The running boards are mostly done. I finished welding a couple of little cracks, then started bead-blasting them. (Actually I used garnet instead of glass beads, which cuts faster through rust.) The blasting took a while, but the garnet worked well. Then I applied a primer coat and a topcoat of semi-gloss black enamel (Valspar Tractor and Implement brand). I did not use fancy auto paint, because all the exposed parts will be covered by the rubber mat or trim strips. I added some special enamel hardener to the topcoat, which worked well. the primer took a couple of days to dry, and the topcoat reached the same level of dryness in about 6 hours. The boards are ready to be bolted into place, but it might be easier to install the rubber mat and trim strips first. I’m planning to re-use the rubber mats that were on the boards when I got the car. The were virtually new, and all I had to do was remove the sticky adhesive from the back (with Goo-Gone) and give them a good cleaning.
Meanwhile I’ve started work on the hood. I got the side pieces down from the attic and removed some rivets that held some long-gone rubber bumpers in place. Over the weekend I’ll clean off the dirt and crud, and start bead-blasting them.