Archives for December 2013

The paint job is finally done, and boy, is it pretty!

Ricardo did an amazing job. It’s incredible how much a fresh coat of paint has done for the look of the car. No longer are there scratches, chips and dents in the paint and body. Gone is the giant gash in the rear end. In its place is the deepest metallic Ivy Green and three layers of clear coat that make the car so shiny you can see your reflection in it. Yes, we are still waiting on the bumpers to arrive, but when they get here, sometime next week, the exterior will be done.

Meanwhile, all operations have been relocated to the left bay of my Grandmother’s garage and the small workshop in her basement. Day One of the marathon to finish the interior has concluded and the car is almost completely gutted. Out went the seats, door sills, seat belts and center console. Things went smoothly today, apart from some difficulties with removing the passenger seat. Ricardo had made a patch over some rust on the floorpan, and it had covered up one of the four access holes for where the seat bolts to the car. My dad – first assistant on this job – helped me drill a hole through the sheet metal patch, and eventually were able to get the seat out.

What’s in store for tomorrow is removing the steering wheel, laying the wiring for the rear speakers, tearing the old carpet out and trimming the new one to fit. Hopefully the day will end with the new carpet in place… The rest will follow.

I visited Ricardo today to check in on the progress of the paint job, and it’s nearing its completion. I added a few more photos to the album. You can find them at the end of the existing album Here. The green is about to be put on and the car should be done by the weekend.

At long last, the Pony is finally getting its paint job!

The decades of scratches, dings, dents and wear are being smoothed out and made to look like new again. After much deliberation and consultation, I chose to go with the same original Ivy Green color. The man painting it, Ricardo Mendez, in Springs, NY, found several other things that should be, and probably will be, replaced or repaired while he has his hands on it – including the rusty bumpers.

As of now, the body has been sanded, panels have been smoothed out, several coats of primer (first yellow, then grey) have been sprayed, and this weekend, if all goes well, he’ll be able to start applying the deep green. I’ve made a photo album of the paint job in progress that I will update as we go along. Click Here to see it.

Timing is getting tight. The project is due to be completed by the beginning of January, when we come back to school after holiday break. That’s only a month left! Hopefully, if the Pony comes back next week, I can spend the better part of the break working on the final interior pieces.

The good news is, I took advantage of Black Friday sales. I managed to order nearly all of the parts I’ll need for the interior refurbishment – things like the carpet, steering wheel, seat belts, quarter panels, door/window handles, door panel clips, upholstery hog rings, and a rear shelf with speaker holes. The pile of boxes in my room is growing daily. I held off on buying any seat-related parts, because I need to inspect them more closely to see what actually needs to be replaced. I’m excited for the Pony to come home, and to start the last phase of this journey.