Pressing Forward

The saga continues. Slowly but surely. At this point I've got 3/4 of the car in the first coat of primer. That is, a coat of the first primer. If I haven't said before, I'm doing a coat of self-etching primer that is meant to counteract any surface rust before going on to the application of regular high-build urethane primer that can be sanded. This is necessary because I'm not in a position to IMMEDIATELY apply primer after stripping the paint. And since rust begins to form within minutes, it's necessary for me to apply the self-etching primer first.

ANYWAY, I only have the fenders and hood to strip paint off of. Sorry, that is, I only have the fenders and hood from which to strip paint. Better. At that point, I'll have the whole car in s.e. primer. I still need to finish the floor pan by giving it a final coat of black POR-15. I also need to do some final, small applications of body filler in the trunk, and it should be ready to paint. Going to do a semi-gloss black inside. Then I think I'll have to buy my paint (I'm thinking big...thinking Glasurit. But we'll see. It's pricey.) The reason I need to get the paint now is so that I can paint around the rim of the trunk before putting the seal in place. I can't wait to get that on there so I can seal the trunk to protect it from water. But also because the trunk lid bangs every time I hit a bump in the thing.

Ugh, that reminds me: since I used the trunk lid from a '72 200D, I need to fill the existing holes where the model decal mounts, as well as the chrome handle because they're in the wrong places. Obviously, I have a "240D" badge and not a "220 DIESEL" badge. Then the handle is much longer on the 240D than it was on the 220D. One final note about the lid: I put a coat of black POR-15 over the area that contacts the hinges. That's an obvious place for paint to get scratched (metal on metal) which would then be a feast for water. So the rock hard finish of POR-15 should take care of that nicely. I'm also going to do that along the rain gutters on either side of the roof. Since the aluminum trim clamps right over the lip, it's more opportunity for metal-on-metal scratching. Can't have rust forming there.

Body work hasn't been the only thing I've done. I also just put on new brake discs and pads all around. Mmmm...it stops quite nicely now. (I mean, not as nicely as my 420SEL used to, but then again, no car I've ever driven has had brakes like that.)

I will get some pictures up in the next few days...ideally after it's all in primer. 'Til then.