I also discovered a new way to repair the flare on the rear wheel wells. It appears that you just beat the edges together and mold the shape you want from body filler. I just can't understand some people!

I got the rest of the fenders and half of the front stripped today. I found the rust I was expecting the last time. The best news is I now have a dedicated lift for the little car.

Now, here is the surprise. I would have bet that the slab of body filler was covering up a rusted out section of the fender. It is just severely damaged metal not rust, not sure how I'm going to fix it but it is bound to be easier than repairing rusted out body panels. I always welcome suggestions if anyone is reading this besides me.

Well they're late but here are the update photos of the paint stripping process. There were more body filler spots than I realized and a spot that I thought was rust was just poorly repaired body damage. I'll post that pic in the next entry. In the second picture the two holes in the front of the fender were for a mirror, the three holes near the windshield post are from pulling out a dent. They didn't get it all the way out though, I'll have to work on it some.

Not much new to report, spent most of the morning yesterday straightening the rear bumper before it goes to the chrome shop. I also did some more paint removal, the drivers side top and the top of the fenders. I'll try to get some pics today if I can.

I managed to get the fuel tank sent out for refinishing. Obviously before and after shots. I sent it to Tank Re-Nu in Rockwood Md for their complete treatment. Due to internal baffling and a deep fill pipe I didn't think I could successfully do it myself, so I bit the bullet and sent it off. They received it on Monday, evaluated it and called me with the estimate. I agreed to the price and was greatly surprised when it showed up at my door on the following Thursday. Four day service ain't too shabby. The process used is, first, chemically cleaning the tank, they then cut it in half, sand blast it with extra fine aluminum oxide, weld it back together, completely fill it with a liquid polyvinyl coating to insure complete coverage, the tank is then drained, the outside is sprayed with another type polyvinyl coating and placed in a 360 degree oven for ten minutes for curing. It is shipped back with a registration tag embedded in the coating, a warranty registration form and a lifetime warranty. It's not cheap but considering I couldn't do it and the fact that replacement tanks just became available at close to $1000 !!?? I feel I did the best thing to insure years of freedom from fuel and contamination problems. I'll get back to stripping the rest of the paint as soon as I can.