More Nice Weather

I'm starting to get spoiled...it was 60F today...for over 2 hours!!

Not a whole lot of work these last few days. I did drop the family at the airport on Saturday so they could go south (yes, Florida) for some spring-break action and to visit the extended family. I'm staying here to work...for real and on the car. I hope they have fun because, having lived in Orlando for a few years at the start of my naval career, I didn't much enjoy it. Too damn hot. Unfortunately, real work has been a drag and has been consuming a lot of my time. Also, it looks like I'll be working over the next weekend, so...yeah. Overtime will be nice!

I had my pick of the litter and started refurbishing my gauges to put on the freshly wrinkle-painted dash insert.

Break it down.

They cleaned up pretty well and I applied some paint. The one switch in there is the "facia illumination" switch. Having not actually operated said switch, I imagine, unlike modern cars, the headlight switch (on the column) and the dash lights are separate...odd, but another reason to love these cars, I think.

Exterior painted a flat grey (or is it gray?). Inside white for light "brightness".

The above picture is after painting the interior of the gauges white. I used Rust-Oleum with their "comfort trigger". Holy cow, that sucked. The comfort trigger is horrible. Maybe I wasn't using it correctly or something, but the paint came out heavy and uneven. Never buy that again. But, this is the inside of the gauge...doubt I'll see the inside of it, so good enough for me.

Today I worked on putting in some dedicated 20A service for my MIG welder and also to run some power around the garage. I have only two outlets on each side and towards the front. One outlet is my GFI near the breaker box, but the other is taken up by a little fridge and chest freezer. I need more drops so, there you go.

What will eventually be the welder supply outlet. The plug underneath is for a generator...professionally installed, that one.

Otherwise, not much else. I am going cycling with my cycling club tomorrow so there won't be any progress. I have an exam to take for work on Wednesday (damn nuclear power...we have to take 4 hour exams every two weeks! I guess nuclear power is pretty important though...screw that up and...yeah) and then start shift work on Thursday. So, hopefully I can get some gauges put together Wednesday night and then continue work until the weekend. The family returns either Saturday (current) or Sunday (trying to change flight) so that may or may not give me an extra day..we'll see!

Oh, and on a finishing note, I have decided due to title reasons, consistency reasons and just plain old making up my mind, I am going to restore the '66 as she sits, vice using the '64 body as a swap. In the long run, this may be the worse choice, but either way I have to cut some major body parts off of either one. The '66 needs the sills replaced (which are brandy new on the '64 and I can steal, I think), especially inside and also some A-pillar work and trunk work. The '64 needs the drive shaft tunnel welded and significant work on the firewall. So, because I have a good title for the '66, (vice a bill of sale for the '64) I've decided to go the Mk2 route. Also, because I'm such a stickler for trying to be true to the Mk2, I've already devoted time and money to taking the Mk1 engine and converting it more completely over to the Mk2...namely to provide for a working heater.

Anyway, that's the plan. The '64 body will (if all goes to plan) be moved to the backyard (with the help of some co-workers) as a "surprise" for the wife before she gets back since I know how much she love's seeing that blue tarp in the driveway every day. Of course, little does she know that the '66 will be moved out there soon after. Of course, this opens the garage back up. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.