Ongoing Progress

We now have two coats of West System epoxy and one coat of clear on the dashboard. It can be set aside until the cowlings are painted. Speaking of painting!!!! We are still WAITING for the local painter to contact us. If he doesn't show some interest soon, I will contact a few other local painters who might be interested in helping out.

 

At this juncture, we will only be painting the cowlings. The stock market has put a scare into us to not over extend our liquid resources on non-liquid assets. I may just shoot a coat of clear on the deck in the spring (when the air is warmer) and let it go at that for a year or so.

 

Today I started fiberglassing the rear steering pulley cover. It will be a several step process to get all the pieces fiberglassed, then smoothed to our satisfaction before it is painted.

She is now pretty much ready for paint. The restoration is pretty much finished....... YIPPEE!!!!!!!! The first picture is from, April 2007, the day we picked her up. The rest of the pictures are October 2008.

 

The fiberglass on the deck will dry to a slight haze, but after the clear paint is sprayed on, it will dry to be even brighter wet look then it is with the water on it for today's picture.

 

The other pictures are from today after I washed down the fiberglass dust on deck, then for another photo op, I put the cowling on for the picture. The painter has been called, but he hasn't returned the call yet (only been 3 days since he was called). She just loves to pose for pictures......

 

I think she turned out pretty nice, considering I've never done anything like this before OR SINCE!!!!!!!!!!!

 

The shop is CLEAN again another YIPPEE!!!!!!!!!!!!

The following pictures are basically the end of the restoration project (and the beginning of the finish work) - the fiberglass on the deck is 95% sanded (just the edges need a little more dressing). All that white fiberglass dust represents about $200 worth of glass dust to level the remaining glass left on the deck... LOL

 

Now we are in the finish mode, paint and re-installation of all the hardware.

 

Tomorrow the shop will be cleaned up and ready for what ever the next steps are. I can't wait, it has been quite the mess with all the fiberglass dust - it is EVERYWHERE!!!!!!!

 

The dust represents about 15 hours of sanding and about 150 sheets of sandpaper. I'm sure NAPA auto parts weekly revenue will take a big hit now that I'm finally about done. The sanding job falls within my requirements - looks good from 30,000 and a new rule - if you can see the flaws at 130 MPH, then so be it... My hands have been tingling for the last week and Kathy says they may still be for another week.

 

In between sanding, we are in the middle of this years wine crush. We volunteers have been enjoying ourselves sorting this years grapes. Saturday was a 15 hour day for me (I'm sure many more for Warren and Brian). Yesterday was an 8 hours day and a couple of others that were in the 4 - 6 hour range. This years grapes are yummy and I'm sure the Coeur d'Alene Cellars wine Warren and Brian make will equal or better all the other years. I was thinking that it might be fun to use some CDA Cellars wine to christen the boat (maybe an oz and drink the rest...).

 

The food Sarah Gates makes for us volunteers has been outstanding and it makes all the work worth while knowing what she has worked so hard to make for us.