Ouch! and other restomod progress stories UPDATE PHOTOS Well the 74 Comet is getting close. Welding in last quarter patch now. Still lots to do but the body work was getting tiring, it will be nice to move on to other work. I had some rust that grinding just wasn't getting it so I took the plunge and bought a small 40lb pressurized media blaster on sale at Harbour Freight. well the nozzle assembly is held to the hose by a worm drive hose clamp. Cheap Part and I mean really cheap but as we can be I was in a hurry to get going with it and started blasting. 5 mins in and the hose blows off blasting my thigh and forearm before I grabbed it and hit a valve to stop it. Huge huge bruise on thigh. luckily I wore safety goggles as well as the hood as some went across the mask/face before I goit it under control. No biggie but thinking of what could have happened...... everyone really be careful if yo udo your own blasting...even if just for a couple minutes. I'll get photos up later, I posted some in the begining almost 4 years ago. Yeah... 4 years, but, I am working outside and I travel almost 100 nights a year so very little time to work on it. I didn't actually do things in the order they should be done. The car had sat for 20 some years and looked descent...looked that way anyway. It has a 250 Auto with Ac, PS . I switched the front drums to disks, chopped 1/2 coil from front, dfrilled out 28,987,246 spot welds in the cowl and repaired the cowl ( I think, I lost count after 90), I had to fabricate my own quarter patch for drivers side and got someone from the board in Wash state or Oregon, to cut me what I needed for the right side. My biggest problem and what drove me crazy was the car had a Halo top. nice, but not what I wanted. After I removed it it looked like someone had danced on the roof some leading all the way to the side roof lines. That's what got me.... It took me weeks to get the lines straight. Of course when I got this car it was going to be a 1 yr project so I have all the seals and weatherstips, bought aftermarket bucket seats and steering wheel, Got rechromed bumpers (yeah keeping them big but did the front slide, will probably lkeep the rears as they are. Bought an original Comet hood scoop. new headliner, carpet. I have already done the 95amp 1 wire alt conversion. Still looking for show quality NOS boomerangs for $25.00 andI probably want to try and update to newer AC maybe a tarus donar? Well the shot in the leg, arm and face slowed me down for the day so Think I will go out to dinner with the wife. I know, still lots of detail body work, and putting it back together will take awhile especially since it's been almost 4 years since I took it apart. But I am finally feeling like I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Photos Here are some highlights? to date. Fenders are done in primer stored for now. If the images don't insert for some reason my members gallery has them with captions. Trunk lid also done. Hood is in great shape with just some surface rust on underside at front. I will blast that as well to get under supports etc and I think less heat build up then grinding. I'd hate to warp a really nice hood.
more photos more photos taking us to yesterday. A few others in the members gallery. As you can see I went from just tarping the car and working outside to a tarped car port. Keeps it out of the weather but not large enough to work in.
Thanks... I feel like this has become a lifelong project. The left side bottom quarter panel I built from scratch welding and bending till I got it to look right. I cheated on the doors as one had a lot of rot and Craig brought me one to Carlisle a few years ago. That was funny, I got there late and wasn't allowed on the show grounds unless I entered my car in the show, a dirty 96 E150, so I enetered the show and drove in so I wouldn't have to carry the door all the way out. nearest parking was probably 1/2 mile away by the time I got there. The Left side door looked good except for some paint checkering, when I started sanding I found a large amount of plastic through the body line and wasn't going to fool with that so Someone here from MD had a NOS Left door and I stopped and picked it up on the way home from a job in NJ. (sorry I don't remember the name off hand). I had to cut out and weld a large patch on the bottom of the right fender as well. So what you see may not look like a lot, but for my limited time to work on it I finally feel like I am getting there.
Great work! Take your time...you will get there. If you run low on the inspiration-and even if you don't-you should attend the 15th Annual MCCI Roundup Nationals in Dulles, VA in July. It will likely be farther from you next year! www.maverickcometclub.org Seth
Hope to make it, and thanks to; I'll have to see what my July schedule looks like but hopefully I can make it. I have a partial list of those who helped me get this far. Sorry in advance for those I may have left out. Mavaholic, for the NOS L side door Craig, for the right side door BigRed, Comet GT scoop Terry, Black seat belts DMHines, Non EGR carb. spacer And to many others who have answered my sometimes stupid questions. Without this board I'm sure there would be many less Mavs. and Comets around today. I'll keep updating as I progress. Thanks again everyone who has helped me with this project.
