With the bed cover in place it was right back to the engine compartment project. The final phase was getting all the prep done for an application of Raptor bedliner. With all the degreasing, sanding, grinding, filling, priming, and more sanding and more cleaning, this part of the project turned out to be every bit as much work as painting the whole truck.
First the hood, hinges, and springs were pulled:
A rented power washer blew off all the dirt and half the poorly prepped paint back to the original yellow on much of the outer firewall:
And this is just a shot of the truck with the hood off, showing how much light makes it to the pavement now:
All of the removable panels were pulled for individual attention and fabrication of new gaskets:
And a new hard line was formed for the clutch connection:
To replace this crappy looking version:
The new line in place:
Not looking much different, this is after hours of sanding the heater panel openings, yellow portions of the firewall, and fender panels next to where the hood springs mount:
