The ARK arrives at the body shop

[Highwayman68]

That didn't cause corrosion in the buckles? I'd love to spiff up my seat belts....

Oh I had the over preheated to 300 when the dishwasher finished I immediately put them in the oven for 20 minutes then hung them on the clothes drying rack to slowly cool down.

[Cape Cod Fleetwood]

Hey about some fresh body shop pics from today? Yes they're working on Mother's Day. And doing a Class A job as always. Bad news, we WILL miss Larz Anderson, Kingston and probably my club's opening night. I have aggressively expressed the NEED to be at the Troops In The Spot Light show on the 29th here, Gillette Stadium's "Cadillac Night" is just a few days later and that's a long ride round trip. The car will still need interior detail, engine bay, roof and wheels detail. And I'm probably going to have to $ub ALL of that out to Attention to Detail Auto Polishing $ince my body can't phy$ically do all that work any more that quickly. Michael still has to get it on a lift before then to address mntx issues, that's days of work before the 29th. I think the shop is down to final block sanding, then its sterilize the car and spray the base coat. Still a lot of work to do on it. I remember having to get apartments DONE, so we'd thrash from 8am until midnight, until it was done. When you're really good at what you do, as I am, as the shop is, you can thrash and it still comes out perfect. Your back/body just hurts a lot when its over...

[Cape Cod Fleetwood]

Guess what? We have a completion day etched in pencil! YES! THE ARK IS COMING HOME!

They'll be painting this Thursday! Then all the buffing, sanding, clear coat stuff I know nothing about and
then reassembly. YAY YAY YAY! Taylor Imaging still has to get up there to take pictures before the car leaves.

I could have AAA bring the car home from the North Shore for free with my gold card. And I have no idea WHO that company is or the experience level of the driver. For $450 Capeway will send Drew and a helper (always 2 guys with
"special interest" cars) to fetch him and bring him home. Drew is bringing him home. He's a great driver, so careful with
the car, and I know he's safe since Drew is "one of us" going through the mean streets of downtown Boston on the way back to Cape Cod. Drew brought him up there, I don't have to worry, at all, with Drew.

And it gets betterer, looks we'll make the Cape Cod Classics Car Club (my club) season opener on the 28th in Dennis,
the HUGE "Troops In The Spot Light" veterans event on the 29th in Hyannis, "Cadillac Night" sponsored by the NE region
at Gillette Stadium on the 2nd, a private show (with a KILLER barbq) my club does for an ultra high end assisted living
facility on the 4th in Yarmouth, Heritage on the 11th in Sandwich, Hyannis Father's Day on the 19th, and the huge Cars
& Cops fundraiser in Saugus on the 25th. That's just the last week of May and June, it gets busy after that.

Note the first 4 shows happen in 7 days so I punted on the detailing due to my back issues. The Ark is going to ATD early
on the 27th for detail, he'll be at Hyannis Vintage Auto and on the lift with Michael the next morning on the 28th for yearly maintenance, then to the 1st show that night. Shout out to ATD and of course Michael for altering their schedules for me and Capeway Towing for the "just give us 24 hours notice".

Ask me if I'm happy?

This shop is doing/has done a simply stellar concours level body restoration, its an easy #2 car when they give it the final wipe. I am simply thrilled beyond words. This car's body will look like it did when it rolled off Clarke Street on November 13, 1969.  My baby is almost done and coming home. Oh my God, YAY YAY YAY!

Shout out again to Dickie Garbitt (Garbitt Auto) who solved the paint color issue for me when no one else would listen. Mixed the paint to the ORIGINAL Code 93 Lucurne Aqua chip, sprayed it out, matched it perfectly, sent it to PPG, got it
back from PPG and boxed/sprayed it out AGAIN so we were SURE it was the correct color.

A special shout out to Mike Josephic who helped us find parts, kept this 100% authentic and technically correct, hugged me when I cried and smacked me upside the head when I turned into a b1tch (and TRUST me there's another 4 letter adjective far more accurate) which happened more than once.

And of course the crew at the shop who've restored history. They worked their A***S off, sometimes 7 days, most days late into the evening.

Pics from today, there will be more...

Ami happy? 

[Cape Cod Fleetwood]

I just got a live video tour of The Ark from Area 51-B. *OH MY GOD*! Almost all of the new weather stripping is on, its insane. The shop had to be creative with the weather strip around the rear doors since no one makes weather strip that long, they figured it out. The body panels, are PERFECT, the car is laser straight. He got washed today, the room where he'll be painted got washed too. It will take all of tomorrow to tape him off, protect the roof, glass, all the restored trim etc. They restored/primed/sanded/painted the body under where some trim goes, then attached the new trim, then have to tape it off before paint. Yes the pillars will be stripped and primed. I requested the trim around the roof and front and rear windshields not be removed. Any corrosion was addressed by Hyannis Vintage Auto when they did the roof and the front/rear glass. He'll be painted on Thursday. Can you believe this? *YAY*! Attention to Detail Auto Polishing - Cape Cod Capeway Towing PPG Rubber the Right Way Steele Rubber Products #BrightworksRestoration Taylor Imaging: creative media design

[Highwayman68]

Nice

[6Fleetwood6]

Hooray!  The waiting is hard but the reward is huge!  I need to start arranging a schedule for myself & "Betty"  Good luck Laurie, hope to see/meet you soon.  It's going to be a great season!

[Cape Cod Fleetwood]

Nice

*YAY*

[Cape Cod Fleetwood]

Hooray!  The waiting is hard but the reward is huge!  I need to start arranging a schedule for myself & "Betty"  Good luck Laurie, hope to see/meet you soon.  It's going to be a great season!

Are we Facebook friends? I just posted our updated 2022 'tour' dates and locations.
Don't forget to 'like' Boch Exotics, I reached out and they ARE having a CC&C event after Memorial Day.
If you want to paint Betty this coming winter, you better get busy talking to shops my friend.
See you OUT THERE!

[6Fleetwood6]

Are we Facebook friends?
[/quote

We are now!

Lots of events down your way, good ones!  Drivabity, and some upholstery work w/new top and universals kind of pureed my budget last year.  Her paint is presentable for now.
Paul

[Cadillac Jack 82]

I always love posts like this.  I love seeing the progress plus the finished product after its been completed.  My 55's paint is pretty nice but at some point I'll want to redo my 67....but I'm sure that'll cost an arm and a leg.

[Cape Cod Fleetwood]

I always love posts like this.  I love seeing the progress plus the finished product after its been completed.  My 55's paint is pretty nice but at some point I'll want to redo my 67....but I'm sure that'll cost an arm and a leg.

If you're lucky it will only cost an arm and a leg, especially now.
A gallon and a half of PPG paint and 2 gallons of PPG reducer, was almost $1600.
Just for the paint. The shop that mixed my paint said PPG is up another 15% since I
bought mine, that was less than 2 months ago.

[Cape Cod Fleetwood]

OH BOY! While others are taping and doing the pre-paint routine thing, some minutia that has been making me crazy
is being fixed. Finally a new head light switch is being installed, I've had that in my glove box for 3 years. New bulbs under
the dash too, I might be able to actually SEE my dashboard at night now. Another thing that drove me BATTY was the gear
indicator. It became really noticeable after I let Silver Cloud tow the car (once) to Michael, the driver broke it. Michael fixed it
but it never visually looked right, like there was a 'smudge' on it. Same driver cranked down a tire strap so tight he broke the tire. Now you know why I'm happy to pay a great driver/company to fetch the car vs using my "free" AAA gold card.

[Cape Cod Fleetwood]

Are we Facebook friends?
[/quote

We are now!

Lots of events down your way, good ones!  Drivabity, and some upholstery work w/new top and universals kind of pureed my budget last year.  Her paint is presentable for now.
Paul

Excellent!
The BIG ones are Heritage, Father's Day Hyannis, and the Blast From The Past shows. Father's Day Hyannis is the only one with no rain date.

[Cape Cod Fleetwood]

New headlight switch in and operational, new lights in the dash, and brand new looking indicator.
Ami happy? 
PAINT TOMORROW!

[Highwayman68]

New headlight switch in and operational, new lights in the dash, and brand new looking indicator.
Ami happy? 
PAINT TOMORROW!

These little things may seem "little" but when you are looking at them every time you are in the car it eats away at you knowing how good the rest of the car is but these things aren't thus making them a Big deal to you even if others don't see or know.

[Cape Cod Fleetwood]

These little things may seem "little" but when you are looking at them every time you are in the car it eats away at you knowing how good the rest of the car is but these things aren't thus making them a Big deal to you even if others don't see or know.

Exactly Mark.

[corey raub]

"The ARK arrives at the body shop" thread is the first thing I view on the internet every morning, before my latest emails and even Facebook.  Thank you for sharing it with the rest of us.  I can't wait to see the car painted and finished.  I hope it is everything you had hoped for. 

[Mike Baillargeon #15848]

"The ARK arrives at the body shop" thread is the first thing I view on the internet every morning, before my latest emails and even Facebook.  Thank you for sharing it with the rest of us.  I can't wait to see the car painted and finished.  I hope it is everything you had hoped for.

I'm with you Corey...

I can't wait to see the finished product!

Mike

[Cape Cod Fleetwood]

Corey, Mike, you guys just brought me to (good) tears, thank you. Its *ALL* about the car, its all about The Ark.
The car was painted today, these pics are for YOU GUYS.
The color of 'erotic'. It goes from blue to aqua/green depending on the lighting and angle of camera. As Taylor
Imagining has found out. 

[corey raub]

WOW!  The Ark looks great.