One primer coat and two of GM opulent blue. It is a rich blue with hints of violet. Doesn’t appear to be a metallic.
The remains of the big dent filled with two part tiger hair body filler. It is a bear to sand if left to dry fully. I”m using some kind of cutoff wheel I picked up from my Dad’s shop after he passed away. I used it to remove the remains of the original repair and it did it quickly. Not so quick taking off the epoxy, but it got the job done – I used it like a big sheet of sandpaper. I didn’t want to use an electric tool as it will fill my garage with dust. So a little muscle and time and it turns out OK.,
Epoxy sanded and some spot putty out of the tube to fill in the last of the small holes.
A truly fiddly job getting the door taped off – one reason I don’t like body work. Just about ready to prime and paint. One issue I’m having is that my tape does not want to stick to the door rubbers. I coat my rubbers with silicone and that’s the problem. I don’t want to re and re the rubbers so a little patience and I was able to get some newspaper tucked in between the rubber and the body.
L48 news: I’ve got a lead of a good used high mileage 305 in a ’79 Caprice. It’s a 4 bbl 175 hp model. Would work nicely while I do over the original motor.
Primed and painted. I’ve done all around the frame even though I’ve just shown the back edge.
Second go around with the filler. I’m trying to get the door curve just right so the repair won’t show.
All primed. I’ll sand the primer when dry.
Sanding the primer revealed a dent I missed – bummer!
On the Chevy front – I’ve decided not to give up on my 4 bolt main low mileage block. I’ll wait until R&D engine builders are not so busy in the early summer and take it in for an evaluation. I can’t find any cracks between the main oil holes and the sides – magnaflux may find some. It will be interesting to find out just how much higher the crank will be in the block after a line bore and just how much that would affect a double roller cam setup or even a gear conversion. Piston height may be an issue, but a thicker head gasket should take care of that.
Next: more body work.