The Great Pumpkin - '71 Duster
More engine bay and hood paint prep work completed today. Hoping to get the paint project wrapped up before July which would be 6 months from when I started in January. Hurts to think about how long it's taken but it had to be done and it will be worth it in the end.
Anyway, as mentioned in the previous post, I decided to add two hood pins in the middle for more holding power. I had some generic hood pin brackets on hand but they were too big by themselves so they were cut down to fit. In the front it would have been easiest to drill a hole in the radiator support but there is a flexible harness clamp in the center that I wanted to keep so I welded a tab just behind it. Had to mock up the radiator to make sure I could get the rad. cap off, all good.
The tab for the rear was welded to the flange where the firewall meets the cowl. Almost looks like it was meant to be there. Welds were not too pretty so used some filler to smooth it out some. Glad to have these tabs done now so they can be painted with everything else.
Put another coat of epoxy primer over the entire engine bay to make it all uniform. Still may need to smooth a few spots but the prior effort to fill the obvious low spots paid off.
For the epoxy, I used a little reducer this time. In my limited experience, it sprays out better with the reducer and gives the appearance of a more uniform finish. And whether its useful or not, I like the sheen too. If I shoot the color there's no to sand it unless it's over 7 days after it was put on. Would be nice to get color down tomorrow but that may not happen.
If I decide to do another round of filler and/or high-build it will be light, surfaces are fairly smooth now. Have to prime the front wheel wells and then it's time for the orange.
More to come.
More engine bay and hood paint prep work completed today. Hoping to get the paint project wrapped up before July which would be 6 months from when I started in January. Hurts to think about how long it's taken but it had to be done and it will be worth it in the end.
Anyway, as mentioned in the previous post, I decided to add two hood pins in the middle for more holding power. I had some generic hood pin brackets on hand but they were too big by themselves so they were cut down to fit. In the front it would have been easiest to drill a hole in the radiator support but there is a flexible harness clamp in the center that I wanted to keep so I welded a tab just behind it. Had to mock up the radiator to make sure I could get the rad. cap off, all good.
The tab for the rear was welded to the flange where the firewall meets the cowl. Almost looks like it was meant to be there. Welds were not too pretty so used some filler to smooth it out some. Glad to have these tabs done now so they can be painted with everything else.
Put another coat of epoxy primer over the entire engine bay to make it all uniform. Still may need to smooth a few spots but the prior effort to fill the obvious low spots paid off.
For the epoxy, I used a little reducer this time. In my limited experience, it sprays out better with the reducer and gives the appearance of a more uniform finish. And whether its useful or not, I like the sheen too. If I shoot the color there's no to sand it unless it's over 7 days after it was put on. Would be nice to get color down tomorrow but that may not happen.
If I decide to do another round of filler and/or high-build it will be light, surfaces are fairly smooth now. Have to prime the front wheel wells and then it's time for the orange.
More to come.
