More delays

OK, so its been a busy week.  Spent a week at the Bocuse d'Or for the USA finalists. Top Chef goes to Lyon France to represent the USA in international culinary competition.  A US Chef has NEVER podiumed in the 22 years of the competition.

Good thing I wear aprons when around kitchens, cause I was sporting some serious culinary wood.

The few things I was able to accomplish:
Finished prepping the side panels for primer.  Spot blasted the few necessary oxidation spots and sprayed a cheaper primer on for temporary reasons.  The metalok primer was too cold to mix and my garage was too cold to spray.  Also realized a problem has surfaced.

The concern I have with the passenger rear wheel arch and upper panel was that a previous small dent was repaired properly, for 1985.  That means the dent was pulled out using a dent puller that screws into the metal.  Thus there are holes through the panel and they are starting to rust.

So now I have a panel, with holes and its pitting, and it will still need body work.  I am deliberating between replacing the metal of that spot, and replacing the whole panel.  With all this work I am doing on the entire van it would be prudent to replace the panel, at $75 plus shipping it is not the cost but that it will require me to pull most of the interior.

Decisions, decisions, decisions.

Oh to add to the quandary, Bus Depot has sent a message that my passenger wheel arch has shipped.  Received the drivers lower panel last week.  So now I have a wheel arch for a side I may need a whole quarter panel.

Swell.

Oh, to add insult to injury.  My compressor was smoking trying to keep up with the sandblaster.  I think it is on its way out.  Tax season and upcoming birthday bringing me a new 60 gal upright compressor?  Maybe!

I will need it, the front nose panel needs a complete sandblasting.  I let the nose sit unprimered for two days and all the under base coat spots emerged.  Looks like where road debris chipped the front end, these spots of oxidation got their start and when the nose was repainted they got covered up.  Now I remove the paint and get the glory of all the sandblasting I will need to do to make the front end permanently beautiful.

Tomorrow night I will start the removal of the slim panel behind the front bumper.  Its a tad rusty and perforated. 

Hopefully the compressor will hold up to my air grinder.