Hmmm....seems I remember something about doing body work. All of the monotony, sore muscles, dust everywhere, application, sanding, more sanding, followed by more application and even more sanding.........What was it?...........
Oh, I remember.
I FREAKIN' HATE IT!
I guess this is just a teaser of what's in store for me when I move onto the body, but that'll happen only when, (and after) I get the dash done.
As you read, you're thinking surely you must've made some progress, lest why would you update?
Firstly, I did in fact make "progress". Secondly,.. Don't call me Shirley.
I intimated earlier that I had solved the dilemma of having to blend the turns that start at the end of the dash, and move onto the doors. I said the solution to the problem literally bitch-slapped me off my rolly-creepy thing.
That solution was in fact so clear to me, I set right out and welded the hell out of the dash, cutting the turn radius' of the door bar right in the middle, and welding that little stumpy-dude onto the dash. No easy task I tell ya, as those stupid little half bends want to get all kinds of wonky when you try to set them up prior to sticking them permanently.
As I always do in the end, I just take my best stab at it, and weld the piss out of it.
Fortunately this time, it worked out.
For the last several days, I've slaved away on multiple fronts. The welding, followed by a buttload of grinding. Modifying all of the insert mesh, and trim to match the new dash shape.
Finishing (or at least getting them close enough) the "three amigos" that are the cover panels that make up the bottom of the dash, and THAT is where all of the bodywork has come into play.
You can't necessarily see it in the pic, but the sheetmetal follows the drop for the column. Sanding a small, piece of rolled 20 ga. sheet metal that has compound curves that run in two different directions can only be described as hell on earth. Getting it close enough to put in a coat of epoxy primer took a bagillion minutes.
All of those pieces have to be removable, so they also had to have the requisite (say it,........you know you're thinkin' it.....SAY IT!)
Never mind,...I'll say it for you.
Bagillion holes.
All drilled, and tapped w/ another one of those weanie assed little "break off if you look at it wrong" 4-40 taps.
I broke one off in the bend radius. Took an hour to fracture it out of the crater that I caused trying to get it out.
Yet,....I persevered. Like Clint Eastwood playing Gunnery SGT Highway on Heartbreak ridge,....I Improvised,......I adapted,......I overcame.
Now that I had the three pieces in place under the dash, It left me just enough time to work on the end caps. I got one done.
Now I know that this looks kinda goofy from this angle, but remember the door will hide this when it's open for the most part. They'll be black, so they should look less like a malocclusion after that.
As for the new flat spots that cap off the bend radius' I think I got a solution for that as well.
The tweeter portion of my component door speakers. It'll need a place to live, I guess this is just as good a place as any.
So,......I still have the other side to do. maybeee....a half day ? After that it all comes back out, and the dash bars get several coats of filler primer, another buttload of sanding,...and about 3 coats of satin black acrylic urethane. After that...... this bitch is done.
I'd be following somebody else's lead then.
. Btw that dash is just sick. Can I ask what other colors you're thinking of throwing in there?