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PAGE 10 Now I'm ready to begin putting a few things back on the body. It'll be a lot easier to install the ductwork under the front fenders while I can doi it standing while rotating the body on the rotisserie rather than try to do it on my knees or on my back with the body on the chassis. I guess I didn't pay good enough attention when I took these suckers apart, or my memory span isn't that long anymore.  Remember, this came apart way back in November. Anyway, I'll tell you what happened. I began with the left side and it looked logical to me that the rear most section ("back" piece) should go in first as it connected on the kickpanel in the passenger compartment as well as on the inner fender in the engine compartment so I installed that piece.  Then I attempted to install the "center" piece.  I'm counting the screen at the front as the "front" piece.  Well the center piece wouldn't go in because there wasn't enough clearance between the back piece and the inside of the front fender to get it in, so I had to pull the back piece out again. I figgured, 'Well, they have to go in as a unit' so I assembled the back and center pieces on the floor and then attempted to fit them in under the fender.  Nope, wrong again.  Out they came and apart they came. Well now it's a no brainer, the center section has to go in first without being screwed in followed by the back section and attach them together and to the body in place.  Finally got them all screwed in. Guess what... The front piece (screen) has to go in before anything else so out the #@$%@$#% came again and the screen went in first followed by the middle section without attaching it followed by the  back section and then bolt the back and middle together in place and screw them to the body.  Finally in place.  Next I installed the splash shield with the rubber splash guard on top that wraps around the duct work.  It all went in with relative ease and then I noticed the holes in the fender for the louvers. Half the holes are ahead of the splash shield rubber and the other half are to the rear of it.  The splash shield is intended to keep dirt etc from getting up under the dash and into the door post for corrosion protection and it is pretty effective.  There is absolutely no way to get my arm up behind it to put the nuts on the back half of the louver so you can probably guess what happened next... YUP, the splash shield rubber on top came out. So you can see, it's not always as smooth as it looks in the pictures. It's more like the roads up here in Minnesota, BUMPY!  Heck, out potholes have potholes!! I was flying back home from the auctions in Scottsdale in January a couple years back and as we were approaching the Minneapolis airport we ran into some turbulence.  My brother Ray says "We must be over Minnesota, the air is as rough as the roads". The other side went a lot easier and now if you're about to work in this area hopefully my experience (or lack thereof) will help you get it right the first time.

Here are the rest of the newly chromed pieces: As usual, I sent everything to AIH Chrome Plating in Dubuque Iowa.  They do the very best work I've ever seen.  They are a little pricey but when you see what you get you'll forget about the cost. The folding top parts all refinished: These are all the pieces that make up the side vents followed by a picture of the newly assembled vent.  The new rubber gasket had to be trimmed to about half of its thickness in order to get the door face flush with the face of the fender. I've found that many of  the reproduction rubber seals need to be trimmed to get proper fitment. Return to TOM MARUSKA CARS Move ahead To PAGE 11