I did a repair on the front marker lights, and re-installed them. A couple of the mounting studs had gotten rusty, and they broke off when I removed the lamps last year. So I pressed out the remaining stubs of the studs, and soldered some small bolts in the holes to replace them. Then I mounted the lamps in the front fenders and hooked up the wiring. Except for the rusty studs, the lamps were in excellent condition, and just needed to be cleaned.
Month: April 2013
Fixing the front valences
I repaired the rusted-out spots on the front corner valences (BTW, the valences attach to the front corners of the frame, just below the front bumper). Each one had a rusted-out spot about 1 by 2 inches. I cut away the rusted metal, cut patches from sheet metal to fit the openings, and welded the patches in place. I ended up using my MIG welder, so I never actually used the nice foot pedal I had made for the TIG welder. I also fixed a couple of small bends and dents in the corner valences and the center valence (which bolts on below the grille, between the corner valences).
The next step is to apply a bit of body filler to the remaining dings and irregularities on the valences, and start priming and painting them, like I did with the rest of the car body. Since they are tiny compared to the entire car body, it should be quick, and not too messy. I also need to bead-blast the headlight surrounds, and paint them along with the valences.