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After speaking with Ross today, I think the next mission is to pull the dash back out of the car. This helps with a couple of things.

First to remove the wiper towers which is the nightmare with the dash in the car.

2nd I need to still paint the dash and fix a small dent that someone left in the past when trying to break into the locked glovebox.

3rd I plan on delivering the car "paint ready" to the paint shop as a bare shell expect for the drivetrain and the steering column. This way the shop can shoot all the jams, window gutters, doors, trunk, etc., and very little masking will be required.

I just don't have the skill, equipment, or sterile shop space needed to shoot that blue metallic paint myself and not have it come out looking like crap. At $200 a gallon for paint, I just don't want to experiment.

Great idea! Mission creep is worth it after all..

Great progress there BigKev, it's going to be like new. Good feeling when you can't see any sign of where you grafted in the new metal.

I usually find there's some small ripple or a pinhole just when I think it's done. (Good way to learn patience I think).

Larry, thanks.

I've have a couple of small pin holes from the filler in one area, which is usually the result of either too much hardener or having it start to "kick-off" on me while I am spreading it. A little thin glazing filler will take care of those.

Just been very hot here this week, and it has kept me out of the garage the last couple of days. Planning on getting back in there tonight to pull the grill and other bits off the front of the car so I can do the blocking sanding up there. Then another round of small fixes. The blocking revealed a few shallow low spots that need to come up and a couple of high spots that need to get tapped down.

Then another round of primer and blocking.

My favorite part is the wet sanding. Much more Zen like, and way less dust. Hopefully I can get that once I can do a full round of blocking with no trouble spots left.

Pretty sure another gallon of primer is going to be needed as I have enough for one more full coat, but I am sure there will be some spot priming needed as I go on and I still have the entire trunk to do.

Full cooler this evening, got into the garage and got some things done. First I got the car off the jack stands, and all the debris that had collected underneath swept up. Then I started the car up and backed it out of the garage, did a "67 point turn" in my driveway, and then back in the garage in the reverse orientation.

With that I was able to start stripping the front end so I can finish the initial blocking on the front end. Hood ornament came off, as did the upper radiator panel. Then off came the headlight rings, and buckets. Then bumper extensions and clipper lower trim.

Followed that with removing the front bumper as one assembly, and then the bumper filler panels.

Finally the grille was removed. When I wired up the parking lights, I used a couple of bullet connectors a few inches behind the lights. So this makes it a snap to disconnect them and remove the entire grille.

Onto the blocking tomorrow!

Oh yes....the pictures.

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Progress noted! This big project can finally see the finish line coming into view. Tenacity wins!

Randy the old grey mare is finally getting there. She still has a way to go and now all the pricey stuff is coming up. Paint, Weather stripping/seals, and then headliner, visors and windlace. Carpets are waiting for me on standby, and the rest of the interior is still protected in shrink wrap.

Luckly I was able about 50% of the weather stripping out of the Yocum cache. But still need to get the front and rear windshield ones, and a couple of the door pieces.

And eventually the transmission will be dealt with. But that will come after everything else.

Block sanding on the front of the car. A couple trouble spots behind the grille where then old grille was pushed into the fender a bit. Should be pretty easy to work it out.

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Sweet!