While I was waiting for my...
While I was waiting for my real windshield frame to come back from the chrome shop, the folks at Total were kind enough to loan me a windshield frame to use to locate and fit my windshield posts.
Hello King-T fans, I'm back again with yet another quick look at the goings-on here on the Rizzo patio. Well, I'm still messin' with the little stuff, but this time around I had even less spare time than usual, because I headed back east to Connecticut to spend a bit of time with my mom, family, and friends for a week-hey, life goes on, even when one's in the midst of a hot rod project.
Since the last installment I've turned my attention to getting my Superior Glass Works body prepped and closer to primer and paint. There were still a few things I had to do before that, though. One of them was to locate and mount the windshield posts. The Total Performance posts are cast-brass items that are used on many of Total's bodies, meaning there's a bit of massaging needed to get 'em to fit well. That chore I left up to Jim and his grinder and belt sander-though it didn't take him very long and he said it was an easy chore. Once he had them as close as he could, he then turned them over to me to mount on the body.
Seeing that my windshield and frame assembly was tied up at the chrome shop, Total Performance was kind enough to ship me a loaner frame that I used to line up the posts-using the frame is the only way to ensure the posts are correctly aligned. So, with hubby holding the frame in place, I marked their location on the cowl and drilled the mounting holes. After a test fit I then moved inside the passenger compartment and made the cuts in the floorboard needed to install the brake pedal and to provide access to the brake master cylinder. So, with all (I hope) the drilling and cutting done, I was finally ready to actually prep the body for primer and paint. Before moving on, though, I have to admit that I'm going to leave fitting the track nose, hood, and hood sides for Jim to handle-that portion is a bit beyond my capability, and I just couldn't get myself to start attacking the nose with a jigsaw.
So, while he was at the other end of our patio workplace cutting away, I began the chore of prepping the body. The first thing I did though was to wipe down the body (more than once) with a good wax and grease remover. The body parts had been previously washed with soap and water, and the final washdown is to ensure there's no residual mold release agent on the body that'll cause paint problems like fisheyes and stuff (Jim told me that, by the way). Anyway, in a nutshell that's what we'll be looking at in this segment. Hopefully by the next we'll be seeing my car in primer, or maybe in actual paint! But in the meantime take a look at my progress over the last couple of weeks of free time thrashing.
 |  Though the posts fit pretty...  Though the posts fit pretty darn well, I did want to close up a couple of small gaps between them and the body a bit. I still want them to look like the bolt-on items they are so I made sure not to blend them in so much as to make them look like a part of the body. It's a bit tough to see here, but the radius of fiberglass filler is very small and won't be noticeable when primed and painted (I'll be painting the posts body color rather than leaving them in brass). |  Here's a shot of the passenger...  Here's a shot of the passenger side post, both front and rear. As you can see, I just filled any small gaps between the post and body to give everything a more finished look. |
 |  With both posts in place and...  With both posts in place and the initial fiberglass filler applied and rough sanded, the next step was to double check the windshield frame fit. I slid it into place, installed the countersunk screws, and then stepped back to see if all was in order. Well, happily, everything lined up perfectly and the windshield fit as it should. |  |
 Next, I moved to the inside...  Next, I moved to the inside of the bucket to cut a hole in the floor for both access to the brake master cylinder and so I could install the brake pedal assembly. Jim cut me a piece of 16-gauge sheetmetal to use as a covering, and I then drilled and screwed it in place. This way I'll be able to get at the master by just removing a half dozen sheetmetal screws if and when I need to. |  It's extremely important to...  It's extremely important to clean and wipe down any vehicle before you start any body and/or paint related work. You should start out by washing any vehicle with soap and water to remove any dirt and road grime. The next step is to thoroughly clean the vehicle with a good grade of wax and grease remover so you'll minimize the chances of paint problems. Sanding before cleaning and de-greasing may very well scrub the contamination deep into the surface, almost guaranteeing fisheyes or adhesion problems. Fiberglass bodies pose increased risks due to the mold release agent used in their manufacture. |  |
 For initial sanding Jim suggested...  For initial sanding Jim suggested I use his DA and some 320-grit paper to knock down the "orange peel" as he called it. He then explained that orange peel is the slightly rough, or better yet, uneven finish of the surface. |  He stressed to me the importance...  He stressed to me the importance of letting the sandpaper do the work. In other words, don't press down on the sander, just let it glide over the surface. Jim looked on as I sanded just enough to knock off the gloss and then had me switch over to hand-sanding for the final prep. |  Sanding, I've found, is by...  Sanding, I've found, is by far not my favorite thing to do on a Saturday afternoon-but I'll do anything that gets me closer to the road. |
 I began my sanding on the...  I began my sanding on the flat surfaces first. I'll be getting to the corners and radius in due time. |  By the way, Jim wouldn't let...  By the way, Jim wouldn't let me touch any of the flat areas without the use of a sanding block to ensure that the surface would end up being as flat as possible before priming. |  Jim also pointed out the seams...  Jim also pointed out the seams where the different body parts come together. There weren't many on this body, and those that were there were minor. |
By the way, Jim wouldn't let... By the way, Jim wouldn't let me touch any of the flat areas without the use of a sanding block to ensure that the surface would end up being as flat as possible before priming. |  |  I hit the seams with some...  I hit the seams with some 80-grit to knock down the largest of the seams and then switched off to some 150-grit to smooth 'em out. |
 |  Well, I'm still sandin'. I've...  Well, I'm still sandin'. I've got a feeling I'll be sanding for a while-even before the first coats of primer. Like I said, not my favorite thing to do, but it's part of the gig-ya wanna play, ya gotta pay. Anyway, we'll see ya next month when we'll be priming, block sanding some more, and possibly even spraying some paint. Until then, take care and I'll see ya soon! | |