More Progress on the 73 VGE

[larry47us]

Originally posted by Rick Cabell
Its best to remove all exterior pieces from the car, and then go at it. Also,I would remove the wiring from the engine compartment and clean that up and paint it in body color.

Rick:
Had a conversation with my wrench yesterday. Yes, he is removing EVERYTHING from the engine compartment before he paints it. So, this should end up looking really nice. The trunk is another matter. He is going to remove those things that are in the way towards the front, but the gas tank and bottom of the trunk are going to be painted, but obviously not body color. Since the trunk is covered in carpeting, this isn't as big an issue as the engine compartment.

He said that the next few weeks are just one piece every few days. A door, sand, strip and then prime. Then another door, then the hood, then the trunk lid. He has the pieces hanging around his shop as he works on them one at a time. He thinks that he will have maybe a pint of body color paint left over to give to me.

I wish that he was nearby so that I could go over every few days just to see what it looks like. But, I have no doubt that he is glad that I am a two day drive away!!!

larry

[yopurp]

Larry,

Looking and sounding about right. I came to some very strong conclusions during my experience. Restorations are an art, not a science. Project plans, contracts, etc... aren't worth the paper they are printed on. Expect change to the work, the cost and the dates (virtually a given). Try (and I say this word carefully, as I never achieved) to enjoy the process. Oh yeah, no matter how well you manage the project, expect lots of small issues when you start driving a 30 year old car thats been reassembled by someone not trained in the Porsche factory. (Rick - wish you were on the left coast!).

As Rick says, keep the faith. I did drive my car about 30 miles before I had to drop it off at my regular mechanic. Hopefully I get it back today and its put together well enough to allow me to break it in properly.

[larry47us]

Chris:

I was honestly saddened by your plight with only 30 miles after more than a year's wait. I am only anxious to finally get into the car. Spring has hit in Chicago. The rain has washed the salt residue off the streets, and the hibernating Porsches are well in evidence again.

I have the utmost confidence in Mike. I only wish that he would take pictures (any pictures) weekly and send them to me. I am willing to accept any progress, just to know that the car is progressing. But I have been enough of a PIA to him. I am now restricting myself to one call a week . . . . . .

This car was originally going to be just a repaint, but it has certainly progressed from there. You know the story, "as long as we are going this far, we might as well . . . . . "

So it goes. I will flood the BBS with pix when I finally get it. Only a couple of more months. I think end of May is probably more realistic now that I am going for this reproduction fabric for the seat inserts.

larry