Well, it was a good aircooled day today. Got up late (always a treat) and found the temperature already in the short-sleeved t-shirt range, sun was shining, hardly a cloud in the sky.
Rolled the '71 into the garage and removed the battery and drivers' seat. finished scraping tarboard off the floorboard, brushed down the rust and attacked the floorboard with MarineClean, waited, rinsed, dried and painted with a couple of coats of POR-15. Now, the floorboards are complete and we're working on figuring out what's next in the second restoration of our '71.
Oh, also stripped out all of the headliner while waiting for the floor to dry and removed both of the rear side panels. They were pretty much toast, so I picked out the ashtrays and dropped the panels in the trashcan.
In between coats of POR-15 (3 hours apart), I loaded up my niece in the '69 and we went for a drive to meet my wife at the bookstore. Part of the way there, all the sudden the music from the stereo gets real muffled. Figured maybe it was the speakers rolling around in the well (I'm using a couple of heavy aluminum-cased bookshelf speakers).
Next parking lot entrance, I stop to investigate and find my new rear well carpet peeled off the back firewall and flopped down over the top of the speakers. Guess I didn't get the contact cement on that part good enough. It was still tacky (after about 3 weeks). Also, being glued over top of some of the headliner material probably doesn't help either. Mental note to try to find some carpet nails later on.
After dinner, daughter needs me to run her cellphone to work, so I stop by Lowes on the way home and find some carpet nails. Buy a couple different sizes at $0.88 a box. Remembering I had a burned out lowbeam a couple weeks ago and I "borrowed" a replacement light from the '71, I decide to buy a replacement at Wal*Mart. Checked the '69 in the parking lot and it doesn't have Halogen lights, which is all they have in automotive, so I pick up a pair of halogens.
Also stopped by the gas station on the way home. Even though I'm just under
1/2 a tank, decide to fill up since I find a "bargain" price on gas ($1.599 a gallon). Takes $9.25 to pump in 5.78 gallons. I guess those on the left coast are already spending $20 a fillup. Feel sorry for you guys.Get home, replace both headlights, take it for a spin since its dark outside now. What a difference. If you don't have halogens in your car yet, drop by the store and ante up the $18 - it's worth the difference. Back in the garage, I use some of the carpet nails to more permanently mount the top edge of the rear well carpet. Oughta take care of that problem.
Took a bottle of scratch remover and buffed out a black scuff on the drivers' front fender. My daughter failed to tell me that while I was out of town last week, she cut it too sharp at a Sonic Drive-In and nailed the black plastic shelf where you put your tray when done consuming their fine cuisine. Fortunately, no scratches in the paint. Also, removed the wiper arms, took off the blades and gave the arms a nice shot of matte silver paint. Reassembled after dry and replaced them on the car.
Malcolm '69 Bug (Gus) '71 SB (Herbie)