<VV> Ultra checkin time!

Tony Underwood tonyu@roava.net
Tue, 01 Jun 2004 13:13:39 -0700


At 1047 06/01/2004 -0400, UltraMonzaWest@aol.com wrote:
>Well,  we know Ron Guy is in Kuwait City.....I went to a show, and pried my 
>right front wheel off...
>
>What did all the others do???
>
>Did I see smoke in the east....from the initial startup of the EUM????



That was probably me, waving that MIG welder around like a lightsaber
attempting to straighten out what Maaco should  have done (but didn't)
years ago when the former owner of the Blue Replacement '69 Monza took it
to the bodyshop to repair the car following its having been bumped on the
right rear fender along with a repaint and some attention to a couple other
issues the car exhibited...  which ended up involving bondo packed on and
no attempt to protect the repairs from moisture/rust.    I spent
considerable time cutting out bondo from the front corners around the
parking lamp bezels where moisture had worked its magic previously and
somebody (Maaco I assume) had loaded up the bondo right over the paint...
not even a worthy attempt to straighten anything, just pack in on.     

And B. B. paid some decent money to fix this car.    

Well, it's getting fixed now...  the crap is gone and where screen and
plastic once lived (tenuously) now resides sheet metal and it *will* get
surface prep behind the sheet metal to keep it from rotting again.    In
fact, I've been going around this car with an angle grinder/sander and a 40
grit disk and everywhere that even suggests there may be bondo has been hit
and fresh sheet metal welded in place.   The car wasn't what I'd regard as
"rusty"...  but it had several localized issues, a big one on the rear
fender where bondo was packed 1/2 inch thick the size of a dinner plate
(gone now) and the front lower pan which had been bumped somewhere along
the line and also packed with bondo which had begun rusting out from
behind.     



Isn't body work fun!!!     





In all seriousness, I derive satisfaction in doing such work and seeing my
efforts going to good purpose.     


If I had my way (and some bucks and a friend at a big shop) I'd cobble up
some drophammer forms and I'd be stamping out front and rear lower panels,
corners, f-fender doglegs, windshield panel patches, and wheel well lips so
I wouldn't have to get the beat bag out each time I get involved with
another bodywork project.    And I still have a couple of lates waiting,
with previously acquired dings and creases and gouges to straighten.   Only
one early awaits the welder (at the moment).     It's a good thing I work
cheap otherwise I wouldn't be able to afford me.    


tony..     jackleg welder