Cougar

It's Prime(r) Time, Baby!

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It’s a sunny 60 degrees today. Low humidity, low wind, perfect for PRIME TIME!

My cousin was able to make some final touches to the body this week and put on the first couple coats of epoxy primer. Kind of looks good white, eh? But not good enough for me to rethink my color choice. With the primer on it makes it feel like the car is done.

Still have a long way to go though. The primer allowed him to see some dings in the body and also where the grinding wheel was used with a little too much pressure. It will need to be touched up a bit. But overall, looking good. Hoping the 2k primer layer will help to level a lot of it out. We’ll see next week.

Today I worked on priming the headers. I couldn’t decide if I want the headers to be black or aluminum in color. So, I ended up painting the vacuum canister (for the hideaway headlights) aluminum to test out if I like it, since no one will really see that. It is shiny and bright. I like it, but still not sure if the headers will be that color. My cousin brought up a good point that if they are black, it will hide spills, oils and such much better. We will see.

My package tray ( the rear interior piece that holds the speakers ) backing was all rotted. It was suggested online to just buy some 1/8” Masonite board and trace the existing vinyl, rather than buying a new one. The vinyl is in good shape so went with that method. Will need to clean up the vinyl and maybe re-paint it, before gluing it to the new package tray. Again, we’ll see.

All in all a very exciting day. The primer really makes it look like it’s ready to be driven!

But not.

Oh, and if you have been worrying about my missing taillight, you can sleep easy now. It’s been found!

Wire Brush and Organize

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I bought some high heat paint to paint the engine and exhaust parts. Bought spray can of Aluminum, Black, and Old Ford Blue. I couldn’t paint though, it would be better to spray outside, but it was raining. Which is okay since I can’t decide if I want to paint the headers black or aluminum. Got any thoughts?

So I used the time to prep the headers for painting, by cleaning them up pretty good with a wire brush. They looked pretty nasty at the beginning, but they are pretty solid and in good shape. The clean up worked out really well.

My cousin also had done some work on the body to make sure everything is very very smooth. He also cut out the nostrils in the hood scoop. It fits way better now, and makes it seem more stock functionality for airflow, and not an add-on.

I used the rest of the time to organize the parts. It took a solid couple of hours. There were lots of parts. I organized based on groupings for body, mechanical, lighting, interior, trim, and a box for the ‘things that make it go vroom and stop’.

Only 1 major problem! I can’t find the battery, master cylinder, and a WHOLE TAILLIGHT! I hope I can find it next weekend. I’m not sure how they would just disappear, they aren’t very small.

What Patch?

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Can you see that patch? How about that seam? Nope. The texture of the Herculiner Truck Bed Liner paint hides it! Hopefully, it will provide some extra sound deadening inside as well.

It took a few days, and 2 full coats to roll on the paint. 1 Gallon covered the entire floor, trunk, rear wheel wells, and top of the brand new gas tank. I think it really looks awesome, and it’s a sign of things really starting to come together. I don’t even recognize the pictures of it before. I had almost forgotten all of the mice nests and rusty spots. My cousin did a great job patching and replacing the front floor panels. Herculiner did a great job of giving everything a more uniform look.

Started by prepping all the surfaces by hitting it all with a wire brush to get any loose dirt and rust off. Then vacuuming and using Prep-all to clean it all. The truck bed liner is pretty thick, but still easy to work with. The kit came with a roller that gave it its textured look. Definitely plan on using disposable brushes to get into the cracks. Though the can said it would dry to the touch in 2 hours, it took a day before being able to supply the second coat.

Not a glamorous job, but the results were well worth it. It should prevent rust and scratches for a very long time.

OH and if you get the paint on your skin, it will STAY. Use baby oil to get it off. It was the only way I could get it off my face when I splattered it taking the roller off the handle.

Pro Tip: Be sure to put plastic wrap under the lid of the can between uses. The liner hardens and will make it difficult to get the lid off.