That's encouraging to hear, doorgunner. I started carefully reading through your nose conversion a couple of weeks ago.

 

I agree that it would be a much nicer experience and a more thorough job having full access from the back side of the body panels. It really is quite simple to remove the gas tank. Once the mufflers and spare tire carrier are removed, as I recall, 6 bolts and the tank is out. Plus you get the opportunity to easily replace rubber fuel lines on reinstall.

 

There's no mufflers or spare tire carrier in place as of yet. I did replace all the rubber fuel lines when we put it back in. I need my husband to pull off and push back on the rubber lines as I don't have the strength to do it. That's the hard part, telling him I need his help again.

 

I've always been told that when you replace the rubber fuel lines to always buy the fuel injection rubber fuel lines. Cost a bit more but is said to be better??

 

I think we used regular fuel line. If I remember correctly hubby was opposed to using the fuel injection rubber lines but I don't remember why.

 

Be sure to post a pic any time you have a question.....I made some stupid cuts when I first began modifying the nose....for example......






AND........I never should have notched the fenders......

 

After some searching I came across a sanding block that suited me for sanding the concave surfaces on the rear deck, a glass jar that had garlic or something in it:



I would have liked it to be 50% longer but it works okay. I wrapped a piece of 40 grit around it to sand off most of the 3rd layer of vette panel adhesive/filler, you can see the deep sanding scratches in the picture. I'm a little nervous about using a piece of glass for this as I lean on it pretty hard to get rid of the bulk of the excess filler before I move to a long half round Durablock sanding blocks. So far so good, hope I don't cut myself,

I broke it to the spousal unit last night that I wanted to remove the gas tank to do the fiberglassing on the inside of the passenger side quarter panel. He made some suggestions and encouraged me to re-consider doing it with the gas tank in place. I've been sanding the inner surface and using a light to see what I'm doing. I told hubby it sounds like a nightmare to try to layer in mat and resin while trying to hold a light to see what I'm doing, I can just imagine all the fiberglass resin in my hair and the mess that would make. I was able to get air tools in between the frame rail and the quarter panel but in the corner by the tail light I had to do it by hand which was pretty slow going but I got the inner surface prepped for fresh mat and resin. Hubby was surprised I could get air tools in there and suggested trying the headband mounted light. I tried it out but to see in the corner by the tail light I have to stick my head between the frame rail and the quarter panel and the light on my head isn't pointing into the corner so I can see what I'm doing. So we're going to remove the gas tank soon. Too bad we filled it half up with gas, hubby has to burn off some gas in his truck so we can transfer it to his truck hopefully in four or five days and perhaps take it out the following weekend.

I had better luck feeling the proper shape on the rear deck and think I've got it pretty close but I sanded about a 4 inch oval through to the fiberglass underneath. Now I'm debating on whether or not to add a fourth layer of filler to sand or to leave the fiberglass showing with the idea that the primer will cover enough to prevent the two types of material from showing a line through the paint where they meet. I figure it will take me 6 to 9 hours to apply another layer of filler and get it sanded back down to where it needs to be. I don't really want to spend the time on that but on the other hand I don't want to start prepping another new area before I get the quarter panels and upper deck done and if I don't work on the upper deck I'll lose probably the next 5 weekdays until the gas tank is out. We've been having daily high temperatures of around -30 C so it sure is tempting to stay inside while it's so cold.

 

Hire a polar bear to do. It that's crazy at those temperatures.

 

I'm chronically cold in winter. We turn the furnace down to 18.5 C at night and it's so cold to get up to pee in the middle of the night. Even at 22 during the day in the winter I'm usually still too cold and have to put on a sweater and slippers. Before I go out to start working in the garage I put on my coveralls, a winter coat and then cover myself in a sleeping bag and wait until I feel too warm before I venture outside, it makes it more bearable. Even so, today I waited fifteen minutes under the sleeping bag in my winter coat and still didn't feel uncomfortably warm so I gave up and went out to the garage anyway.

 

I had to put a winter coat on just to finish reading your reply!

 

A jar! Brilliant! Better than using a rimless can.

I got my better half a battery powered heated vest. Check out The Warming Store.

Need I remind you that you are an inspiration!

 

hey. happy new year Priya. and everybody. tonight is the best night of the year to stay home. roads full of people who never go out and drink and then realize they have ro get home. your garage. is there a way to run a switch inside the house so you can turn the heat on ahead of time?

 

Thanks so much, that's encouraging to hear when I'm feeling down.

Happy new year derek. I asked hubby a couple of months ago about putting the thermostat switch in the house and he said it was illegal. Then last night he tells me if I want to dig a trench he'll put a switch in the house. I'm going to try and hold him to that after the ground thaws.

 

Yes Priya,
I feel your pain.
I’m getting ready to remove my tank so yesterday I drained the gas and poured it in my truck.
It started getting cold as I was laying on the garage floor pulling the tail light fixtures.
I actually had to go in the house and change out of my shorts and into a pair of long pants.
You are an inspiration.

 

That's some serious hardship you had to go through to get the tank out, lol!

Thanks so much for the encouragement

 

 

yeah, she don't know hardship. you (we) have to stop laying up glass by 8:00 AM cuz it will harden too fast...

 

It gets pretty warm here in the summer, although the garage stays considerably cooler than outdoors. When I start feeling too sorry for myself I remind myself the hubby has to sit on an ice cold seat in an ice cold truck and drive to and from work and the truck needs a heater core so it never warms up on the drive.

 

I bought a portable 12 volt car heater/fan. It provided just enough heat to make driving to work a little easier....about as much forced heat as a 1200 watt hair dryer pointed at you from 3 feet away.

Be careful in the garage...we DON'T need no Priya-sickle !

 

yeah. she is pretty cool to start with... be safe everybody. stay home tonight.