Right then...
The Mud Slingin' Maniac division of Coburn Performance spent a few (ok...many would be more accurate) hours over the weekend prepping the 122 for some primer. This is not a task for the weak of heart for many things can, and often do, go wrong. At first I was very hesitant to pick up and piece of sandpaper and participate in the fun for fear of messing up many hours of work. It took me a long time to realize that I too could have fun and while I don't think I messed up anything beyond repair, my confidence certainly isn't at a level where I'd do it anywhere, any time...
First task was to strengthen up the inner fenders. There is a spot just above the frame rail and just in front of the firewall that seems to be responsible for much of the stiffness in the front end. Of course, on a rusty 41 year-old car that section has been subject to much flexing, twisting and tearing. First we welded up the tears and then welded panels of 14 gauge steel over top to give it more strength than it ever had from the factory. Yes, I know this seems to be somewhat of a theme with this car...
That task completed, it was time to get slinging some mud...
And then most of it was sanded off...
This was repeated many times until the panel was correct. While we used a significant amount of mud, most of it ended up in powder on the floor. I checked with a small and relatively weak magnet and it will stick anywhere we've done any repair work. We sanded, shaped, mudded, sanded and shaped until our arms felt like they would fall off. Finally we got to the point where it was time to don the gas mask, fill the paint gun and spray some primer. Here is the result...
I think this was the toughest panel of the bunch. I worked for a long time to get it straight...
And our chosen weapons of mass destruction...
Keep in mind, the primered spots are not ready for paint just yet. There are still some tiny nicks and scratches that must be filled with spot putty and then some hi-build primer to help blend in things. The whole car will be sanded down to the original blue paint and then primed and sanded again. The porous surface of the body filler soaks up the primer so it looks like an uneven surface. It's not. Craig has done a mighty impressive job of getting everything straight...