around the quarter glass mouldings, and the trunk to back window filler panel.
This is the worst the car has looked in a long time, possibly even since it was rusty and full of holes as seen above. It’s a bit of a blow to be honest, to see it go from looking halfways presentable and fully assembled, to looking like this all within a week. I really didn’t want to share these “progress” pics with y’all as it doesn’t really feel much like progress at this point, but I also promised to share my tribulations with you as much as my triumphs.
But.
It’s also the straightest this car has ever been, including from when it was new. And that should be worth something all on its own.
Let’s be honest, this is the sh*t that no one cares about, no one wants to see, and gets the least amount of respect. Which to me is odd, because it’s the most critical part of getting a beautiful straight finished product. The block doesn’t lie, either it’s straight or it’s not and it’ll definitely show you exactly where it’s not.
You’re never gonna see 20 minutes of coverage on a block sanding segment on your favourite gear head tv show. They skip right over it because it’s not entertaining. Paint is much more glamorous and better for the ratings.
Anyways, tomorrow night I should be able to knock out the last of the initial block sanding, then it’ll be time to go back and start making the necessary repairs and fine tuning. Hopefully it’ll start looking a little better again then.
Wish me luck.
D.
