Make up....we need make up!!

We keep rolling along, body work is progressing. There are more little 'blemishes' than I expected. Some bigger than others. The biggest surprise was actually on the passenger side roof  at the transition curve from vertical to horizontal. It looks like something fell on the bus....a tree....a heavy post?...unsure, but that too will be fixed up. So the body men work their magic on Fillmore, hammer and dollie then make it pretty with some foundation!

Blasted off

Five years ago, I had a local heavy duty mechanic-John come over to take a look at Fillmore to help give me some direction on how to proceed. The conversation started with the usual...

"Wow this is really cool!"

Which was quickly followed by a look at me sideways...

"Have you ever done anything like this before?...This is a BIG project!"

But ignorance was bliss, and I nervously laughed it off and replied

"No but I'm up for the challenge!"

Ever since that day, I have thought back to that conversation, and thought 'little did I know!' It seems with each new chapter a whole new plot line is introduced, many mini plots which,hopefully, are all resolved together at the finale. For now the newest twist is that Fillmore has been stripped down and is standing naked in a public space (recurring nightmare of mine). The good news is that things went exceptionally well, and aside from some areas that had some minor damage and covered with Bondo, things were in really god shape. You can see on the entrance door where someone had run some lead...I guess that would make Fillmore a lead sled...and then a few areas with bondo from different decades.

The only negative was some oil drumming( I think that is the proper term for it) that happened during the blasting....too much heat generated and the metal popped in on itself. It can be fixed but requires some time with a hammer and dolly. The rear passenger side at the very back has some bigger damage where it had  backed up into something. Some hammer and dollie work will be needed, then some stud welds and pulling as well.

After the blast, the face and tail will get extra attention, and we can see here where the guys at PET have been working away. Still a long ways to go....but we are making progress and things are moving forward!

Ground Control to Major Tom....

Some of the best songs seem so simple, A tune that is simple in concept, but they are often complex in composition. The average listener is easily taken away on a musical journey and upon return often says....I could sing that!!
Professionals are like that, they become adept at their trade so, to the layman, it looks easy and straight forward. I am sure to them it is, but in reality to the majority of the population it would be a world of hurt to attempt the job, with very poor results. Thus our fascination with Karaoke. Where the average Joe fueled by a  cup or two of courage is encouraged by his/her friends to get up and sing to lyric-less canned music while they sit back and take bets on the likelihood  of a train wreck.
I am always one to say "dare to live" and "YOLO" but there are times to jump and there are times to pass on taking the microphone and calmly stay in your seat.
Painting Fillmore is not a time for me to jump up on the stage, I have chosen to let the pros do their work, and so far it looks great.

The driver's bay, only called such because I got some flack for using the term 'cockpit', has been prepped and painted and I must say it's looking pretty slick.

The rest of the exterior is now up for prepping. Chrome removed,side windows removed, front glass removed.














The side panels are getting a really cool material treatment to protect them from the blaster. The material is a 1/16" rubber compound with the backside has a self adhesive surface on it. They will blast the front cap, sides and rear cap, but the roof will have to be hand prepped as it is aluminum.

Truth be told, if I could turn back time (another song from the 80's) I would have skinned Fillmore to the bones then blasted it all, then re assembled with the new panels. But like building a house, until you've done it you can't say how you'd do it differently until after the first time.

There is no turning back now, as he rolls into the tent ready for blast off...

Ground Control to Major Tom

Take your protein pills and put your helmet on

Ground Control to Major Tom (Ten, Nine, Eight, Seven, Six)

Commencing countdown, engines on (Five, Four, Three)

Check ignition and may God's love be with you (Two, One, Liftoff)

No one to blame but me.

My Dad said it to me, I've said it to my kids,

 "Careful! Its the last run of the day, and that's when people get hurt!"

 Now before we go any further, relax, I didn't hurt myself again. I'm just referring to the fact that when you are skiing, a statistically significant percentage of injuries happen at the end of the day. You know your tired, both physically and mentally so your body isn't responding as fast as your brain and your brain sees the end of the run and begins to shut down and you make stupid choices.....and often pay the price.


Michelle's Mom and Dad are out for a visit, and I love having them around. It gives me a live in cohort when it comes to projects in the workshop. Today was finally putting together the very last sliding window for Fillmore. You know how it is, the window panes are put together, the frame is cleaned up, the rubber is cut and the fuzzy channel(schlegal) is  there. How hard can it be to put it together?

So Ron and I set out to accomplish the task at hand. All was going so well, the fuzzy channel was installed, the foam and felt seal was placed, the frame was all put together......the last step was to put in what I call the stopper seal. The great big rubber seal that sits against the fixed pane and acts as a hard stop for the sliding pane. We pushed it into place, and then I could see the finish line. My mind started to look two more steps ahead, and like the wide receiver in football who looks where he will go next instead of  concentrating on the catch in that last split second, I dropped the ball. I picked up a soft rubber mallet and started tapping the seal to fully seat it....the taps became more aggressive....and then I just needed one more spot to seat....

Ehhhh crap!.....fumble......wipe out.....full on faceplant.

Looking for Direction

No matter how strong we are, no matter how independent we are we all need someone. The concept of the lone wolf, although a marketable identity for Hollywood and Harlequin romance novel, is a myth in reality. What we need may differ but we all need someone for companionship(emotional), for company(physical), for guidance(spiritual/cerebral)

Sometimes you actively go looking for someone to fill the spot and sometimes fate brings you together. My wife?....I actively perused her. My son? fate (and a bottle of red wine) put us on the course to meeting.

Well Robert,from the great state of Montana, and I got brought together by 35ft and 14000 lbs of fate, and he has helped me keep on course.......literally!

Being a former owner of Fillmore, Robert has an interest in him. So, having read my blog, Robert knew that I only had one original glass front turn signal indicator. Although I had spent many hours in the early years(yes this has been going on long enough for me to actually use that phrase) looking for a replacement, lack of success and attention to other matters allowed the hunt to cease......for me.
So you can appreciate the excitement when I got an email from Robert letting me know that he found one on ebay. After a bit of ebay shenanigans ( I think I was in a bidding war against the seller as a ghost) I ended up winning the right to buy the indicator!!!!

The icing on the cake was when Robert asked if I had decent light bezels, he siad that he had a pair that he was willing to donate to the cause, and they were in "pretty good shape"
Hell they are damn near mint!

And now, with the help of my friends, I will go in the right direction.