Good Things Come to Those Who Wait

I mean in general. At least that's what they say. Not this time, really. Nothing bad, just I wish I could say more than I have to say. On the up side, things are starting to feel like they're moving forward. The bad part is that it's taken forever to get to this. The culprit is my driver's side quarter panel that was featured previously. The one with all the filler on it. I was working on straightening it the right way and envisioned a beautifully straight panel with almost no filler. But it was not to be so. Don't get me wrong, there's A LOT less filler than there was before. A lot. But I also don't have it perfect either. Close, but not perfect. I don't think I can get it perfect. Maybe you have to do what the guy did that fixed it before in order to have perfect lines. I just don't know which is worse, slightly less than perfect lines yet still some exposed metal, or almost a 1/4 inch of filler. Well, I'm gonna get some primer on it and see how the lines look then. It's hard to tell when it looks like a holstein cow. (That's the black and white one in dairies, for those of you not raised in farming country). Observe:




That's where I've been spending most of my free time for the last...two weeks? More? I don't rightly know. I've kind of lost track of time. And sorry for the proximity of my mug in the second shot. I should've used a wider angle lens, but that would have involved going into the house. (Does my face look fat? I always feel like it looks fat in pictures. And I'm a pretty skinny guy, for those of you who don't know me).

So, aside from the cursed (read poetically: 'kərsid) quarter panel, I've now got all the paint removed from the whole rear and the other quarter panel. I've also got the inside of the trunk sanded and ready for some filler to smooth out the fiberglass cloth patches that cover the rust holes. Speaking of filler (I must smell like it all the time. It has a distinct chemical smell), the other quarter panel is perfectly straight apart from the rust at the very bottom back (which will be cut out and replaced). Or so I thought. I discovered a small patch of filler about 8x8 inches that I COULDN'T just leave in place. I HAD to remove it to see WHY they had put it there, and if there was something awful underneath. There wasn't. Just a small dent that's placed just inconveniently enough that you can't really get a dolly behind it to hammer it out (due to the wheel well inside the trunk). But that didn't stop me from trying. To make a long story short, it's got its first coat of filler back on it. Another one should level it out. I just can't leave well enough alone.

What else? Um...nothing, really. See, I told you there wasn't much to report. All this time without posting and this is all I can give you. It's because I've been spending SOOO much time on that quarter panel. My neighbors must be wondering why I'm always sitting in the same place on the curb. Which reminds me...the last few days people have been driving by, some of whom I've never noticed before, and are stopping to ask how it's going and give me words of encouragement. I've become acquainted with probably 8 to 10 people in the neighborhood because they always see me out there. Apparently I've got my head down a lot so I haven't seen all of them before this week. Some I see often, usually older men, who drive by and like to stop and chat about it. Most have some advice to give, a story about an old car they restored, or their uncle or their nephew or son, etc. It's pretty funny. It's like I have my own cheering section.