[Vic1947]

Been awhile since I last posted - time for some catching up.

Kathy and I made a quick trip to Franklin, WI this week to drop off the body shell and hood for the wagon. The folks at RSI met us at 7:30am Wednesday and made quick work of unloading the rolling chassis, body and etc. off the trailer. They gave us the nickel tour and we were impressed with the quality of their process. We were a bit surprised when we found out they don't actually do the e-coating onsite. They use a company in Michigan for that part. RSI personnel rack the parts in a special cage for transport to and from their shop. The cage also serves as the container for the e-coat process. Once it returns, they unbolt everything and touch up any uncoated air pockets. The body is positioned on its side for the coating so places in the wheel wells could trap air. Where needed, they will drill 1/8" holes for venting. They estimate about an 8 week timeframe from start to finish.

We were back in KC by 6pm Wednesday with no problems. I was a little nervous about the timing as there was no room for error. Kathy had her second chemo Thursday morning and we didn't want to have to reschedule . The truck we rented didn't have GPS so she was my main navigator. Fortunately we figured out how to use Google Maps on the smartphone which saved our bacon a couple of times.

The doors, inner and outer front fenders and a bunch of garnish moldings are at the media blasters being stripped. I cut the bottoms of the door skins off all four doors and they'll blast the inner shells clean before I re-skin them. When I get it all back, I'll take the first load of parts to the powder coating outfit I like to use.

The engine is coming right along. Ohio Speed emailed me the dyno sheet this morning and it showed almost 488HP at 6300 rpm along with impressive average torque numbers. He should wrap it up by next week and get it on the way. Right now my workshop looks almost deserted. The rims and tires arrived and I stuck them on the RS chassis to see if my measurements panned out. Looks like everything will fit nicely.

Once the engine and trans arrive, I'll test fit them into the chassis and then blow the chassis apart for powder coating. Lots to do before RSI calls me to come retrieve the body.