RIP XE

Progress Report

The falcon is at the workshop since the start of June and in the mean time I've purchased new springs, doors and a ghia bonnet and boot. I've started to strip the engine bay in prep for cleaning and repaint. I'm going to use the KBS rust and paint system to paint the chassis rail and engine bay.
I'm researching the engine mods and gas mods for the V8. Very interesting reading. Learning more about IMPCO and Sprint Gas systems.

Here is some rust that needs to be cut and replaced.

Paintwork Sketch

Watched Overhaulin on Discovery Channel this week and got inspired to acutally draw my paint scheme rather than use photoshop. So out came the pencils!!

It will be a two tone paint scheme with black base and metallic green top separated by a chrome pin stripe. Things that may change will be either chrome or black drip rails and window surrounds and whether I use a black mirror or paint it green.

Looking at getting Simmons B45 wheels with a black centre and chrome lip.

Bonnet man

I started the bonnet last night and amazingly it had no primer for the black paint. Acutally there has been no rust found on the bonnet as yet but lots of little stone chips that will need to be hammered out or bogged over (ahh smoothed over).

Progress of the bonnet so far which is around 2 hours work. Still having fun in the dark with the car port lights on. Can only touch the car once the kids have had their story and in bed.

The roof, the roof is on fire!

I finished off the rear of the boot and I got onto the roof on the weekend. Pretty happy with the progress so far, hoping to keep the momemtum up. It's winter and I'm out with the Ford jacket and beanie, sanding away. All good fun.

Giving it the boot

I stopped at Bunnings on the way home tonight and was determined to get the sanding back on track. I found that the 120grit was taking some time to break through the black top coat and I wanted to get it moving. The next available was 80grit and I knew that it would really get into breaking up the top coat.

So my new technique is to hit the panel with 80grit until it really scratches and breaks up the top coat then remove the remaining primer with the 120grit back to the factory white. It has so far working really well and I was able to sand the boot in around 2 hours.

Disaster

Last Saturday (9th May) I was cleaning the car port and placed all my sandpaper packs on the Magna roof. I must have forgotten to move them and went for a drive as I can't find them anywhere. So there is around $70 gone!! I searched for them on Tuesday and Wednesday which really frustrated me as it was all lost time.