Roadster pickup build, take two.

[BillM]

Wow that looks good - love the flying eyeball too!

 

[DozerII]

That looks awesome.[cl[cl

 

[Old Iron]

^^X2X^^
Switch panel and flying eyeball are right on point

 

[donsrods]

Thanks, guys. I have had those flying wings sitting on my computer desk for a few years, ever since Bob W sent them to me. They were special to me and I was saving them just for this car.

One idea I had was to slightly drill out the eyeball and put a small red indicator light behind it for sort of a 3rd brake light, but I couldn't bring myself to drilling a hole in it. When Dan came up with this idea it was perfect. I think when the panel is painted off white it will show up really well.

I should have known that when Dan got involved welding up that panel for me it would not be as simple as I envisioned, but I just let him go because things always do turn out better than what I planned.

Dan is working today, but I think I will run over and just start doing a little more planning on how the wires will run, now that all the components are in place. My work just called and asked if my knee is ok to come back full time, so the week of Oct 1st I will go back 5 days. So, I better make hay while the sun shines on getting this thing into primer, at least. I also may have to make a decision , as I see how time is working out, to just shoot this whole car in clear for now, go to Daytona, and sometime after Christmas tear it down and paint it the right colors.

So much to do yet and so little time left.

 

[Skip]

The SW wings go well with the flying eyeball. Good choice. [cl

 

[donsrods]

Thanks, Skip.

I opened up some news story today and picked up a really bad computer virus. Had to do a total recovery that returned my computer to the condition the day I bought it, but at least the virus is gone.

Tonight I decided I have had enough with not moving forward fast enough on the rpu, so I went to the shop and spent 6 hours stripping every bit of paint off of the body. It is now down to bare metal. I still have the doors to do, Dan has some welding left on them, but at least I can now shoot the first coat of primer on the rest of the body, and then put some filler over that and start sanding.

Not looking for a show finish, just want to remove a few of the big hic cups, and then shoot a second coat of primer on top of that. Hopefully, I can do some of that work every evening and by the weekend maybe have the first couple of coats of primer on it.

The wiring can wait until this thing is at least in primer, the bodywork is the one thing holding me back. No pictures tonight, I forgot to take my camera.

Did I mention that I HATE BODYWORK ?

 

[donsrods]

I woke up this morning, after getting about 5 hours sleep, sat drinking my coffee, and said to myself " Why the (bleep) am I killing myself (and taking up all of Dan's time) to get this darned car done for Daytona, when I have a car sitting in the shop that I can take there ? [S[S The answer is, there is no reason.

I am down to 60 days before we leave, it looks like I will be going back to work next week full time, and I will not have the days and late nights to do what I have been doing since July. Every waking moment has been consumed on this thing, and I have been coming home at 3-4 am every night.

So, this morning I made the decision to keep working on the car, but to slow down and do it at a more leisurely pace, and finish it the right way, instead of just throwing it together.

While I am so close to having it done, there are still a myriad things to do, bodywork, painting, finishing wiring, having upholstery done, getting the car running and getting the bugs out, etc. To be honest, I feel like a load has been taken off of my shoulders.

So, I will still be doing updates, but the deadline has gone away. Thanks everyone for all of the input and posts, it has made this a lot more fun.

 

[Skip]

Sounds reasonable to me. Keep it fun. [cl

 

[05snopro440]

That's definitely the smart play. We tend to bust our humps for an arbitrary deadline and lose sight of the fact that it's a hobby and we're supposed to be enjoying it.

I'm glad you'll slow down and do it right the first time, rather than doing it fast and then doing it over again. I think you'll enjoy the finished product much more this way.

 

[donsrods]

You are both right. The past couple of months have been a marathon, every day for me, and every weekend for Dan. I feel bad about taking him away from his VW project, I know he wants to work on that, but he has graciously given me all of his days off , well into the night.

Now I can slow down, but still keep making progress on things I can do myself. The welding in mostly done, so it is my turn now. Plus, this knee has good and bad days, so I need to begin taking it easier for that reason.

And, like you mentioned, this should be fun, not work.

 

[donsrods]

Dan and I just talked over my decision to slow down on this car, and I think he is as relieved as I am. Now we can take our time and do it once and for all. The good part is, all the mechanical work is pretty much done, just bodywork and interior left.

I took my camera to the shop tonight when I went to feed Mama Kitty, and here are a couple of shots of the body in bare metal.

Billetproof is coming up probably in March of 2020, and that would be a very doable goal.

 

[Torchie]

Smart decision.[cl [cl [cl
I have been beating my self up for lack of progress (On anything) lately, as well. I'm already beat up enough as it is.[ddd
We will still be [P [P [P no matter how frequent (or not) the updates are..
Torchie

 

[earthman]

Yep, it's supposed to be fun. A diversion from the obligations and constraints of working for a living.

 

[BillM]

Sounds like a really smart decision. I'm one of the oddballs that enjoys the build more than the finished product anyway, so it makes complete sense to me. Slow down and enjoy the journey!

 

[kenny c]

Agree with all of the above. Take your time and do it right once. [[P

 

[soltz]

Agree

A wise old man once told me (when I wasn't) "if you keep at it it will get done"[cl
~[P~

 

[kenny c]

A wise old man once told me (when I wasn't) "if you keep at it it will get done"[cl
~[P~

When you wasn't which? Old or wise?[ddd

 

[Tripper]

Wow Don, that body really looks beautiful! [cl[cl[cl

BoB

 

[donsrods]

I agree with all of you, it felt great to come home after work today and not think about going to work on the car for a change.

My Wimbledon White paint came today, and I can not say enough good things about TP Tools. https://www.tptools.com/ Their prices are unbelievably low, and their customer service is about as good as I have found anywhere.

For example, I paid only $57 for a 3 quart can of paint, $24 for a quart of the hardener, and $19 for shipping, and it is Kirker brand paint, a brand I have used in the past with great success. Just for comparison, I called our local bodyshop supplier, and they wanted $47 for a QUART of their low end Nason brand paint.

In addition, their phone people are the best. They will tell you what to buy, what NOT to buy, and answer all of your questions without rushing through it. I am going to order body filler and bed liner material (to spray on the underside of my body) from them probably in the next week or so.

I just want to pass along the great service and prices I have gotten from them, and paint supplies are just a small part of their business.

 

[Toad]

am going to order body filler and bed liner material (to spray on the underside of my body) from them probably in the next week or so.

I just want to pass along the great service and prices I have gotten from them, and paint supplies are just a small part of their business.

Thanks for passing that along. I hope you will also share which filler & bed liner you order!

Toad